Hi everyone! One more time, and oh, here the Internet's sniffling assistant, use ik nerd, and it's time for a review of the classic album from Daft Punk, Discovery. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am filming and recording this review at the time of

Classics week, so this is a classic review. Let's go! This is the 2001 album from the legendary French electronic music duo Daft Punk, aka Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Discovery was the duo's second record

and you could say that much of the music world was sitting and waiting to see what Thomas and Guy would do with this record, considering they had just proven themselves to be one of the newest, hottest things in dance music with their last record, thanks to major

singles like 'Around the World,' which by the 2000s had far outlasted a lot of the house music trends that those tracks rode in on. Now, by 2001, dance music hadn't dissipated; in fact, it kind of expanded, especially

thanks to the vast improvements in music recording technology in the 2000s. I mean, for frame of reference, the 90s for the most part were one major electronic music phenomenon after another, and the decade really saved some of the biggest and the best for last. I mean, we had

Mobius, Play, Cher's 'Believe,' also Fatboy Slim, Eurodance. This decade also being the creative peak for IDM as well, and some of the biggest dance music hits and albums of the early 2000s were being recorded by the likes of Madonna, Basement Jaxx, and Ricky and Glacia Skye.

Lehmann, no Crystal Method, The Chemical Brothers, Nelly Furtado. Let's not forget, as much as I would like to, let's also not forget the deluge of remix CDs many artists came out with around this time, many of which would feature.

Mixes, and did I say Jamiroquai? I think I said Jamiroquai. Also, several years down the road, James Murphy would be singing about Daft Punk playing at his house, and Gorillaz would be releasing Demon Days, which in my opinion is a record that is pretty.

Fantastically inspired by the smooth driving grooves of Daft Punk's music. I mean, the song 'Dare' does sample 'Revolution 909' from Daft Punk's Homework. Now, while Daft Punk's Discovery is not the last great house album, it almost serendipitously sits at.

The end of an era where numerous shades of electronic music had this massive breakthrough into the public consciousness: house, Chicago house, techno, jungle, breakbeat, big beat, friggin' drum and bass, drill and bass, all of which are groundbreaking, all of which.

Are great, but Guy and Thomas were kind of presented with a unique opportunity with this record because a lot of the electronic dance music artists on the more mainstream side of things weren't always writing music for an album audience. There was just as much emphasis.

If not more, probably more, on the single or the remix than the album itself, which is really not surprising. That's mostly how electronic dance music is marketed today. But that's still a major reason as to why Discovery stands out as an artistic statement in electronic music.

Today, not only did Guy and Thomas groom this thing to flow like a well-crafted pop or rock record, but also Daft Punk introduced this massive element of showmanship in their music by bringing on the iconic robot helmets and suits that we know them for today.

A couple of years down the road, I guess in an effort to creatively give the record a second wind, Daft Punk came out with the animated film Interstellar 5555. The film was about the length of the album itself, and the budget was four million dollars.

It was inspired by Japanese anime, and the production was overseen by anime and manga artist Leiji Matsumoto. The visuals locked up really nicely with the pacing of the record, and even though there's not really any dialogue in this film, the storyline is pretty clear—like a bit of a commentary on the music industry itself.

The story basically revolves around the abduction and exploitation of this alien pop band, and the movie might also be a bit of an acknowledgment of Daft Punk's transformation themselves into, I guess, a final form of sorts.

While this is not Daft Punk's first foray into film, it was certainly more interesting, aesthetically pleasing, and cohesive than a story about dogs, androids, firemen, and tomatoes. Like, look at that makeup! Look at that friggin' dog—it looks like a bad '80s movie.

So, I've established that Discovery had a lot going for it in terms of showmanship, context, visuals, and promotion, but the album's music was and still remains its greatest asset. Now, while this record is not a total...

departure from the Chicago house sound that put the duo on the map with their first record. It is a change of pace; they kind of expand or vary their style a bit to include the shades of pop, disco, and funk that inspired them in the first place, but they kind of encase it in

this sleek, futuristic, robotic veneer. So in other words, give audiences what you already know they like, especially if it's something that you think they might be nostalgic for, and then present it in a way where it feels brand new. So new that it's like a glimpse of something

that hasn't even happened yet. Now, not all critics saw the genius of this record upon its initial release. The Guardian, I think, spanked it with two stars; Village Voice gave it a C. Pitchfork's infamous 6.4 review seemed more offhanded than engaged, and I get

it. Daft Punk's very repetitive and hip-driven formula on this record probably did not resonate with raucous sentiments at the time very well. Even some listeners who enjoyed this thing maybe didn't even get just how studied and experienced the music on this record was.

But Discovery, at least to my ears at the time, was very obviously not your average commercial, generic, soon-to-be-forgotten dance music product. Sure, maybe 'One More Time' may have had a somewhat incessant vocal line, but the flawless grooves, dreamy horn loops, and gummy bass lines

are just out of this world. Calling on them for being too repetitive for the first leg of a mere five-minute song is, I don't know, kind of like saying that James Brown's live recordings are too repetitive, especially considering the dramatic vocal breakdown in the middle.

of the track and the fantastic build-up that takes off from there. The auto-tune vocals on this track are really nice; they give the track a slightly robotic feel that Daft Punk typically brings to their music, as is their style and calling card.

Rome Anthony's singing on the track is really good, but it sounds even cooler with the auto-tune on, as his singing makes these hard digital transitions from one note to the next as his vocals ascend and descend. This is part dance song, part pop odyssey.

Daft Punk's inspiration to do this wasn't completely without precedent. Think back to the great disco records that inspired the duo. Disco, or at least the best disco, wasn't just about the beat; look at a prime example with a lot of ABBA's best tracks. You didn't just have a

dance groove; you had a narrative. You had an element of drama and grand instrumental presentation. I think Daft Punk was very much on the same tip when you have a track here like 'Aerodynamic' which eventually breaks down at some point to bring in these squawky, pitch-bending guitar

arpeggios that build up into a great final piece of the song, or on 'Superheroes,' whose vocal samples kind of break down eventually to introduce these really sleek, very cool robotic synth arpeggios and some very interactive lead melodies. Also, the moody chord

progressions that are introduced all of a sudden break up the raw, irresistible funk of the synth-funk and electro-funk grooves on the track 'Short Circuit.' Even when Daft Punk doesn't work in a grand instrumental shift in a particular track, a lot of

These cuts last about three minutes and change. These are bite-sized tunes. The duo was clearly crafting songs for the ear of an album listening audience and somehow kept these tracks at a pop music listener's attention span. The tracklist on this album also features the

groundbreaking single "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger," one of the duo's most iconic tracks ever, and for good reason. The springy basslines, the creative sample chopping and layering, all the incredibly colorful shots of guitar and synths, but the most memorable element of

this track has to be the instantly catchy and memorable robotic lead vocals. "Work it harder, make it better, do it faster, makes us stronger." Maybe if you look at the lyrics on a piece of paper they don't look like much, but hearing them paired up with the timbre of the vocals,

the effects, the manipulations, together with the melodies, it's just such an amazing and memorable mantra. The structure of this track is fantastic; it's just like an edge-of-your-seat dance gasm, with each bar so finely crafted and edited to make

each section of the song unique. It's far from just your average copy-and-paste job, and also I cannot do a review of this record without at least mentioning for a bit the duo's grand romantic statement, "Something About Us." These sweet keyboards on this track, the

sensual bass grooves, the very cute, quaint wah-wah lead melodies, they deliver this serene but funky foundation for what sounds like some incredibly intimate robotic lead vocals. Daft Punk also works in a love angle on the much poppier and peppier "Digital Love," which

Musically and vocally, I think it has always had some pretty obvious similarities to the Buggles' New Wave hit, 'Video Killed the Radio Star.' But nearly every track on this album has its own style, its own flavor, its own direction, giving this tracklist a very versatile flow.

'Night Vision' is a very nice interlude point on the album. The song's various quotes seem pulled right out of the Giorgio Moroder playbook; it sounds like part 80s sci-fi soundtrack, part 70s electro disco hit. In a lot of ways, the song 'Face to Face' brings back a lot of the punchy beats and clunky sample edits and chops that made the duo's first record so great, except this time it's a bit more refined, more cleanly put together, and a bit more detailed.

It has a great lead vocalist on it too. The 10-minute song 'Too Long' that finishes the entire album is really the only track that you could probably say goes a little long. Although my main critique of it has to be that the lead vocals on the cut are a little too human in tone, like they could have been manipulated or changed up a little bit in some way to kind of give it that Daft Punk feel.

Still though, the intro builds a nice tension; there's a nice changeup in the middle point of the track. The ending is pretty climactic. All in all, the album just ends as strong as it finishes. And just, goddamn, what a great electronic music record! What a great dance album, really for the ages. A dance album that's so good, like, even so many years down the road it still resonates.

still doesn't even really sound outdated. There are probably numerous places where you could work many songs off of this thing into a DJ set, and they'll still go over really well. So classic record, incredible record—the production, the sounds, the ambition, the grooves, the

cutting-edge aesthetic—so well put together and still stellar to this day, and most likely for many days to come. Daft Punk's 'Discovery'—have you given this album a listen? Why is it so cold out? Why is there so much snow? I hate it; I want it to be warm. I

want to go outside and enjoy the sunlight. Over here next to my head is another review that you should check out, or click on the link to subscribe to the channel. We will see you guys in the next one—Daft Punk's 'Discovery' forever.

Daft Punk - Discovery ALBUM REVIEW

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