Random Access Memories

Daft Punk | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 21, 2013)
• Original Release Date: 2013
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Columbia
• ASIN: B00C061I3K
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,052 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #410 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #6 in Music > Dance & Electronic > Electronica
  • #6 in Music > Pop > Dance Pop
  • #38 in Music > Alternative Rock

Editorial Reviews

Random Access Memories is the new album from Daft Punk. Collaborators include Nile Rodgers, Chilly Gonzalez, Giorgio Moroder, Julian Casablancas, Pharrell Williams, Paul Williams, Todd Edwards, Panda Bear and DJ Falcon.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

402 of 429 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The story of two robots striving to be human...in a love letter to the 70 and 80s. May 21, 2013

By Christian Matozzo

Format:MP3 Music

I love Daft Punk. And I love French House. And I love 80s Pop and 70s Disco and R&B even more. So when I first listened to Random Access Memories, my first thought was this: Finally, they made the album that really took us back into time, the time of when music was different. When records couldn't be leaked, or streamed, and they weren't just a few singles amidst a bunch of filler tracks. They were albums, totally made as one complete package, to be listened to from beginning to end.

For fans of Daft Punk who love dance music, house, and techno, this is NOT an EDM album. It's not the house music that we know Daft Punk to have made, with filtered sampled loops, drum machine-programmed beats, and electronic harsh noise. It's not any of that that. You can't fist-pump to this music, you can't go nuts to it. So when you listen to Random Access Memories for the first time, go into it with a different state of mind than "House Music." I invite you instead to hop into your DeLorean, and take a plunge back to the year of 1979, when dance music was quite different...

Random Access Memories is Discovery if Daft Punk had produced it 30 years ago. This is a tribute to those who grew up in the 70s and late-80s. To those who grew up listening to Roger Troutman's vocoder in the band "Zapp" on classic songs like Computer Love, it's on this album. To those who danced to Nile Rodgers' impeccable guitar licks on classic Chic songs like Good Times and I Want Your Love, they're here too. And to those who enjoyed the mellowed-out soulful keyboard playing of Michael McDonald and the Jazz Crusaders, it's all here too. From the beginning track, "Give Life Back To Music", to "Get Lucky" to "Beyond" and everything in-between, you can hear the distinctive influence of the 70s.

Random Access Memories is also for those Who grew up watching movies like Tron, Blade Runner, and The Muppet Movie, and television shows like Miami Vice. You hear it in every one of the songs, that at-night, convertible top-down, cruise style of the album. The immense amount of vocoder, the guitar licks, strings, and synthesizers. The happy children playing. While Random Access Memories may not be as mind-blowing as Discovery was, this is a fantastically-produced album. This album is like watching a movie. It's a soundtrack to a life, really, a life of two robots trying to be human. It's slower-paced, somber, and meaningful. And it's really good. 5 stars. Read more ›

109 of 127 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Human after all May 21, 2013

By Nse Ette TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Audio CD

Daft Punk's fourth studio album proper has got to be the most anticipated album so far this year. It far exceeds the hype; Disco, Funk, and Rock with a human feel. Most of the instrumentation is real with Nile Rodgers scratchy funky guitars, and other guests like Pharrell, Julian Casablancas, Paul Williams, Todd Edwards, Panda Bear, and the legendary Giorgio Moroder who appears on "Giorgio By Moroder" narrating his earlier career in Germany (and particularly his work on Donna Summer's ground breaking "I Remember Yesterday" album" which incorporated sounds from the 50s through to the futuristic "I Feel Love") to a groovy backdrop before beautifully morphing into ornate Disco reminiscent of Cerrone.

The sound is far off from what everyone from David Guetta, Calvin Harris, or Skrillex are churning out. "Give Life Back To Music" is the opening cut and does what the title says, a robotic voice intoning against a groovy Chic-style retro groove, flying in the face of the anonymous mechanical Electronic Dance music currently cluttering up the charts.

"Instant Crush" features Julian Casablancas dreamy elfin vocals against a chugging rock-ish arrangement. Lose Yourself To Dance" takes the tempo down a wee bit and features the vocals of Pharrell, who also sings on the breezy smash hit lead-single "Get Lucky". "Fragments Of Time" features Todd Edwards singing to a sunny 70s/80s Pop backdrop, while "Doin' It Right" is a spare robotic ballad featuring Panda Bear.

"Within" is a stunning piano ballad with a winsome robotic voice singing "There are so many things that I don't understand..." which recalls Radiohead. "Touch" is an ambitious tempo-shifting piece with groovy bass, darting horns, and the vocals of Paul Williams, a maelstrom of instrumentation and a masterpiece! "Beyond" is an incredibly beautiful mid tempo trippy groove. Similar is "The Game Of Love".

For those that enjoy their instrumental pieces, there's the swirling "Motherboard" (with interesting percussion patterns), and "Contact" (which starts off with the real-life recording of astronaut Eugene Cernan's narration of a UFO sighting).

Daft Punk take you on an exhilarating ride, one of the best you'll get this year. Read more ›

89 of 108 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Were you expecting this? May 21, 2013

By Jason Kleeberg

Format:Audio CD

I've never been a huge fan of EDM music. I've listened to a bit of Daft Punk in the past, but I wouldn't call myself a fan. Trolling my iTunes shows I had four of their songs from various albums (basically the hits), and the video for Around The World, because I'm a big Michel Gondry fan.

That out of the way, fans of Daft Punk knew that this was going to be a departure from their normal sound, as they eschewed their electronic sounds in lieu of real instruments. As I write this, the response from the EDM crowd is very, very polarizing. For fans who were looking for something different than the first single, "Get Lucky" will be disappointed, as the album takes that course through it's run. For fans of "Get Lucky", you're in for a treat. It's the best thing Pharrell has been involved with in a long, long time. His other appearance on the album is great as well. Touch is a song that feels like it spans three generations over it's 8 minute run time.

Upon a few listens, this sound is very 'disco revival'. Low, funky bass lines help an obvious 70's inspiration. Comparing it to older tracks, such as One More Time or Around The World makes it seem like these are two different bands...not a problem for me. Something makes me think Daft Punk was aiming to create their 'Thriller'.

I suggest listening to the single first, and if you like it, pick up the album. If you don't, steer clear.

My standout tracks:
Give Life Back To Music
Lose Yourself To Dance (feat. Pharrell)
Touch (feat. Paul Williams)
Get Lucky (feat. Pharrell)