1 daft punk random access memories
 I knew that it could be a sound of the future but I didn't realise how much the impact would be -- Giorgio Moroder
The "sound of the future," eh? Let's ponder that for a second. Think about what music has become. We're way past the days when all a band had at their disposal were guitars & drums. Hip-hop pioneered the use of turntables to make new sounds out of what was pressed on a record and electronic music took it a step further. Producers entered sounds into modular synthesizers, engineered the output and mastered them to create new fluctuations of sound and music. With this approach, possibilities became seemingly endless and electronic dance music was born. As this technology became the standard, we saw inspiring and influential releases give rise to bland and repetitive forms of electronic music. Daft Punk however, have always managed to stay on the cutting edge. They've consistently set the bar for electronica, produced a slew of mega-hits and any mention of a new project from them sees the masses chattering and begging for a chance to re-live something as groundbreaking as their infamous 2006 Coachella set. With these kinds of expectations, it's almost as if Daft Punk has a responsibility to make sense of our musical desires. On Random Access Memories, they not only accomplished this feat, but they took it a step further and laid out a pure justification for electronic music's existence
Not gonna lie, I was a bit skeptical of what this record had in store. Daft Punk's last LP, 2005's Human After All , didn't hit as hard as Homework  or Discovery and while 2007's Alive was a worthy live retrospect of their discography, the last taste of them I had was their soundtrack for the crappy new Tron movie. I fully expected some EDM-y release...Just music to dance to, nothing to really think about and ponder while head-banging the night away. But it turned out to be one of those memorable moments in music, when you don't expect anything great and the result just blows you away. I remember sitting at my kitchen table listening to  Random Acces Memories (RAM) with my headphones on and having a handful of those moments when I just yelled "DAMN!" at the screen. I had just turned the corner from the album's third track, "Giorgio by Moroder" into "Within" and I had to bury my face into my hands cause I was so deeply affected. What was this and where did it come from? This is the feeling I strive to achieve when I listen to something. I want to be moved like this by music...I want to hear sounds I've never heard before. I want to single out nuances in the instrumentation that make me smile and laugh and yell at how damn good it is
On "The Game of Love," we're set on a path of lush guitars, desolate keys and auto-tune vocals with organ variations weaving into it all. But it's the next track, "Giorgio by Moroder" that lays the foundation for the purpose of the entire record. Electronic music pioneer, Giorgio Moroder, explains his process of creating sounds that were new to him and opening the doors of production possibility to all. It will surely go down as one of the most important tracks of all-time. But what "Giorgio" accomplishes, is laying out Daft Punk's entire mantra for this album. They want us to understand the very nature of electronic music...That it's not this trivial selection of wonky sounds. Instead, it's a conscious effort to expand the input and output of the musical mind. It's a desire to not just go beyond analog, but to push the limits of digital
Take a look at the three singles: "Instant Crush", "Get Lucky," and "Lose Yourself To Dance." While there's downtempo moments on the album,  here we see Daft Punk flexing everything they have for what were three of the biggest songs of the year. Not in niche genres, not in specific markets, but all around the world. Pharrell's high-pitched voice is so smooth and they employ the great Nile Rodgers to play guitar alongside him. "Get Lucky" was the song of the summer and perhaps the song of the year. Do you have any idea what it takes to make a sound THIS accessible, that (let's face it) really does not suck. It's an absolute pinpoint understanding of what the human brain responds to. Which gives rise to one of Daft Punk's principal concepts: Who really is making the music? Is it humans or is it some personification of a robot laden within the machines that help to produce these sounds?
Just before it's re-awakening on "Get Lucky," RAM  takes a twist at it's midpoint on "Touch," to delve into how we as humans feel and process stimuli. You can't help but think of it in the context of the music. The track, sung by the uncompromising Paul Williams, bears analysis with lyrics like:
Touch
Sweet touch
You've given me too much to feel
Sweet touch
You've almost convinced me I'm real
I need something more
I need something.. moreAnd we start to wonder...how do we process music? Who's even making it? Daft Punk addresses these questions with everything they do. They wear cryptic robot masks to conceal their identities and make the listener wonder whether the music is made by man or machine? They're poking fun at the idea that justifies their livelihood and existence as musicians. They laugh at the doubts and misconceptions of electronic music and RAM is so much more than an electronic music record. They use some of the most talented traditional musicians in the world to further enlighten us to their refined and holistic view of what music is. They hammer the point home on "Doin' It Right" featuring Animal Collective's Panda Bear:
If you lose your way tonight
That's how you know the magic's rightAnd that's all I want out of music. I want to lose myself in it. I want to zone out, I want to dance, I want to feel. I want to think. I want new. I want classic. I want new that respects the classics. THIS is music. Analog, digital, everything. Random Access Memories is our number 1 Album of 2013. It was always going to be. I knew it the moment I first listened to it. Because I look for a purpose in everything I do and putting music through my body is what I do. Hope you enjoyed the ride...One love
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The Rock Genius Albums of the Year List began with number #30 on 11/27 and ended with #1 on 12/16/13
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