Radagast-Istari OP t1_j6i8ipg wrote on January 30, 2023 at 2:59 PM

Reply to comment by brandonsfacepodcast in A revisit to Random Access Memories by Daft Punk. by Radagast-Istari

It's dull in the sense of not going anywhere. Too many soft, ballad-like tunes, and it's too plain. Yes, you have Get Lucky, but it doesn't cut it for me.

I'd rather listen to 'Emotion' 50 times in a row than another second of R.A.M.

All other Daft Punk records are golden in their own way, including the TRON soundtrack. R.A.M. is just the black sheep of the family.

brandonsfacepodcast t1_j6ia9kn wrote on January 30, 2023 at 3:11 PM

I am a huge dance music fan. Been so since the early 2000s. In 2013 when RAM dropped it was not what I, nor anyone expected. That being said, it's anything but dull. It's like you listened to the first minute of these tracks and skipped it because it's not something that can be played at a rave. Giorgio By Moroder alone is 9 minutes of masterful building and progression, and even includes a prelude of spoken word by Giorgio describing how dance and electronic music progresses.

Will these tracks ever really get played in a sweaty warehouse like Rock'n Roll? No. But that is entirely the message with this album. You're entitled to not like it, but I'll die on the hill defending this album as anything but dull and "unspectacular".

Radagast-Istari OP t1_j6ic1zy wrote on January 30, 2023 at 3:24 PM

I have listened to that album 4 times in ten years time.

But maybe it's a case of falling in love at first listen. I have had the same with Arctic Monkeys. Always a humongous fan of their early works, and never really listened to the more recent works until The Car. But man, what an album! And it's jazzy and soft as hell, unlike their early works, but I will forever defend The Car as long as I live.

brandonsfacepodcast t1_j6ihna5 wrote on January 30, 2023 at 4:01 PM

The Car is great! I actually reviewed it on my podcast. It's actually a great comparison to RAM, as it's music that an artist put out that is so different from their early work it's a bit jarring.

I'm unsure of how you listened to RAM; however, I highly recommend you download the FLAC files, throw on your best set of headphones and just actively listen to the whole thing front to back. I'll leave you with a quote from the album

>Once you free your mind about a concept of harmony and of music being correct You can do whatever you want

r3v3rs097 t1_j6jltn3 wrote on January 30, 2023 at 8:12 PM

There's like four ballads though (game of love, within, touch, and maaybe beyond)? Which other ones are you considering balladlike/soft?

I think the album is pretty cohesive and good at shifting from slower songs to faster dance tracks. Almost all the songs have amazing drum lines too

FunkyStudent21 t1_j6mgwq5 wrote on January 31, 2023 at 11:11 AM

Nah you crazy. The black sheep is obviously Human After All. The albums they were forced to rush within a month because of contract obligations. The best song off that album is Robot Rock and it isn’t even better than the song it sampled.

But I guess if you can somehow enjoy songs like Rollin’ & Scratchin or Rock’n Roll that are both just 7mins of increasing annoying noises (kinda like everything on HAA) then I guess it makes sense why you wouldn’t like R.A.M.