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Feb 02, 2015 Web Exclusive By Lily Moayeri

Keeping in mind that Daft Punk only release music twice a decade, this reissue of Alive 2007 was nicely timed for gift giving season. The live album—as the name might indicate, stretches over two discs that now Daft Punk is releasing on double vinyl. The superstar robots’ do-no-wrong dance music shows itself best in their standard setting live show. Mashing up the tracks from the three albums prior to 2007 with each other, through the charged energy of performance these gain even more momentum.

It seems contradictory that making itself inhuman and hiding in an Illuminati-like pyramid would actually bring Daft Punk’s music even more to life, but it does. The two’s patented filtered disco and French-accented robotic vocals goads its already frenzied audience into a fever pitch. The teasing “Touch It” blended with the stop-and-start “Technologic” keeps the crowd heaving. The sometimes annoying refrain of “Around the World” is infinitely less so when melded into the stickable “Harder Better Faster Stronger.” Alive 2007 hits further and further highs the more it moves along. On what is Side D of the vinyl version, the last side, tracks from Daft Punk’s seminal first album, Homework, and even some material prior to that are collected. The explosive triple threat of “Rollin’ and Scratchin’,” “Da Funk,” and “Daftendirekt,” proves these guys knew what they were doing from the beginning. It just took the rest of the world a long time to catch up. In case your math is a little rusty, this being a re-release of Alive 2007, there are no tracks from the recent Random Access Memories (nor the Tron: Legacy soundtrack) on here.

If you are on top of it, however, you can snag a limited edition version of Alive 2007 geared toward the diehard Daft Punk collector. Arriving in a box housing white vinyl, there is a bonus platter with the duo’s iconic pyramid logo etched in. Additionally, the box holds a 52-page book of live shots, a slipmat, and a download card. Plus, a silver vinyl edition of Daft Punk’s first live album, released 10 years prior, Alive 1997. Alternatively, Alive 1997 (originally released in 2001) featuring tracks from Homework, can be purchased on vinyl on its own. No other gifts necessary. (www.daftpunk.com)

Author rating: 8/10