Hello! 😊👋
Programming note: It’s 2000s week! I'm spotlighting some of my favorite records released between 2000 and 2009. Like previous decade-themed newsletter posts, I've selected albums that cover multiple genres and deliberately avoided the well-worn titles that top all "best of" lists for this decade. In other words, no Kid A, Marshall Mathers LP, and so on.
Hope you enjoy it!
Welcome to a new edition of the Daily Music Picks newsletter!
Today’s 2000s music pick closes the calendar year with a bang with a legendary party record and concept album.
It seems impossible to consider now, but Daft Punk’s Discovery was not universally praised upon its initial release. Publications like Pitchfork famously got it so wrong that fans literally questioned the validity of music criticism. In combing through writing about this record before adding my voice to the mix, the dissenters seem to divide themselves naturally into two camps: Those who think these songs sound nothing like the Daft Punk formula they’d come to love or sounded too much like their previous LP, the smash hit Homework.
The real story lies somewhere in between. Many artists have tried to replicate the brilliance that fuels Discovery’s most indelible moments, especially in its more experimental second half, and almost always come up short. The fact that these songs work both as a top-tier party-in-a-box and this wonderfully cinematic sci-fi concept album has helped it endure in the intervening two-plus decades. With a willingness to leave some of the acid house stylings behind and venture into more disco-fied territory, they ended up fashioning an all-time classic.
Part of me wants to skip over the hits—you probably know them by heart at this point. “One More Time,” “Aerodynamic,” and “Harder Better Faster Stronger” are among the highlights on one of the strongest first sides of any record you’ll ever hear, period. If you dig a little deeper, you’ll come across a half-dozen gems that deserve the same level of recognition. There’s the slinky funk of “Something About Us,” the thick snare hits on “Crescendolls,” and the hands-in-the-air euphoria of “Superheroes.” But the two best tracks are a pair of the deepest cuts: “Face to Face” and “Voyager.” The former is a French house stomper of the highest order, featuring co-production from Todd Edwards in his signature jittering, quick-cut style. The latter is a groove that, for lack of a better way of describing it, just keeps going and going, like a plane taxiing on a long runway before lifting you off the ground. It’s worth shouting out the music video for “Voyager,” which is gorgeous, as well as the feature film that accompanied the album’s release, as their visuals add yet another layer of excellence to this project.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy some of the best vibes ever committed to tape. Or, clear some space in your living room and get ready to dance your way into the new year.
👉 Don’t forget to click the album image to stream the album on your favorite platform 👈
One last thing …
Thanks for your continued support of the Daily Music Picks newsletter! Wishing you and your loved ones all the best in the coming year.
See you in 2024!