Fantano Project №1 — Random Access Memories & Vulnicura

Random Access Memories — Daft Punk

This is an album that was everywhere when it was released, in part thanks to its monster hit “Get Lucky,” which featured catchy vocal hooks from Pharrell Williams, phenomenal guitar work from Nile Rodgers, and, of course, vocoder vocals. Not only is “Get Lucky” a fantastic single that remains fresh seven years later, but it’s a pretty good microcosm of Random Access Memories as a whole, a project that sees Daft Punk reaching into the past to bring the sounds of Disco, Soul, and Funk in conversation with the electronic sound that made the duo such a sensation when they first arrived. I’ve been listening to this album for a long time now and I’ve loved it since it came out, but this round of listening allowed me to really assess each song and then evaluate the album as a whole.

I think the album flows really nicely from track to track and is really easy to listen to all the way through. The Nile Rodgers guitar work elevates the album to some of its highest highs and Daft Punk really gets ambitious on two of my favorite tracks, “Giorgio by Moroder” (which I think is one of Daft Punk’s masterpieces) and “Touch.” I think their ability to layer instruments at the right moments is well showcased, in the same way that their ability to layer vocal tracks is on full display in the song “Lose Yourself to Dance,” which was Fantano’s least favorite track when he reviewed the album. He ascribes his lack of love to Pharrell’s falsetto, which he felt left much to be desired, but I have always really liked this song. I think Daft Punk takes classical concepts like counterpoint and polyphony and applies them to house grooves in ways that create such a rewarding track.

I think a few tracks, while not bad, are lacking a bit in the way of development, especially since the album’s brightest moments carry it in spades. The songs “Beyond” and “Motherboard” are the prime culprits here, coming off as just kind of forgettable. Again, nothing offensively bad anywhere, but the album’s second half just does not sustain the same level of excellence and excitement as the first.

Favorite Songs: Game of Love, Giorgio by Moroder, Within, Instant Crush, Lose Yourself to Dance, Touch, Get Lucky

Least Favorite: Beyond, Motherboard

Rating: 8/10

Vulnicura — Bjork

So, Bjork is one of those artists that I know by name, but have never actually listened to. I think in my head she’s just another one of those weird performance artists that get a lot of name recognition, but not a ton of actual in-depth attention, so I was kind of excited to give this one a listen. And the Icelandic musician/actress did not disappoint in terms of offering an interesting experience. Vulnicura is Bjork’s album from 2015 that features long compositions full of sparse, pointed lyrics that center around a romantic break-up, accompanied by a lot of strings and glitchy electronic drums. Bjork’s vocal style, at least as it appears on Vulnicura, has this staggering rhythm to it that I don’t love, as it feels like it breaks up every musical line she sings, but the string arrangements and dark electronic production underscore the raw emotions of her songwriting very well. Overall, the album is really beautiful and the lyrics are surprisingly moving and coherent, propelling the break-up narrative pretty consistently throughout the project. Vulnicura does require patience, though, and I sometimes found myself wishing that a few of the tracks, especially on the first leg, were just a little bit more condensed, a little more concise. But I get it: break-ups are messy, drawn-out affairs.

I was worried that this album would just be an avant-garde jumble, but it proved surprisingly accessible, even if I don’t find myself wanting to come back to it (I’m definitely OK with not having to look at the album cover anymore). I don’t think this album is everyone’s cup of tea, but I found it to be much more palatable and enjoyable in a casual listening sense than I had anticipated. Clear emotional vibe, tight string and percussion on every song, vulnerable vocal performance (even if her voice is maybe somewhat of an acquired taste?), just found a few songs too long and felt like, while the record is cohesive, some of the songs just sound really similar and don’t distinguish themselves from one another super cleanly.

Favorite Song: Atom Dance

Least Favorite Song: Family

Rating: 7/10

Next albums up are Run the Jewels 2 by Run the Jewels and Remembers Us to Life by Regina Spektor. Again, one I’m familiar with (Run the Jewels) and one I’m not (Spektor). Happy listening!