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0888837168625
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Overview
When Daft Punk announced they were releasing a new album eight years after 2005's Human After All, fans were starved for new material. The Tron: Legacy score indulged the duo's sci-fi fantasies but didn't offer much in the way of catchy songs, so when Random Access Memories' extensive publicity campaign featured tantalizing clips of a new single, "Get Lucky," their fan base exploded. But when the album finally arrived, that hugely hyped single was buried far down its track list, emphasizing that most of these songs are very much not like "Get Lucky" -- or a lot of the pair's previous music, at least on the surface. The album isn't much like 2010s EDM, either. Instead, Daft Punk separate themselves from most contemporary electronic music and how it's made, enlisting some of their biggest influences to help them get the sounds they needed without samples. On Homework's "Teachers," they reverently name-checked a massive list of musicians and producers. Here, they place themselves on equal footing with disco masterminds Nile Rodgers and Giorgio Moroder, who shares his thoughts on making music with wild guitar and synth solos trailing behind him on one of RAM's definitive moments, "Giorgio by Moroder." Elsewhere, Daft Punk celebrate their close relationship with indie music on the lovely "Doin' It Right," which makes the most of Panda Bear's boyish vocals, and on the Julian Casablancas cameo "Instant Crush," which is only slightly more electronic than the Strokes' Comedown Machine. And of course, Pharrell Williams is the avatar of their dancefloor mastery on the sweaty disco of "Lose Yourself to Dance" and "Get Lucky," which is so suave that it couldn't help but be an instant classic, albeit a somewhat nostalgic one. "Memories" is the album's keyword: As Daft Punk celebrate the late '70s and early '80s with deluxe homages like "Give Life Back to Music" -- one of several terrific showcases for Rodgers -- and the spot-on soft rock of the Todd Edwards collaboration "Fragments of Time," they tap into the wonder and excitement in that era's music. A particularly brilliant example is "Touch," where singer/songwriter Paul Williams conflates his work in Phantom of the Paradise and The Muppet Movie in the song's mystique, charm, and unabashed emotions. Daft Punk have never shied away from "uncool" influences or sentimentality, and both are on full display throughout Random Access Memories. It's the kind of grand, album rock statement that listeners of the '70s and '80s would have spent weeks or months dissecting and absorbing -- the ambition of Steely Dan, Alan Parsons, and Pink Floyd are as vital to the album as any of the duo's collaborators. For the casual Daft Punk fan, this album might be harder to love than "Get Lucky" hinted; it might be too nostalgic, too overblown, a shirking of the group's duty to rescue dance music from the Young Turks who cropped up in their absence. But Random Access Memories is also Daft Punk's most personal work, and richly rewarding for listeners willing to spend time with it.
Product Details
Release Date: | 05/21/2013 |
---|---|
Label: | Sony |
UPC: | 0888837168625 |
catalogNumber: | 371686 |
Tracks
Album Credits
Performance Credits
Daft Punk Primary Artist,Synthesizer,Guitar,Keyboards,VocalsOmar Hakim Percussion,Drums,Musician
Marty Krystall Clarinet
Nile Rodgers Guitar,Musician
Giorgio Moroder Vocals
Chuck Berghofer Bass
Gene Cipriano Clarinet,Bass Clarinet
Mark Converse Percussion
Earl Dumler Oboe
Nathan East Bass,Musician
Chuck Findley Trumpet
James Genus Bass,Musician
Gary Grant Trumpet
Greg Huckins Flute
Paul Jackson Guitar,Musician
Angie Jaree Conductor
Roland Kato Viola
Brian Kilgore Percussion
Greg Leisz Pedal Steel Guitar,Lap Steel Guitar,Musician
Charles Loper Trombone
Warren Luening Trumpet
Andy Martin Trombone
Bob McChesney Trombone
Larry McGuire Trumpet
Charlie Morillas Trombone
Cynthia Moussas Violin
John "J.R." Robinson Drums,Musician
Harry Shirinian Viola
Miwako Watanabe Violin
Paul Williams Vocals
Margaret Wooten Violin
Christina Soule Cello
Drew Dembowski Bass
Assa Dori Violin,Concert Master
Todd Edwards Vocals
Lisa Sutton Violin
Thomas Bangalter Musician
Thomas Bloch Musician,Ondes Martenot,Cristal Bachet
Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo Musician
Steve Kajala Flute
Johana Krejci Violin
Calabria McChesney Violin
Andrew Picken Viola
Rafael Rishik Violin
Pharrell Williams Vocals
Irina Voloshina Violin
Olivia Tsui Violin
Jody Rubin Viola
Timothy Loo Cello
Julian Casablancas Guitar,Vocals,Musician
Chris Caswell Keyboards,Musician
Carolyn Riley Viola
Sara Perkins Violin
Stephanie O'Keefe French Horn
Lisa Dondlinger Violin
Songa Lee Violin
Rodney Wirtz Viola
Audrey Solomon Violin
Neel Hammond Violin
Panda Bear Vocals
Craig Gosnell Bass Trombone
Danielle Ondarza French Horn
Jessica Rotter Choir, Chorus
Judith Farmer Bassoon
Joel Pargman Violin
Kathleen Sloan Violin
Alma Fernandez Viola
Justin Hageman French Horn
Rita Weber Violin
James Atkinson French Horn
Armen Ksajikian Cello
Nina Evthuhov Violin
Donald Ferrone Bass
Charles Berghofer Bass
Douglas Walter Conductor
Ray Tischer Viola
Paula Hochalter Cello
Mariah Britt Choir, Chorus
Joshua Britt Choir, Chorus
Jeffrey Gunn Choir, Chorus
Mary Sloan Violin
Sara Andon Flute
Chilly Gonzales Piano,Keyboards,Soloist,Musician
Kevin Connolly Violin
Victor Pineschi Choir, Chorus
Carrie Kennedy Violin
Chelsea T. Diblasi Choir, Chorus
Alycia Grant Choir, Chorus
Alissa M. Crenshaw Choir, Chorus
Alexandra Gunn Choir, Chorus
Shirley Koesnadi Choir, Chorus
Nathan Campebll French Horn
Emma S. Gunn Choir, Chorus
Elaina S. Crenshaw Choir, Chorus
Vanessa F. Smith Cello
Sam Fischer Violin
Technical Credits
Daryl Braithwaite ComposerNile Rodgers Composer
Giorgio Moroder Composer
Mick Guzauski Engineer
Paul Jackson Composer
Tony Mitchell Composer
Garth Porter Composer
Todd Edwards Producer
Paul Williams Composer
Thomas Bangalter Arranger,Composer,Producer,Art Direction,Concept
Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo Arranger,Composer,Producer,Art Direction,Concept
Pharrell Williams Composer
Alana Da Fonseca Engineer
DJ Falcon Producer
Julian Casablancas Producer
Chris Caswell Arranger,Composer,Orchestration
Paul Hahn Art Direction,Concept,Management
Daniel Lerner Engineer
Cédric Hervet Art Direction,Concept,Cover Art
Noah Lennox Composer
Peter Franco Engineer
Warren Fu Art Direction,Concept,Illustrations,Cover Art
Jason "Gonzales" Charles Beck Composer
Phil Joly Engineer
Florian Lagatta Engineer
Stéphane Quême Composer
Gus Koven Sound Design
Guillaume Le Braz Engineer
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