Week 11 of 52 albums for a year
Daft Punk - Tron: Legacy
Hey everybody! Well another week has flown by and I need to put this one down and start the next, not to mention sit down and write about it.
This week I'm going with Tron: Legacy by Daft Punk. It was an album suggested to me by Rhamona_Q a while back but I have finally gotten to it.
I really enjoyed this album. Sure, some songs were the same theme but played differently, but overall it had a pretty good feel to it. I listened to it a lot when I was writing in the mornings and driving and that worked out well. It's interesting enough to keep you focused without being too distracting. If you're looking for an album that's got that feel to it, something you want to put on while you're studying or something, then I'd recommend this.
Unfortunately it's not on Bandcamp so I'll have to use youtube links. I listened to it on Spotify so you can find the whole thing there too.
The first song, Overture, reminded me of another movie the first time I heard it. I still can't think what it was, but I was waiting for the pitch to go up slightly and a woman start singing. If anyone can tell me what that song is (or from) that would be appreciated, but I just know I've heard something really similar. Anyway, this one is all synth, and it sounds pretty good, eases you into the soundtrack.
The next song, The Grid, may have one of my favourite moments from the album. When the synth kicks in around 47 seconds in, it is nicely fucked out. Sure, you listen on your phone and you're not hearing much, but chuck that through some speakers and it comes through super clear. I have no idea how they got their sound but looking online shows this thread with a picture. Pretty full on bit of kit!
Reading further online, it says that Daft Punk used a 85 piece orchestra throughout the album. Which makes sense because some of the sounds are really lush. There's a nice mix of organic sounds with synths that you can hear on songs like Rinzler and The Game Has Changed.
The album has 22 songs, many of which only go for a minute or two. I'm sure there's an extended version of the album somewhere online but as the album already clocks in around an hour, and I'm back working full time, I just went with the normal version. Some tracks stood out for me though.
Arena has a great feel to it. End Of The Line is another I really enjoyed. I quite liked End Titles as well, which is a refrain from the Overture song. One of the most popular songs (going by the number of plays on Spotify at least) is Derezzed which I personally didn't love. It's probably closer to a 'normal' Daft Punk track, but to me, I far preferred the slower tracks which had more of the orchestra mixed in with the synths.
I have an interesting relationship with the synth. I played one in a band called Sectape, and I had to run it through a bunch of pedals to get a sound I liked. In general though, I've never really been one for synths. So to turn on such a synth heavy sound, I was initially reluctant. Not that I wasn't going to give it a crack, but more I wanted to listen to it when it fit where I was at. Driving across the desert for instance in the middle of nowhere? Not the right place. Driving around towns or writing? Perfect.
All in all, I quite enjoyed this album. I'd give it a 4 out of 5 cause it's something that I can see myself going back to. The mix of organic sounds and synths worked really well and I'll probably try and find an extended version of this in future. Some of the songs were just a bit too short, but were perfect as a taste to hear during the week.
I also intend to watch Tron: Legacy. I have not seen the movie and it was on the 'to do' list this week but I never got around to it. I was going to put off this post until I watched it, but I need to get onto the next album.
I hope you all have a great week!
The year so far: