Homework (Daft Punk Album) - Structure

Structure

Daft Punk had produced the series of tracks without an initial plan to release an album. As Thomas Bangalter stated, "It was supposed to be just a load of singles. But we did so many tracks over a period of five months that we realized that we had a good album." The duo subsequently set the order of the album's tracks to cover the four sides of a two-disc vinyl LP. As stated by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, "There was no intended theme because all the tracks were recorded before we arranged the sequence of the album. The idea was to make the songs better by arranging them the way we did; to make it more even as an album."

"Daftendirekt" is an excerpt of a live performance recorded at the first I Love Techno Party in Ghent. It served as the introduction to Daft Punk's live shows and is likewise used to begin the album. "Daftendirekt" was sampled by Janet Jackson on her song "So Much Betta", included in her tenth studio album, Discipline (2008). The following track, "WDPK 83.7 FM" is considered a tribute to FM radio in the United States. The song sampled a previous track, "Musique". The next song, "Revolution 909" is a reflection on the French government and its stance on dance music. Chris Jackson from Sputnikmusic described it as "a quick, dance song that gets you out of your seat in no time."

It is immediately followed by "Da Funk", which is considered to carry elements of funk and acid music. Musically, the song relies on a boucy funk guitar "to communicate its message of dumb fun." The theme for "Da Funk" involves the introduction of a simple, unusual element that becomes acceptable and moving over time. Robert Christgau considered "Da Funk" to be the only good track on the album, and selected it as his choice cut, while Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine considered the song to be "unrelenting". Bob Gajarsky from Westnet called it "a beautiful meeting of Chic (circa "Good Times", sans vocals) and the 90s form of electronica." The song also appears on the soundtrack for the 1997 film The Saint. Bangalter has stated that "Phoenix" is "an important track, but not any more important than any of the other tracks." It combines elements of gospel music and house music. The song "Fresh" is stated to be breezy and light, and the duo consider its structure to be comical. Ian Mathers from Stylus Magazine was somewhat critical with the song, stating that "this one doesn’t feel like the beach just because of the lapping waves heard in the background."

The single "Around the World" carries influences of Gershon Kingsley's hit "Popcorn". Michel Gondry likewise compared the track's bassline to that of "Good Times" by Chic. Chris Power of BBC Music named it "one of the decade’s catchiest singles", and stated it was "a perfect example of Daft Punk’s sound at its most accessible: a post-disco boogie bassline, a minimalist sprinkling of synthetic keyboard melody and a single, naggingly insistent hook." Ian Mathers from Stylus Magazine commented that "there is no way you’d want to have a Homework without 'Around The World'." The track "Teachers" is a tribute to several of their house music influences, including Todd Edwards and future collaborator Romanthony. The song "Oh Yeah" features guests DJ Deelat and DJ Crabbe, otherwise known as David Girier-Dufourier and Pascal Esposito. "Indo Silver Club" features a sample of "Hot Shot" by Karen Young. Prior to its inclusion on Homework, "Indo Silver Club" was released as a single on Soma Recordings as two parts. The single lacked an artist credit in the packaging and was initially thought to have been created by the nonexistent producers Indo Silver Club. The final track, "Funk Ad" is a reversed clip of "Da Funk".