Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel De Homem-Christo are back with their third full-length, Human After All. Truth be told, however, the title is a bit of a misnomer as Daft Punk are still robots, but this time they play a bit more guitar... remember "Aerodynamic" off of Discovery? That guitar solo? Well this album has more of that on it. Guitars are so prevalent on this release that, when you open the liner notes, the first thing you see is a double neck guitar.

The lead single is "Robot Rock," and it takes a bite from "Release the Beast" by soul/dance act Breakwater. That song, which was published in 1980, lends the track a definite early '80s vibe, a vibe which is reinforced by the video, which you can see by visiting the Daft Punk web site. It is a classic performance video in which the 2 Daft robots rock, in a style befitting of Knight Rider or Solid Gold. I dig it, even if it is a bit staccato and repetitive. Daft Punk is, after all, all about repetition. Their alleged masterpiece, Homework, is one of the most repetitive albums of all time. Myself, I am a bigger fan of Discovery. Discovery is, for this reviewer, a monumental album. The highs on that album are absolutely dizzying. The beats make this white, bald, bespectacled and white boy want to dance dance dance, motherfucker!

While Human After All has its moments, it never comes close to matching the heights of Discovery. In fact, the highs on this album do not even approximate the sugary sweetness of Bangalter's one-off side project Stardust and their "Music Sounds Better With You."

Human After All is also rather brief, consisting of 10 tracks, 1 of which is merely an interlude. 4 years is a long wait for a mere 9 songs. That said, the best tracks are "Human After All," "Robot Rock," "Television Rules the Nation" and "Technologic." "Technologic" is reminiscent of "Teachers" (Homework) or "Harder, Better, Stronger, Faster" (Discovery), but rocks of its own accord.

All in all it is a decent effort, easily surpassing anything by lesser acts such as LCD Soundsystem, who flippantly name drop "Daft Punk" on their eponymous debut. That said, it still falls third in the Daft Punk discography. My recommendation? Buy Discovery first, then round out your Daft collection with Homework and Human After All.

Rating: 3.5