The last time we had a proper Daft Punk album was 2005’s ‘Human After All’ which, while being the worst Daft Punk album, gave us the great tracks like ‘Technologic’ and ‘Robot Rock’ which are still played in clubs 8 years later. However a lot of things have changed in electronic dance music since 2005. It has grown to become massive and the dominant force within the charts with a following that eclipses any other genre at the present moment. People like Avicii and David Guetta seem to have another hit every other week and the rise of dubstep has seeped into everyday life. Even my Gran knows the ‘filthy beats’ of Skrillex. It’s about time we got some back to basics Daft Punk back into our lives.

With their new album ‘Random Access Memories’ being hyped like the second coming of Christ it is understandable that many people will be disappointed but that’s your own fault. Once you look under the hype one can see another great Daft Punk album that takes the ever-growing popularity of electronic music into new directions. And luckily for everyone, they haven’t jumped on to the dubstep train.

Clocking in at about 1hrs 15mins it is the longest album Daft Punk have released and it takes you through a mixture of moods and tempos. This is not an album of 13 tracks you can dance to at your local club. Tracks like ‘The Game of Love’ and ‘Within’ take a chilled out approach using the famous robot voice to get through the classic Daft Punk repetitive lyrics.  Perhaps the greatest and strangest track on the album is the half documentary half dance track ‘Giorgio by Moroder’ which has large sections of famed producer, songwriter Giorgio Moroder talking about music and his life. These sections of dialogue are bridged by brilliant pieces of synth and guitar. This 9 minute long hybrid is something only Daft Punk can do and it will no doubt be already re-mixed without the dialogue and will become another Daft Punk club classic.

Unlike the other albums, Random Access Memories features many guest performers.  The most noticeable being Pharrell Williams who appears on the tracks ‘Lose Yourself to Dance’ and the already overplayed ‘Get Lucky’. These two tracks are perhaps some of the strongest on the album being the ones with the biggest hints of mainstream Daft Punk with a catchy hook and lots of repetitive robot voices. Julian Casablancas also appears providing vocals for the song ‘Instant Crush’ which while not as good as the Pharrell tracks is a good tune. Others featured on the album include Panda Bear, Todd Edwards and Paul Williams. All which provide a great deal to the songs as you can see their individual style coming through into their songs. Nowadays the ‘feat.’ sadly means Jaz-Z or Nicki Minaj jumps into the song and delivers a half-hearted stylistically jarring rap that ruins the song (See Justin Timberlake’s Suit & Tie for an example). This album serves as an example of ‘feat.’ being used correctly and for that alone Daft Punk deserve an award.

Overall, this is a great album but I can see why people will be disappointed with it. It departs from the more ‘clubby’ Daft Punk we are used to and instead gives us songs that are more thought out and risky. While I would have loved to see some more classic disco or French house influences I do not blame them from trying to step away from the sounds we are more used to hear in the charts. They have tried to step away from the monster they helped to create and take a genre they defined into a new area of exploration. Give this album a listen, sit back and enjoy it. Sure it’s not all clubby music but who cares? Just be thankful it’s not filled with half arsed dubstep tracks like every other electronic artist nowadays.

Random Access Memories is out on the 20^th May

Miniature Dinosaurs are a pop-rock outfit formed in 2009, from Stirling, and it's reassuring to see such a composed live outfit coming out of a music scene that is arguably out-muscled by those of Glasgow and Edinburgh. On their first sell-out headlining show, Miniature Dinosaurs were deservedly welcomed by a buzzing crowd who were treated to a somewhat intimate act.

It's fair to say that the four-piece of Barry Maclean (lead vocals/guitar), Alban Dickson (bass), Sam Waller (drums) and Andrew McAllister (guitar, synth) were near impossible to dislike from their mannerisms alone, with a confident entrance that led to their first song, Lemonade. Energetic and punchy, this was a great way to pump up the crowd and set the tone for the rest of their show. Lemonade was followed by Show Me Love and Library, new songs which exhibited a slightly darker tone but still managed to retain the dynamism and charm that Miniature Dinosaurs will soon be celebrated for.

Rarely have I been to a gig where the volume levels of the band are so complementary but it is worth noting that this contributed to Barry's stellar vocals, without overshadowing the backing vocals of Alban and Andrew. Fan favourite Alligator therefore benefited from this and the band definitely added something to the studio recording by playing it live. Furthermore, I'm convinced that the Dinosaurs' new songs All of the lights, Fly, and Millennium Bug were also given added flourish, with a slightly darker tone once again. Up until this point there was minimal audience participation between songs, though this did not retract from the friendly demeanour of the bouncing, beaming quartet on stage. Barry did not disappoint however, involving the whole audience in a “knock knock” joke which is paraphrased below for your enjoyment:

[Audience rotates arms pointing in the air]

Barry: Knock Knock!

Audience: Who's There?

Barry: Woo.

Audience Woo Hoo!

With the audience almost keeling over in laughter (possibly an overstatement), Lip Sync, Next of Kin and Lightspeed followed and were welcomed by an even more excited crowd. Although, it almost seems that the end of the set was leading up to the encore, another fan favourite, Fight or Flight. This somewhat overshadowed the previous few songs, with the vocals punchier and the synth sharper than the studio recording. Yet, I doubt anybody could complain after being treated to five new songs and a band who genuinely seemed thrilled to have headlined a sell-out show.

Miniature Dinosaurs were confident, bold and most importantly they embraced the occasion, striking a chord between themselves but also with the buzzing crowd. This being a live performance, the band did well to add something to their existing songs, whilst also giving us a glimpse of the slightly more serious tone that is to come. Excuse me when I write that this band is far from extinct; rather they seem to be prepared for a deservedly meteoric rise to acclaim.

Written by Samarth Kanal 

Ayrshire born Andrew Nicol beautifully blends folk, pop and acoustic music in an interesting and exciting way, with a little help from his friends Ken Yip, Luther Sean Hall and Nick Maney. Black and White Boy’s self titled EP consists of four tracks; Fifteen, In the dark, Hide and Breaking down. Whilst all four tracks bring something new and exciting to the EP themselves, they also blend together brilliantly, creating a wonderful atmosphere throughout the EP.

Fifteen sets itself up with an introduction which any real music lover couldn’t fail to fall in love with. A mellow, melodic atmosphere is immediately created, with added depth created through echoing effects, tension pauses and crescendos of sound and ambience. Lead singer, Andrew’s voice complements the excellent musicianship, allowing the listener to really drift away whilst listening to this track; a beautiful start to the EP.

In the dark continues to create a feeling of drifting away into another world, allowing the tracks to flow together, however, this track has a more upbeat feel to it. A catchy song, driven by exciting drumming, this is one if my personal favourites.  Breaking down is another catchy track, with an especially captivating pre chorus of staccato, toe tapping beats. The run up this creates to the chorus is genius straight to the point chorus, with effective chord progressions leading flawlessly back into the second verse. This song has layers to it which adds to the exciting feel of the EP as a whole. Breaking down ends with a fantastic crescendo, which gives the song a big, bold finish.

Hide brings another feel to the EP, while continuing to fit in with the holistic atmosphere Andrew has created so beautifully. This track begins in such a way that suggests dreaming, before the drums kick in, leading Hide into another fantastically catchy pop song.

All tracks demonstrate talented musicianship, coupled with some beautiful and interesting lyrics. If you want an EP that you can be the soundtrack to your summer road trips, with the top down and the sun out, Black and White Boy are the band for you. An EP you can drift away to and rock out to at the same time is definitely something you can’t fail to love!

Air3 highly recommends you give Black and White Boy a listen, you’ll love what you hear!