By shelz.
The 80’s saw its share of test tube bands. Five guys thrown together with more hair and eyeliner than your average mall rat, wearing painted on jeans and grinding on pink guitars. Most of the music was less than spectacular, but image was everything. Buried in the piles of hair band rubbish were some crews who not only had the look down, they had the sound down too.
Duran Duran were more new wave than rock, and more cerebral in their song construction than their contemporaries. They were technically solid musicians with a lead singer songwriter possesed of a flair for the dramatic and they ruled the MTV roost for years. The mid 80’s saw the band splinter into two separate groups , Arcadia and Power Station, but neither had the wild success the original fivesome did. There has been come back after come back since then, most of which landed with a resounding thud. They’re trying again though.
With the help of Mark Ronson, four of the five original members (Andy Taylor is M.I.A.) are back with a new album, All You Need Is Now. There probably is no better time than the present since the rise of the synth in popular music lends itself well to Duran Durans sound, but there is always a chance of being more dated than retro. If the first leak from the album is any indication, the band has been able to mesh old with new and maintain their signature sound without coming off like an oldie but goodie.
The drunken duck call synth opens the song along with some thump, sliding digital cymbals and other random electric trimmings. There’s a simple bassline and an almost surf-like guitar rounding out the track. The chorus is reminiscent of “The Reflex” without being a straight swipe. The bending of the melody at the end of the chorus is patented Duran Duran melancholy. The lyrics are probably about seizing the moment, or maybe not. Simon Le Bon’s flair has always been responsible for some pretty odd lyrics. He’s mellowed with the bizarre couplets, but I’m still hesitant to take a guess.
The bottom line? Who knows? Duran Duran was a specific sound for a specific time and I raise an eyebrow at the idea of a comeback. But this isn’t a bad song and when nostalgia rushes over you, which it will if you were down back in the day, you can’t help but listen to this with a smile. Welcome back Duran Duran and good luck.
Duran Duran – “All You Need Is Now”
Oh and just in case you aren’t familiar with their old material. Here you go. You can diss Keri Hilson all you want. No one did scuzzy like Duran Duran. Put your hands over the kiddie’s eyes and enjoy.
Duran Duran – “Girls On Film”
[pro-player width=’445′ height=’323′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA-LRK2Od2A[/pro-player]
Duran Duran – “The Chauffeur”
[pro-player width=’445′ height=’323′ type=’video’]http://vimeo.com/9976137[/pro-player]
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