14 January, 2008

Have You Gone Completely Daft?

Let's hope so.

I'm crazy for Daft Punk's Alive 2007, an album of their live galvanic music. This is the kind of album that makes me think of Frankenstein's monster and Kanye West in the same moment. Granted, there are more similarities between Frankenstein's monster and Mr. West than you would first assume, but it's still pretty cool that pitchfork riots and Star Trek beats can come together on a live album.

When I listen, I think of Blue Man Group. This isn't because Daft Punk makes music that's particularly similar to that of the little blue men, but more because these two groups have pushed the concert concept further into the future than almost any other band I've heard. In a way, these groups pulse towards the primal. The beats are all-important; the rhythm, lighting, and mood are everything. The technical prowess of the musicians is less important than the crowd's overwhelming need to dance. It's computerized catharsis, and it's wild.

"Television Rules the Nation/Crescendolls", "Around the World/Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger", "Touch It/Technologic", and all of the other amalgamated songs on this album are really one giant song. It's a looping, bouncing, mashing mess of energy and electricity. Listen with care, but let yourself go.

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