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Human After All | 
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| Artist: Daft Punk Label: Virgin Category: Music
List Price: £8.99 Buy New: £0.85 You Save: £8.14 (91%)
New (70) Used (16) from £0.68
Rating: 40 reviews Sales Rank: 3010
Media: Audio CD Discs: 1 Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 63562 UPC: 724356356207 EAN: 0724356356207 ASIN: B0007DAZW8
Release Date: March 14, 2005 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | Human After All | | • | The Prime Time of Your Life | | • | Robot Rock | | • | Steam Machine | | • | Make Love | | • | The Brainwasher | | • | On/Off | | • | Television Rules The Nation | | • | Technologic | | • | Emotion |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review Since their internationally acclaimed debut in 1997, any album release by French duo Daft Punk is heralded with a sigh of relief as it always seems like an eternity since the last one. Four years on from Discovery, the title Human After All might give the impression that they've hung up their robot suits and dumped their vocoder in the Seine--but nothing could be further from the truth.Like its predecessor it's laden with analogue synths, robot voices and guitars but gone is the bubbly pop sensibility of Discovery, it being replaced by a darker, angrier sound from start to finish. A fine example of said anger is the first single, "Robot Rock", a hugely danceable, body poppin' groove with a funky lead melody over stabbing guitar chords. Even more aggressive is the albums most "rockin" tune, the sinister "Brainwasher"--harsh, threatening and best all, the intro sounds like a homage to Black Sabbath's "Iron Man". Like the aforementioned, most of the nine songs (and one interlude) are upbeat with the exception of "Make Love" and "Emotion", two gentler, chillout tunes that provide a good breather from the manic loops of everything else. It's been said that this album "sounds like an army of angry violent robots on the march" which is a fairly accurate description. For any Homework fans put off by the chirpiness of Discovery, the raw edge of Human... will win them back in droves. --David Trueman
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| Customer Reviews: Read 35 more reviews...
Great......After all! July 14, 2008 22 Retro Consoles Later....... Right, im not going to go on about how this album passed many people by, mainly because I was one of those people! I picked it up from the bargain bin at my local HMV. And was impressed, as many previous reviews have stated this is a real grower and more similar in style to homework. Simply put if you own the previous two Daft Punk albums you should buy it, listen to it, and love it. Just as I did.
Human Musique June 17, 2008 Ali Hurworth (Doncaster, South Yorkshire) It's worth comparing the careers of near contemporary bands Daft Punk and Air. Both French, both innovators in electronic music and both having critically acclaimed first albums in Homework and Moon Safari. But where Air seemed to have disappeared into their own vagueness, Daft Punk last hit the studio in 2005, to produce a third album that returns to their roots, an experimental fusion of electro, disco and house. Recorded in Paris in six weeks, Human After All is a short, idiosyncratic album unlikely to win them new fans.
Experimental means it doesn't always work. Some tracks on here are practically unlistenable, consisting of short loops repeated ad nauseum. For example, it's hard to see the audience for Robot Rock. Seemingly a homage to 80's video game soundtracks, it would need a radical remix to make it in a club, isn't radio friendly and grates to listen to at home.
Most artists seem to struggle to go from breakbeat to house. It may be that having created intricate beat structures, they tend to overcomplicate the simplicity of the 4/4. The Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim both sound unconvincing in house mode - and so do two tracks on this album. Television Rules the Nation ends up sounding less than the sum of it's parts, while The Brainwasher does what it says on the tin.
All of which sounds so negative! In fact there are some real standout tracks here. Closing track Emotions, (reminiscent of Quo Veredis on "Discovery") is a great tone track, quite chilled but could be part of a DJ Set. Technologic is just brilliant, the stand out track from the album. It takes something to make a track that could both have been on the soundtrack to a madcap sci-fi adventure, or is a dark technoir version of Men at Work. You can see why this is such a hit live. Meanwhile, Make Love seems tailor made for Ibiza, with its minor key and wah-wah guitars.
So an album which is likely to divide listeners - if you liked the shiny fun of Music Sounds Better With You, or virtually the whole of Discovery, you may have until the next one - probably due soon given Daft Punk's usual work rate. If a challenging analogue style is your thing - get ready to rock!
Standout tracks: Technologic, Make Love
Live Tool Masterpiece March 28, 2008 enrico (London) Whilst I can understand some listeners' concerns that a few of the tracks on this album can become a bit repetitive - or may even appear sketchy in some respects - I believe that the style of 'Human After All' is simply indicative of a shift in direction by the duo, much like 'Discovery' was a change in direction from the raw approach of 'Homework'. Being a 'Homework' fan, I'm glad that in many respects Daft Punk have returned to their roots in what Mr A. Jack called an "instrumental" direction, as apposed to the "lyrical" style of their second album. However, what has struck me most about 'Human After All' is that it appears to be a stylistic bridge between their first and second albums. It is instrumental, but the sounds have matured since the duo's 1997 debut. 'Alive 1997' was a groundbreaking tour (& record) and, thanks to the seamless integration of many of their classic tracks last year, its 2007 counterpart has achieved equal, if not greater, recognition. In my opinion, the stylistic chasm between 'Homework' and 'Discovery' would not have lent itself to the production of sensational live performances whereas, with the tracks in 'Human After All' also at their disposal, Daft Punk managed last year to create a true live phenomenon around the world. The seamless mixing of 'Superheroes / Human After All / Rock'n Roll' (tracks from all three of their previous studio albums), a feature of their recent tour, is perhaps testament to this. As S.M.Boyd already mentioned, when seen live, these tracks start to make "a lot of sense". So, if you are unsure about this album and are perhaps dubious as to its artistic merit, I suggest you check out 'Alive 2007'. I assure you, you won't regret it (it's a record of, arguably, one of the best ever live electronic performances from a group that has been creating classic tracks for over ten years!) and you'll start to appreciate this little gem a whole lot more for it!
Moreover, the style displayed in 'Human After All' has been instrumental in the birth and growth in popularity of a new scene of electronic artists, spearheaded by the Ed Banger Records label, Paris. If you like this, you may want to check out some of the talent from this new generation of Daft Punk-inspired producers.
My personal Favourite. December 4, 2007 Mr. A. Jack (West Lothian) 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This album represents the electronic side of Daft Punk, with many instrumentals, as opposed to the lyrical style of Discovery. The standout tracks are: Technologic, Human After All and Robot Rock.
THE most under-rated album...EVER! October 4, 2007 A. Holt (England) 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
many people hate this album, and i can sort of see why, because its different to their other albums; but songs like robot rock, prime time of your life, technologic, and television rules the nation are sublime tracks...and dont even start me on human after all-arguably one their best songs ever. yes its darker, edgy, and different to their previous 2 albums, but they have matured, changed and improved... in conclusion a must for any Daft Punk fan, and a must for any electro fan!!
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