Daft Punk

Discovery (Virgin)

The two mysterious Frenchmen Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, better known as Daft Punk, have finally released their second album, Discovery. Fans of the duo’s infectious brand of disco-house music, which was exhibited so successfully on 1996’s Homework, won’t be disappointed. The first single, “One More Time,” which has topped the charts throughout Europe, is, in a sense, the perfect mainstream dance track. With its electronically-disguised vocals (which inspired hits like Eiffel 65’s “Blue”), anthem-like tune, and persuasive decree, “don’t stop the dancing,” it appeals to both club and radio audiences. The rest of the album, though, deviates quite significantly from the mainstream. After the first few songs, the Discovery’s momentum slows; still, some of the album’s most haunting and beautiful music (“Nightvision” and “Veridis Quo”) is much more ambient than you might expect from a disco album. It’s almost as if Daft Punk aim to provide a soundtrack for every part of a clubber’s night—including the morning after. What emerges, though, is a clear sense of purpose—Daft Punk experiment with synthesized sounds and samples masterfully, but retain that slight tongue-in-cheek attitude that has become their trademark. Discovery is, in part, a reaction to Internet providers of freedownloading like Napster—each CD comes with a personalized ‘Daft Club’ card, which, when activated on the Internet, provides access to new tracks and remixes in mp3 form. To what extent this will be an effective control over our music-sharing habits remains to be seen, though. Daft Punk have returned to the commercial dance scene with a bang. Their unmistakable style and flair have resulted in an extremely sophisticated and well-constructed electronic album.

—Daniel M. Raper

Enemymine

The Ice in Me (Up Records)