To Daft or not to Daft? That was the question posed to me as I stood in front of a rack of records contemplating which album I should buy next. In one hand was the guitar gushing sounds of The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s Electric Ladyland and in the other was the futuristic, alien robot music that is Daft Punk’s Discovery. Since it was shortly after Christmas and I had some extra spending cash, I opted for both. Thank you, Santa. But, this article is about Daft Punk so see ya, Jimi. I’ll get to you later. Now, back to the topic at hand.
Daft Punk’s second album, Discovery (March 13, 2001), explodes right from the beginning when the heavily auto-tuned and compressed vocals of the dance anthem “One More Time” come sounding through the speakers, beckoning people everywhere to the dance floor. Following the disco-dancing funk is “Aerodynamic”, a song that appropriately begins with a bell toll, signaling the coming of what Eddie Van Halen would sound like if he was a robot from outer space. Daft Punk’s softer side comes out next with “Digital Love”, a song about something every robot longs for but can’t have…love.
What’s great about having this album on vinyl is that the songs are divided up by what side of the record they are on. What immediately stood out to me about Side A, containing the three aforementioned songs, was how well they flowed together, seemingly making it like one continuous song. Little musical enhancing experiences like this alone have made owning a record player worthwhile.
Now, what’s with all this talk about robots, aliens, and space about? In case you weren’t aware, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homen-Christo, the two that comprise Daft Punk, were not always robots. During the years of their first album, Homework, the two simply wore different masks to hide their identity. Then one day something happened. Bangalter was once quoted as saying, “We did not choose to become robots. There was an accident in our studio. We were working on our sampler, and at exactly 9:09 a.m. on September 9, 1999, it exploded. When we regained consciousness, we discovered that we had become robots.” When this album came out it had a different tone than it’s French house predecessor. Discovery is futuristic in nature, yet with much influence and inspiration from 1970’s and 80’s dance scenes. Something about becoming robots led Daft Punk in a different direction from their influential first record, and what they came up with was nothing short of 14 groovin’, robo-tastic tracks.
My “Sir Duke” track for Discovery goes to the lesser-touted “Voyager.” This song, plain and simple, just makes you feel cool. If I were a baseball player, this would be the jam that I’d pick to play every time I stepped up to the plate. The bass drops in with such an infectious mess of Shaft-esqe funk that you can’t help but want to strut your stuff or picture yourself driving down a long stretch of highway.
As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, the artwork and packaging of a vinyl record can play a role in bringing the music to life. The same, if not more, can be said for Discovery. The cover, accompanying artwork, and sleeves are glossy and polished, indicative of the music within. The moment the cellophane was off, I ran my hand across the sleek, quicksilver font and I was smitten.
Before I purchased this record, I was hoping that Homework would be the first Daft Punk vinyl I added to my collection. Turns out, Discovery was all that was available at the store. As my eyes scrolled down the list of songs on the back cover, I knew that I couldn’t let this one go. A sign in the record store informs customers that if you see something you like, you better buy it now because it might not be there the next time. I promptly obeyed the wise advice.
Watching the Daft Punk logo spin around and around the turntable, while the album’s fourth track plays, I can only sit back and admire that these two robots really do it “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.”
To Daft or not to Daft? That is the question, but if I were you, I’d Daft.