TRON Legacy - Daft Punk Review

Daft Punk, like fellow electric beat freaks the Gorillaz, have a habit of releasing a fantastic album and then disappearing for several years.  In regards to the former, Daft Punk’s last album was the seminal Alive 2007, though for original work you’d have to go back to 2005 for Human After All.  So it was with great anticipation that fans and critics alike awaited the release of a new album, only to find that it was to be a soundtrack for the movie TRON: Legacy.  What?

Okay, on closer inspection this makes a lot of sense.  Daft Punk are rarely represented in anything other than their robot helmets (Yes, Deadmau5 owes a lot to Daft Punk), and much of their music could probably already have scored the original TRON.  They weren’t content to hash up old techniques, though.  On TRON: Legacy (the album title as well as the movie title) the duo, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, paint their eclectic and artistic vision with the help of an 85 piece London Orchestra.  While this may sound a recipe for disaster, the outcome is actually a fully coherent, captivating, and symphonic piece of music.

The album itself, from start to finish, is rife with weaving, frantic string patterns, over which Daft Punk lay various electronic elements; meandering synths, crunchy bass lines, and the duo’s distinctive arpeggios.  The pounding house beats found so readily on their previous recordings are hard to find, substituted instead for minimal beats or slow, orchestral percussion.  If you are looking for another “Da Funk” or “Harder Better Faster Stronger”, you won’t find it on this collection.  What you will find, alternately, are twisting, building overtures such as “The Game Has Changed” that are laced with tension and drama, and marching, percussive string lines such as “C.L.U.”

This being said, it is easy to tell that TRON: Legacy was written as a soundtrack.  Some sections may seem empty or lacking of direction.  This is probably due to the fact that the listener is holding on to the idea of the hook driven Daft Punk that they have come to know and love.  To appreciate the album, however, one has to let go of this standard.  Once this is done, the full picture of Daft Punk’s extensive composition is seen.  The relentless, stalking strings soar and crash against electronic melodies that snake in and out of the ambiance.  Falling and rising violins set against buzzing and whirring synths give huge build-ups a sense of urgency and necessity, before giving way to more atmospheric pieces.  Relentless in its pressure in its structure and emotion from start to finish, the music leaves the listener exhausted.

All in all, TRON: Legacy is an incredible dream realized by incredible musicians.  It’s great to hear anything from the Daft Punk; they have always been innovative, and are masters of their craft.  The combination of orchestral and electronic sounds on this album is spellbinding, engaging, and extremely harmonious.  Say whatever you will about them, Daft Punk just wrote a symphony. 

Key Tracks: “The Game Has Changed,” “TRON Legacy (End Titles), “Recognizer”