Evidence continues to mount that Daft Punk might be on the verge of releasing their first studio album since their Tron: Legacy soundtrack. Last month, it was revealed that Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter had collaborated with funk legend Nile Rodgers for their upcoming disc, and now composer/songwriter Paul Williams, best known for The Muppet Movie‘s Oscar-nominated “The Rainbow Connection” and a couple of Carpenters and Three Dog Night hits, also spent some time in the studio with Daft Punk.
“I’ve been working with Daft Punk, yeah,” Williams told the Hollywood Reporter at SXSW, where he was promoting the documentary Paul Williams Still Alive. “I’ve written a couple of tunes on their next album.” Respecting Daft Punk’s constant quest for secrecy — why did you think they wear masks all the time? — Williams was reticent about answering any other questions about the French duo’s upcoming album, but he commented during a Q&A that the LP could arrive as early as June, setting up the possibility that we’ll hear new albums from Daft Punk and Fiona Apple in the same month. How implausible was that sentence six months ago? However, Daft Punk’s reps tell Pitchfork that a new album won’t be released in June.
With Rodgers and now Williams on board, it’s safe to assume Daft Punk’s next set will have a decidedly late-’70s vibe. While Williams’ boasts an impressive list of film scores and songwriting credits, this generation most likely remembers him for his role as the graveyard shift ER doctor who delivered the immortal line “It’s toe-tag time in Teenville tonight, again” in The Rules of Attraction.
