A lot of great music exists out there. But NBN can’t devote a slot to every CD that hits shelves, especially for bands you may have never heard of. So, that’s where we come in. Chicago electro-pop duo Walter Meego and their Daft Punky sounds get the neon spotlight today.

As Daft Punk-mania slowly fades after a manic 2007, the fallout from the robotic duo’s rise to prominence can begin to be assessed. Tons of good was done (an awesome live show, Justice, “Stronger”), but Daft Punk’s success also led to plenty of half-assed imitations slowly becoming more prominent. See the likes of Does It Offend You, Yeah? and Ghostland Observatory. Chicago electro-pop duo Walter Meego also sound similar to a certain mechanical pair of Parisians, but on their debut album Voyager, prove to be a band simply taking stellar notes from Daft Punk, not cheating off their homework.

Voyager squares rockin’ guitars against bright synth waves, a neon-lit combination recalling the interstellar sounds of Daft Punk circa Discovery. But Walter Meego don’t make music for the dance floor; you can move to Voyager, but more because it’s excellent pop music buried under guitar, electronics and melencholy lyrics. Lead track “Forever” sees the duo at their most poppy and most catchy, electro-squiggles and keyboards leading up to the album’s most irresistible chorus (punctuated with guitar squeals, nonetheless). Other standouts find the duo getting slightly darker while retaining some shine, such as on the heavy-hitting “Lost” and frantic twirl of “Letting Go.” Walter Meego does downtrodden best on the previously-released “Keyhole,” where the lead vocals undergo some ghostly, screechy transformation all while being joined by a very un-Daft piano.

Walter Meego never rip-off Daft Punk wholesale, but the album’s weakest tracks overindulge in some of the French duo’s tricks. The vocoder-heavy “Girls” and “Tommorrowland” move a bit too slowly and stick out amongst all the faster, more catchy songs on Voyager. “More Than I Can Say” is the album’s one moment of pure boredom, a guitar-heavy ditty that is never that enjoyable. The only other Daft Punk-heavy flashback conjured on this album comes on the very danceable “Baby Please,” where a watery guitar sounds straight out of “Something About Us.” Not that their is anything wrong with that.

Voyager shares its title with a Daft Punk song . Whether or not that’s intentional, Walter Meego simply hint at the sound of those robots, and never try to bite their moves, opting instead to apply them in new ways. And they succeed, as Voyager is a bright debut album and an exciting collection of heart-heavy electro-pop. Plus, it’s nice to know two other guys in Chicago know how to honor Daft Punk in interesting ways.

Bonus video for “Wanna Be A Star” below. It’s an older version, but still pretty good.