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‘Alive’ sample best of duo

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Also by Brett Myers:

Comedian stands up to recent hype (February 26, 2008)
Brother Ali puts up fists (December 10, 2007)
'Alive' sample best of duo (December 6, 2007)
Dylan all 'There' in new film (November 29, 2007)
'Unplugged' DVD uncovers Nirvana (November 27, 2007)

by Brett Myers

Thursday, December 6, 2007

At long last, hipsters finally have a new Daft Punk album to play at their parties. After making rounds on the global festival circuit in 2007, the French duo of Thomas Bangalter and Guy Manuel de Homem-Christo released Alive 2007.

Recorded at a June 14 stop in Paris, Alive 2007 in a nutshell is this: Take the better songs off of Daft Punk's three LPs, put them in the musical equivalent of a blender and present the final smorgasbord in front of an audience.

With that in mind, the album begins with samples from the songs "Human After All" and "Robot Rock," both from 2005’s Human After All, which meld and pick up tempo before blasting into the troupe's signature synth line from "Robot Rock." The boys show their prowess on the decks as they effortlessly weave the songs into one another without missing a beat.

The second track finds Daft Punk, among other things, sampling their songs "Technologic" and "Voyager," and mixing them with Busta Rhymes' "Touch It," which incidentally was originally based on a sample of "Technologic." While this may sound congested, Daft Punk takes portions of these songs and smartly makes them fit together in a way that not only sounds good, but also makes sense.

Upon first listen, one is sure to notice the track listing for each song is a bit misleading. For instance, track two is titled "Touch It/ Technologic," without a mention of the "Voyager" sample or the tail end of "Robot Rock" that spills onto the beginning of the song from track one. But once hearing the numerous song clips each track includes, Daft Punk's whittling down titles to the meat and bones of the songs appears much more logical.

Daft Punk's breakthrough song "Around the World" is teased during "Television Rules the Nation" before making a full-blown appearance opposite "Harder Better Faster Stronger" on track five. This blending of two of their finest songs proves to be Alive 2007’s crowning moment, as evidenced by the eager crowd screaming during the first beats of "Around the World."

The limited edition version of Alive 2007 includes a bonus disc featuring the duo's encore of that evening in Paris, a mix-up of "Human After All," "Together," "One More Time," "Music Sounds Better With You" and an instrumental "Stardust." The bonus disc also boasts a live video of "Harder Better Faster Stronger," packaged with a glossy 55-page booklet. For those with the extra cash, it is definitely worth the price.

Daft Punk's method of sampling all but eliminates the monotony that has plagued their previous work. However, in doing so, they create the album's only sour note. The sheer number of songs Daft Punk tries to stuff into their performance makes for a whopping 74-minute album, and the attention of the listener is sure to wane as Alive 2007 breaks the hour mark.

However, leaving that aside, Daft Punk still manages to create a superbly crafted live album in Alive 2007. While those who managed to catch them on their 2007 tour complain the album barely scratches the surface of the actual Daft Punk live experience, this collection is still a compelling listen. Even if you've never heard a single note of Daft Punk before (and if you're a college student, that seems unlikely), Alive 2007 is a fantastic sampler of exactly what this French duo is about.

4 stars out of 5

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Anonymous (December 6, 2007 @ 11:54am):

nice work

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