Daft Punk’s album, Discovery, was released in 2001 and serves as the foundation for the Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem anime film. After recording the album, the members of Daft Punk approached anime and manga figure Leiji Matsumoto about designing an anime based around the music on the album. Matsumoto complied, and in 2003, Toei Animation released the final product.

While Discovery was recorded before the animation was ever worked on, this can still be considered a soundtrack for Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem. All fourteen tracks on the album are used in the anime, and the songs appear in the exact same order on both the CD and in the anime.

When I listen to Discovery, I can’t help but see the images from the anime as I’m listening to it. In some cases, having the visuals in your mind (or seeing them in the anime) can help you better appreciate a song on the CD. This is especially true for the final song, “Too Long.” Not only does it clock in at ten minutes, but the last half of the song is rather repetitive. This is a case where having the visuals of the anime help a listener to make it through the song and have a greater appreciation for it.

However, many of the songs on the CD are just as enjoyable with or without the anime visuals. The singles “One More Time,” “Digital Love,” and “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” fall into this category. I also have an appreciation for “Aerodynamic,” “Crescendolls,” “Superheroes,” “High Life,” “Something About Us,” “Short Circuit,” and “Face to Face,” regardless of whether or not I have the visuals to accompany them.

When you watch Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem, it’s hard to believe the songs weren’t written specifically for the visuals, because the animation sequences flow together perfectly. If you didn’t know better, you would think it was the other way around (that the animation was produced first, and the music was written to accompany the visuals).

Overall, Discovery is a well-produced and solid album. I already had an appreciation for Daft Punk and the songs I had heard from the Discovery album before seeing Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem. However, after seeing the anime, my appreciation for Daft Punk and the music on Discovery was greater than before I had seen the anime.

If you have seen Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem and enjoy the music, you should definitely purchase Daft Punk’s Discovery album.