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| The boys of Duran Duran, whose faces were once plastered on the
bedroom walls of teenage girls (and quite a few boys), are back with a new album,
‘Astronaut.’
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HOME > ENTERTAINMENT > MUSIC
By: ANDY ZEFFE COMMENTS
 
DURAN DURAN WAS EVERYWHERE in the ’80s and, perhaps, none of its contemporaries
better represents that era.
In fact, the group is largely responsible for New Wave and New Romantic music
hitting the mainstream. With its members’ distinct model looks, colorful
makeup, and cutting edge videos, the group was tailor-made for riding the video
era to new heights.
Hitting the music radar in 1981 with “Planet Earth,” numerous other
hits like “The Reflex,” “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Rio,”
and “A View to a Kill,” followed.
The hits were always accompanied by an exotic and groundbreaking video. With
their crafty arrangements and unmistakable glam rock melodies, Duran Duran brings
two words to mind: highly stylized.
AFTER A NUMBER OF different line-ups throughout the years, the five original
members — Simon LeBon, Nick Rhodes, Andy Taylor, John Taylor and Robert
Taylor (they are not related) — are back together with a new album, “Astronaut.”
And once again, from their sound to their image to the artwork on the album,
Duran Duran is as highly stylized as ever.
The first single “(Reach up For the) Sunrise” has LeBon’s
trademark Brit boy wail, with the heavy chorus of the other band members throughout.
The production is slick and the song sounds very packaged.
But with its energetic mantra: “Reach up for the Sunrise/Put your hands
into the big sky/You can touch the sunrise/Feel a new day enter your life,”
the song sounds somewhat dated.
Perhaps it is because the public is more jaded now, or that people got more
excited about things like this in the ’80s. Or maybe, we just got inundated
with hip-hop and garage bands.
But the slick pop sounds much more foreign and less infectious than it did
20 years ago.
Granted, Duran Duran still sounds sexy. There are plenty of electronic zaps
and synthesizers throughout the album, and songs like “Want You More”
are catchy.
It’s unfair to say Duran Duran hasn’t kept up with the times. They
are still talented musicians who know their signature style. Their formula has
brought them success well into the ’90s with the classic “Ordinary
World.”
Faithful fans will like this album. And perhaps younger listeners who are getting
in on ’80s nostalgia will discover Duran Duran, too. But the group’s
days of mainstream glory appear to be over, unless these still very pretty boys
pull a big surprise.
IN THE MEANTIME, a lesser-known young artist named Utada has unleashed some
sophisticated pop with an electronic edge of her own.
Already a huge star in Japan, Utada has three multi-platinum selling albums.
She is looking to make a name for herself here with “Exodus,” her
first album produced in the United States.
Like Duran Duran, Utada’s music is heavy on electronica. When the intro
of the album first comes on, you might think you are listening to Sarah Brightman.
Utada offers a dramatic soprano in the same school of Kate Bush. Except with
Utada, there are a lot of references to Japan and life in the Far East.
The musical climate she creates is sweeping and other-worldly. The songs on
the track sound like something you would expect to hear at a Cirque du Soleil
production. With proper stage sets, back-up dancers and special effects, Utada
could have one of those nouveau Vegas stage productions on her hands.
And she sings well, too.
Watch out, Celine.
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