In 2013 pop music, the way forward was backward. Retro was the game, and Daft Punk were its champions. After conquering the festival circuit with their pyramid light show, the robots returned to stem the tide of the EDM revolution they helped create, opting against that boiling-kettle buildup and bass drop that’s so popular with the kids these days in favor of something ostensibly slicker, smarter, and more mature. They recruited the best collaborators (shout out to Noah Lennox!), stockpiled the best equipment, and rented out the most expensive recording studios, all in the name of reviving hi-fi disco at its most luxuriant and detail-obsessed. Their aims were arguably rockist and almost certainly elitist, but the results were as populist as it gets: their biggest radio hit, their best-selling LP, and the zeitgeist on their side once more. Nothing lucky about it. –Chris [LISTEN]