It is no lie when I say that they have slowed it down. Compared to their glory years it is a lot more relaxed. It incorporates a lot more 90's adult contemporary into the tracks while still keeping the same tone as before. It is a fantastic album that does nearly everything right, and is one of my favorite albums to date.
The first single on the album Too Much Information is a fast paced pop/rock tune, which immediately reminds you of their earlier work such as Rio or Planet Earth. And honestly not much has changed musically since their glory years. Except the sound has matured into a more serious dance pop act instead of a young immature 80's synth pop like they were. This track (and many others on the album) still show many elements of 80's New Wave, updated, but still there none the less. Overall the track works as well as previous Duran Duran singles, and the updated sound makes it better for adults and young people to listen to as it doesn't ooze 80's like before.
The second track, Ordinary World is a slow pop song, something that the band has never really been pros at. But here, the catchy melody, 90's adult contemporary mixed with their classic sound makes for one of the best overall tracks on the album. It takes its time, to let the lyrics and music sink in slowly, this allows for the audience to truly enjoy the musical aspect of the track, something that they were never really able to pull off in the same way as they did here. Ordinary World Is easily one of the best tracks on the album, with its slow nature and change of pace for the band it is a welcome addition for fans and does everything that a slow pop song needs to.
The final single on the album is another slow pop song, however unlike Ordinary World it takes a far more minor /melodic tone. Come Undone is a fantastically mysterious track, the lyrics and vocal line add to the mix by having thought provoking lyrics, which ultimately makes the track feel far more atmospheric than many others on the album. This has to be my personal favorite song on the release as I really enjoy slow mysterious songs such as this one.
The non-singles on the album are fantastic, similar to Look Sharp! which I previously reviewed, every track feels like it could have been a single, most notably None Of The Above and Love Voodoo both amazing in their own respective ways. The vocals and strong writing continue throughout the release, making it one of the best pop/rock albums of the early 90's. They did a cover of Velvet Underground's Femme Fatale and for that particular song Simon Le Bon was the perfect vocalist to pull off the sound of the original. In short it adds enough to make it sound new and fresh, while still keeping what made the original great.
This is one of my favorite albums of all time, the only time it slips up is the last few tracks aren't the greatest, however the rest of the album more than makes up for those few short comings. This album returns to form of their earlier work and any long time fan of Duran Duran will feel right at home with this release. For any new Fan of Duran Duran this would be a good starting point, as its new mature sound resonates more with the current generation than their 80's material. Simon Le Bon's vocals are unique and strong as ever and the writing, spear headed by Andy Taylor is also as great as it was before. It made for a great short lived come back, and I would love to see them peruse a similar style in their next album.
The second track, Ordinary World is a slow pop song, something that the band has never really been pros at. But here, the catchy melody, 90's adult contemporary mixed with their classic sound makes for one of the best overall tracks on the album. It takes its time, to let the lyrics and music sink in slowly, this allows for the audience to truly enjoy the musical aspect of the track, something that they were never really able to pull off in the same way as they did here. Ordinary World Is easily one of the best tracks on the album, with its slow nature and change of pace for the band it is a welcome addition for fans and does everything that a slow pop song needs to.
The final single on the album is another slow pop song, however unlike Ordinary World it takes a far more minor /melodic tone. Come Undone is a fantastically mysterious track, the lyrics and vocal line add to the mix by having thought provoking lyrics, which ultimately makes the track feel far more atmospheric than many others on the album. This has to be my personal favorite song on the release as I really enjoy slow mysterious songs such as this one.
The non-singles on the album are fantastic, similar to Look Sharp! which I previously reviewed, every track feels like it could have been a single, most notably None Of The Above and Love Voodoo both amazing in their own respective ways. The vocals and strong writing continue throughout the release, making it one of the best pop/rock albums of the early 90's. They did a cover of Velvet Underground's Femme Fatale and for that particular song Simon Le Bon was the perfect vocalist to pull off the sound of the original. In short it adds enough to make it sound new and fresh, while still keeping what made the original great.
This is one of my favorite albums of all time, the only time it slips up is the last few tracks aren't the greatest, however the rest of the album more than makes up for those few short comings. This album returns to form of their earlier work and any long time fan of Duran Duran will feel right at home with this release. For any new Fan of Duran Duran this would be a good starting point, as its new mature sound resonates more with the current generation than their 80's material. Simon Le Bon's vocals are unique and strong as ever and the writing, spear headed by Andy Taylor is also as great as it was before. It made for a great short lived come back, and I would love to see them peruse a similar style in their next album.
FINAL VERDICT
9/10
(Fantastic)
I've never been too big a fan of Duran Duran, but mostly because I haven't really given them a chance before. When I heard they did a cover of The Velvet Underground I decided it would be time to try it out.
ReplyDeleteThis review was very well done. You carefully consider all elements of each album. Maybe for your next review you could do one on something completely out of your field of experience, like some underground death metal band.
The content of this was very interesting, as it's also been in your past posts. I liked how you had links to the specific videos that you mentioned. However, on the same token, you didn't link other videos you named, so that was an inconsistency. This was almost exactly like reading a professional music critiquing article online, with valid and supported opinions. You have a very informative tone/writing style that gets right to the point and brings your reader along with you instead of leaving them behind with ramble, which could have easily happened. The fact that it didn't deserves applause. Even people that have no idea who Duran Duran is, or the songs/albums you were referencing, could appreciate this because of the way you delivered your information. Besides some slight grammar issues, this was a really great post! I present to you a slow golf clap, sir.
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