daft punk
08/01/2007
Daft Hands: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
This new take on "hand jive" seems simple enough in concept, but these are some damn skilled hands, and as they keep in sync with Daft Punk's phat beats, you'll find yourself becoming more and more impressed -- especially when it sinks in that this is one take. Our favorite finger is the right thumb, as it can say both "never" and "ever": an extremely useful skill.
06/28/2007
Kanye West - "Stronger"
In 2006, I was lucky enough to attend two of the best concerts of my life: Kanye West at the Gibson Amphitheater in LA and Daft Punk at Coachella. You’d think this song, therefore, would make me crap my pants, but unfortunately (or fortunately, I guess), I remain firmly in control of my bodily functions. It just seems a little soon to be sampling Daft Punk songs— “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” still stands alone as an amazing (better?) song in its own right. At least this isn’t as bad as Busta Rhymes, who sampled “Technologic” after it had only been out for a year.
The more I listen to this, the more it’s growing on me, though, and I think I may eventually come to love it once I’ve shaken off the shock of hearing a beloved song sampled. To this end, the video definitely helps: you’ve got your Daft Punk guys, fully decked out in their awesome robot outfits, and your Kanye, looking sharp as always with some especially great venetian-blind-inspired sunglasses. I have no idea what the plot is, but it involves a futuristic hospital, a SWAT team, dancing girls, and some perplexing Asian writing flashing up onscreen. I just hope the Asian writing doesn’t include the symbol for “stronger,” because that’s just a little too cheesy-lower-back-tattoo for my taste. Any translators out there?
