Happy days are back again. Coming back off of a four-year lapse, Gallic duo Guy-Manuel de Homem Christo and Thomas Bangalter have officially returned to the club scene with their disco-influenced Discovery. The album reflects the last Daft Punk endeavor in its light electronic flavor, except this time around, those Parisian boys have chosen to add an extra dollop of funk to their mix.

In 1997, Daft Punk boarded the mainstream techno circuit with Homework. The album featured smart, catchy tracks like "Around the World" and "Da Funk," which became some of the most danceable tunes in clubs across the world. Happily rooted in 1970s pop and funk, the duo nicely fused Studio 54-era beats with generic techno.

Sadly, Daft Punk"s present collection of material lacks the originality and smoothness of its predecessor the songs appear somewhat rushed and the 14 tracks do not see much variance in beat or sound. When the pair of deejays came out from obscurity four years ago, their retro sound was highly lauded and welcomed onto the international arena. However, many of these new songs possess a repetitive, blander resonance. Nevertheless, Christo and Bangalter still have the power to entertain on their newest project just not to the same degree as before.

Discovery starts out rather unimpressively. Though it isn"t long until the listener is able to stumble upon a fun track to listen to. The neo-disco beat is undeniably addictive and after a few loops, it becomes easier to discern some of the classier tunes. The better ones are both scattered and varied "Aerodynamic" and "Crescendolls" feature a free-spiritedness and speediness that can only come from acts like Daft Punk. "Veridis Quo" is more grounded and calmer it is the album"s best example of "easy-listening techno."

After numerous auditory screenings, the tracks on Discovery still remain uncannily reminiscent of the hottest songs to emerge from the disco era"s last days. Effectively resurrecting a sound belonging to such groups like ABBA and the Bee Gees and then rebuilding it with "technofied" beats, Daft Punk certainly deserves an applaud for its efforts. Hopefully, the duo will discover more for their next assignment.

Grade: B-