Daft Punk @ Arrow Hall

The show had literally already started. I was at The Wheat Sheaf on the corner of King and Bathurst enjoying a beer and half price hot wings when I got a call from a desperate friend of mine. "Dude, Daft Punk are on right now and I can't find anyone to go with me to the show. Y'interested?" Honest answer? Not entirely. My knowledge of the Parisian electronic French-pop duo is limited, and electronic dance ain't really my thing. But ironically and completely by fluky coincidence, I had been introducing myself to their brilliantly catchy retro-esque 2nd album "Discovery" this past week, so I thought, well, if I'm not paying for it then of course I'll introduce myself to new horizons. The verdict? Actually pretty impressive.

From a strictly visual standpoint, the show was unbelievable. The light show was the type of thing that could make movie special effects type people quit their day job. The guys looked totally strapping in their tailor made robot costumes as they stood atop a giant pyramid object that would alternate between flashing laser beams, coloured lights and images of people who are only "Human After All." And apparently the crowd was really into colour, because every time the lights changed colours, the crowdspeople would cheer. Oh, how they loved the colours! I however had to occasionally divert my eyes from the strobe light out of concern for the fact that I might just pass out. After all, I'm not 31 anymore.

As far as the music goes, there's a lot that I could obviously rant about. Being very much an advocate of the human aspect of music, there clearly was not a lot of "human" going on up there. I couldn't see one instrument, and the two robot dudes (who technically may or may not be the actual Daft Punk if you really think about it (Milli Vanilli flashbacks anyone?)) could simply be doing nothing more than pressing the play button for all I know. And for indie snobs like myself, that electronic dance that the kids listen to these days does get to be a little repetitive. However, that having been said, in this setting, it really is huge chunk of fun if all you wanna do is shake your dancey groove thang! Which is what I did! The hits were all there: "Around The World," "Da Funk," "One More Time," and "Human After All" to name a few. Add to that, the fact that they mixed, mashed, remixed and remashed those songs to keep things interesting, and you've got yourself a pretty solid show that even made the indie kids dance.

Download:
Digital Love mp3

Visit Daft Punk on myspace.
Come see my Daft Punk pics on flickr.

!!! - Myth Takes

Sorry for the lack of posting lately but I took a bit of a blog break last week, with the exception of the Cold War / Tokyo Police concert review. Once in a while I’m kind of a busy guy, believe it or not. However, while not writing, I was still listening to a lot of music.

!!! is a band that I really shouldn’t like. First of all, their name is unpronounceable. That’s annoying. Secondly they play sprawling dance punk music with completely inane lyrics. However, when I started listening to “Myth Takes” in my ipod while doing the dishes, my booty started shaking and my feet could not stop moving. While my dancing will likely be enough to turn everybody else off of their music, I have to admit that there is something addictive about their style of new wave P-Funk. They’re not a band to be taken seriously, but they are a band strictly made for dancing and having fun. My favourite song has the great title “All My Heroes Are Weirdos.” It has an enigmatic thump to it, and the way he turns “weirdos” into a 3 syllable word makes me laugh. While it’s true that certain aspects of the album will likely grate on me depending on my mood, overall this is probably their most accessible release and it’s one where they sound like they’ve finally found their groove.

!!! are playing Lee’s Palace on May 19^th.

Download:
All My Heroes Are Weirdos mp3
Heart of Hearts mp3

!!! on myspace.
Purchase "Myth Takes" on amazon.ca