Can’t Beat Daft Punk

House music superstars Daft Punk are back with another album. Random Access Memories, released on Columbia, is the French duo’s fourth studio album since 1997 and the first one since 2005’s Human After All. Daft Punk began writing the album in 2008 as they were working on the film Tron: Legacy without specifying release dates– but now, five years later, the time has finally come. The album draws on ’80s pop music and contains thirteen tracks ready to be devoured by fans of all types. So: how does the album hold up under the keen ear of review? Pretty damn well, actually.

Every now and then, over the span of a lifetime, music lovers will have that special moment with an album. It’s that moment you lay the needle down on the vinyl or click the “play” button, and from the first note blasting out of your speakers, you know it’s true love between you and that album. Nothing will ever quite be the same now that you’ve heard these beats, and for once, change is good. That is the experience elicited in Random Access Memories.

Is it a fool’s dream to assume everyone will have this reaction? Yes. But even the haughtiest house fan or the most casual of listeners should be able to appreciate that this album is different from most of the swill being pumped out from the radio waves. The first track is, appropriately, “Give Life Back to Music.” It sounds like a disco original and sets the fantastic tone for the rest of the album. Every song is its own highlight and deserves to be played at every party, in every club, and on every station this summer.

Random Access Memories is a near perfect album that takes you back to the days of The Police, Michael Jackson, and Talking Heads in the best of ways. As usual, Daft Punk has delivered to their fullest potential.