FIRST LISTEN: Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

You've heard so much about this damn record over the past couple of months and it's now just a couple of weeks before you can own Daft Punk's Random Access Memories for yourself.

After news of Sony registering the tracks, the band premiering the record officially in rural New South Wales, of all places, a Daryl Braithwaite connection, some insightful interviews with collaborators, the eventual release of the first single and a million other exciting album teasing pieces of information, the record has finally been unveiled to critics around the world.

Our reviewer Bryget Chrisfield became one of the few people on the planet to hear the record in full last week and today she gives us a track by track rundown on what to expect.

Pre-order the record here.

You can grab the first single, Get Lucky, here now!

DAFT PUNK
Random Access Memories
Columbia Records/Sony Music

1. Give Life Back To Music (Feat Nile Rodgers & Paul Jackson Jr) – 4.34

In the disco.

As soon as this Random Access Memories opener floods your ears, the album's title immediately makes sense. There's handclaps, shimmering disco keys, urgent riffs and Vocoder. Whether you're man, woman or child, you'll want access to Michelle Pfeiffer's complete Scarface wardrobe to dance to this one.

2. The Game Of Love – 5.21

Back to the boudoir.

Although tracklisted as an instrumental, this cut features heavily Vocodered vocals that call Chromeo to mind. Give the Barry White a rest, here's your new favourite wooing track. (Source of vox unavailable when this went live. Suspected robot takeover.)

3. Giorgio By Moroder (Feat Giorgio Moroder) – 9.04

Chase scene.

Studio 54 meets Midnight Express. Totally irresistible wah-wah guitar and beats under Moroder's fascinating autobiographical monologue for the first 1.45 minutes. An excerpt from said dialogue: Moroder on composing music – “There was no preconception of what to do.” This quote can also be applied to Daft Punk's approach to creating this, their latest and fourth album. A standout track. 

4. Within (Feat Chilly Gonzales) – 3.48

Piano bar.

Exquisite piano intro. Additional elements that are introduced never overpower the tinkling of the ivories.

5. Instant Crush (Feat Julian Casablancas) – 5.37

Lying in bed, with company (preferably monsieur Casablancas), reflecting.

You would think a Daft Punk Julian Casablancas Feat would equal this song's title. Sadly, The Strokes singer's voice is squashed to Thumbelina proportions by all these synthesisers. Unlike Pharrell, whose sultry pipes always rise to the surface like an extra dollop of King Island cream in your Vienna coffee.    

6. Lose Yourself To Dance (Feat Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) – 5.53

Back in the club.

What was that? Shut up, I'm dancing.

7. Touch (Feat Paul Williams) – 8.18

Where your soul goes when you're immersed in music.

This spacey track sounds like a song from a musical composed by Yes up to the 2.30-minute mark. Then enter honkytonk piano, shards of brass, moody keys and choirs of angels. Not sure about this Williams (although he wrote The Carpenters' We've Only Just Begun and Rainy Days And Mondays as well as Rainbow Connection from The Muppet Movie), throughout Random Access Memories you can't help but hanker for Pharrell's next amazing Feat.

8. Get Lucky (Feat Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) – 6.07

Off to the next happening club.

Even the artwork for this album's lead single brings to mind the Apocalypse Now movie poster – another random memory access (see what we've done here?). Look, this song really does call to mind Modjo's Lady, but we luuuurved that song back in 2000 when it was released so the déjà vu is welcome. Pharrell's performance here is so smokin' that we can't imagine it taking him “all night to get lucky” – more like a millisecond. There will be no wallflowers when this cut meets the d-floor.

You can grab this tune right now!

9. Beyond (lyrics by Paul Williams) – 4.50

In the chillout room.

Loads of instrumental elements – strings and slide guitar – that you wouldn't expect Daft Punk to explore. But, then again, this album is a lot less banging than anything you'll find on their Alive 2007 set. The French duo's next tour promises an entirely different experience to the lauded Pyramid.

10. Motherhood (instrumental) – 5.41

Having a blissed-out pash.

Meandering flute, jazz drums and an authentic-sounding squelchy birth. This one's crying out for contemporary dance in the video clip to accompany the womb noises.   

11. Fragments Of Time (Feat Todd Edwards) – 4.39

In the limo on the way home.

Sounds like music from car trips during the summer holidays of your childhood. This is music to accompany the timeline to falling in love/hooking up, however you prefer to roll. 

12. Doin' It Right (Feat Panda Bear) – 4.11

Quick stop off at a day club to extend the party.

Music that encourages you to lose the plot. “If you're doin' it right everybody will be dancing,” demand the mechanical BVs. Too bloody right! Robotic elements are carried through various tracks via Vocoder, which provides much-needed cohesion in this set that sounds like three albums in one.

13. Contact (Feat DJ Falcon) – 6.21

Call in sick from the nightclub toilets to dance the next day away.

Complete with UFO sighting dialogue, this is the culmination track that chimes drop o'clock. Cue out-of-body experience. The sonic spaceship is launching. End frequency. 

Review by Bryget Chrisfield

The record is out through Columbia/Sony on Friday 17 May. You can pre-order it on iTunes now.