New record review: Duran Duran 'Future Past'

Forty years passed: It's a time to reflect, and Duran Duran's anniversary effort, "Future Past," finds the ever forward-looking band willing to embrace just a bit of nostalgia.

Duran Duran means a lot to its fans. And it means different things to different Duranies, whether they prefer the original Fab Five and its first three studio masterstrokes, or the early '90s hitmakers propelled by a new guitarist and new energy.

But what does Duran Duran mean in 2021? Its music is definitely electronic. And the band is definitely still reaching for a hit, but perhaps not so obviously as in recent incarnations. 

The band's 15th studio album, "Future Past" (Tape Modern/BMG), boasts four of five original members, a pedigreed guitarist in Graham Coxon of Blur, and a curated selection of musical guests.

"Future Past" opens with "Invisible," the album's first release, a funk-pop jam that may be its strongest single. From there, the lyrical love letter "All Of You" gives way to the album's best track featuring a guest artist, "Give It All Up," with its swirling synths and singer Tove Lo's voice melding seamlessly with Simon Le Bon's.

The celebratory mood of the album truly kicks in with "Anniversary," a musically infectious single befitting of a 40th-anniversary bash. Le Bon almost spoils the party by over-singing the chorus. While Le Bon has still got it vocally four decades in, he shines in a lower register, as on the title track, a ballad that warms like a fireplace on a cold winter day.

Despite some killer John Taylor bass lines, Roger Taylor's best drumming in years, and Coxon's contributions, the album is nearly as electronic as its predecessor. But "Future Past" has a welcome warmness that's missing from "Paper Gods," likely thanks to Nick Rhodes' analog synths and Le Bon's ever-recognizable vocals. 

The exception may be the tracks produced by Giorgio Moroder. "Beautiful Lies" and "Tonight United" have Moroder's fingerprints all over them. "Beautiful Lies" is the better effort; "Tonight United" is an unapologetic grab for the pop music masses with its basic but unifying lyrics, and not a lick of guitar. 

The album veers back into pop-rock territory with "Wing," a darkly gorgeous ballad featuring Mark Ronson on guitar. Ronson's production talents are sadly missing from the album. But Erol Alkan competently steers the ship, even encouraging the band to take chances without alienating its core fanbase.

The album winds down with a couple such surprises. "Hammerhead" includes a brief and subtle rap by Ivorian Doll; "More Joy" features Japanese punk group Chai adding a dash of chanting to a piece of pure Duran pop. The album closes in classic Duran fashion with a dreamy ballad, "Falling," featuring Bowie keyboardist Mike Garson on piano and some funky bass.

"Future Past" is a consistent and pleasing effort, and like its singles, is sure to pay off in repeated listens. Years in the making, the album may have benefited from a pandemic-induced break in recording. Rhodes recently discussed how the band revisited the material with fresh ears after that time away. The album then seemed to materialize quickly, at least in the scope of Durantime. 

Whether all Duranies will enjoy "Future Past" will be a matter for debate. But as Le Bon sings on "All Of You": "We are music lovers, this much we've learnt." And for most Duranies, there should be a lot to love on "Future Past."

Duran Duran Appreciation Day points to big things ahead

This year, Duran Duran Appreciation Day is focused on the future, namely the band’s 15th studio album, “Future Past.”

The annual holiday celebrating Duran Duran was bookended with big pieces of album news. The band released the second single from the album, “More Joy,” last week, as well as revealing the album’s track listing. On Thursday, a video for “More Joy” is due to be released.

In addition to first single “Invisible,” “More Joy,” and “Give It All Up” (which was performed by the band on “Today,” minus the vocals of singer Tove Lo), the album’s 12 tracks include some surprises. 

“Hammerhead” features a rapper, Ivorian Doll. The song with Bowie pianist Mike Garson is called “Falling.” And the contribution of Mark Ronson, save for possible collaborations on forthcoming bonus tracks, is limited to “Wing,” on which he co-writes and plays.

As for “More Joy,” the response has been positive. The curious inclusion of all-girl Japanese punk group Chai, in the end, seems spot on for the song. “More Joy” turns out to be a slice of pure Duran pop with just a sprinkle of Chai’s chants in the background. 

In addition to the “More Joy” video out this week, Duran posted a “Behind the Scenes” montage for DDAD. The short video includes clips of the band, guitarist Graham Coxon, and producer Erol Alkan in the studio, plus commentary from Coxon and Nick Rhodes. 

“It’s always good to give Duran Duran deadlines,” Rhodes says in the video. Indeed it is. “Future Past” is due out Oct. 22.

40th Duraniversary: Duran Duran’s debut album a new wave classic

Exactly 40 years ago, Duran Duran released its eponymous debut album, “Duran Duran.” 

The album introduced the Birmingham band to the world as New Romantics, a label Duran would soon shed. But the now-classic album is so much more: a new wave opening salvo with a touch of darkness that has inspired countless musicians over its four decades.

Hit singles “Planet Earth” and “Girls On Film,” with their unforgettable videos, are the album’s most recognizable moments. The second single, “Careless Memories,” and “Friends Of Mine” are high-energy tracks that became concert staples. 

But there is dark beauty lurking under the new wave sheen. “Anyone Out There?” and “(Waiting for the) Nightboat” almost veer into goth. “To the Shore” produces another deeper moment, though the track was removed from later pressings of the album in favor of the stand-alone single “Is There Something I Should Know?”

“Sound Of Thunder,” the first song the band wrote together shortly after joining forces with singer Simon Le Bon, rounds out side two of the album, along with “Tel Aviv.” A demo of the latter song, which ended up as a mostly instrumental track, shows a rock side of Duran the band may have decided was best kept hidden in the synth-centric ’80s. As for “Sound Of Thunder,” the fact that Duran wrote the song straight out of the gate truly shows that the band was meant to be.

There really isn’t a bad track on “Duran Duran.” Here’s to 40 years of this classic album, and to many more 40th anniversary celebrations to come.

Single review: Duran Duran unleashes 'Invisible' with eye toward future, past

Duran Duran has been going big for more than 40 years, and the band shows no sign of stopping with new single "Invisible."

The song, from the forthcoming "Future Past" that's set for release Oct. 22 via Tape Modern/BMG, is one of 12 album tracks, plus three bonus tracks. Two more of the album's song titles revealed by band members so far are "All of You" and "Can't Say That It's Love," both purportedly featuring Bowie pianist Mike Garson.

But "Invisible" is the only song to have surfaced thus far, and its whispered intro may be the only quiet thing about it. The members of Duran, behind producer Erol Alkan, form a wall of sound with Nick Rhodes' funky keyboards, John Taylor's slap bass, and Roger Taylor's powerful electro drums. Graham Coxon's guitar stabs are at times reminiscent of early Andy Taylor. 

Among modern-day Duran albums, the sound falls somewhere between the slickly produced electro pop of "Paper Gods" and the more organic "All You Need Is Now." But whatever sound Duran decides to go for, the be-all-end-all is Simon Le Bon's voice. 

Whether the music on "Future Past" is an identifiable as Duran as Le Bon's vocals remains to be seen. For his part, Alkan promises that the songs he has produced capture the "spirit and dynamic" of Duran "as I know them now, or as I remember them whilst growing up." 

"Invisible" is backed by a spooky new video by AI "director" Huxley, touted by the band as the "first collaboration of its kind between artists in different planes of existence."

Next up, the Billboard Music Awards, where the band shares the bill with acts like BTS and Pink. This album cycle, apparent grabs for younger listeners have been accompanied by an array of physical products like colored vinyl aimed squarely at its target audience. 

This time out, Duran Duran seems to be truly straddling the line between its future and its past.

At top, "Future Past" album artwork (Tape Modern/BMG)

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Duran Duran’s long-awaited single materializes May 19; ‘Future Past’ album due in October

New music by Duran Duran is finally coming into focus, with the single “Invisible” ready to drop and the band’s new album, “Future Past,” expected out this fall. 

The band has been sharing bits of the song on radio and social media since announcing its upcoming performance at the Billboard Music Awards. One of those brief snippets aired at the end of the two-part “Duran 40” show on BBC Radio 2. Zoe Ball is set to premiere the single in full on Radio 2 on Wednesday.

Details of the band’s new album were revealed after a virtual meet and greet with bassist John Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor on Friday presented by BMG. The 12-track “Future Past” is set to be released in October. The studio album, Duran’s 15th, will be the band’s first album in six years. “Paper Gods” was released by Warner Bros in 2015.

Mark Ronson, who lent his production to “Paper Gods,” is back in the fold, as well as fellow producers Erol Alkan and the legendary Giorgio Moroder. The band has also enlisted singer Lykke Li and Blur guitarist Graham Coxon.

Early reports suggest an outsize role by Coxon on the album. He appeared in photos with the four Durans outside Hammersmith Odeon in London last week. He’ll also join the band for the “live premiere” of “Invisible” performed remotely from London and airing during the Billboard Awards broadcast on May 23.

A video for “Invisible” is also imminent. Duran shared a clip from the video on Twitter that seems to follow the ghost-like theme of the single artwork (above). The band also revealed the album artwork ahead of its availability for preorder.

Fans couldn’t be happier with the acceleration of “Durantime.” Since the release of “Paper Gods,” there has been no new music, save for a cover of David Bowie’s “Five Years” released earlier this year. COVID-19 had slowed down progress on the album for Duran, whose recording process involves writing together in the studio. The lingering effects of the pandemic and the cancellation of most of the band’s concerts this summer had raised worries that any new releases would be put off anew.

But come Wednesday, Duranies at long last will be listening to a new single in full and looking forward to a new album in about five months’ time. I’m happy to share in the excitement … and share my review of “Invisible” later this week!

2020 was a dark year for music, but there were bright spots

Early in 2020, it looked to be a dazzling year for live music.

Bands like the Strokes, the Psychedelic Furs, and Duran Duran were planning to deliver long-awaited studio albums, with tours likely to follow. By March, around the time COVID-19 took hold in the U.S., there were already tours announced by the likes of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and dates by the reunited Bauhaus (we had tickets for both). Early in the year, I’d already seen two concerts, one by 69 Eyes and another by The Reverend Horton Heat with the Buttertones.

But live music soon came to a screeching halt amid the global pandemic. Bands like Duran Duran shelved their albums. Others went ahead with their releases, giving music fans much-needed hope during a dark time.

These are some of the great albums of 2020:

The Psychedelic Furs could have waited another year; after all, the band’s previous studio album came out nearly 30 years ago. But the Furs finally delivered “Made of Rain.” The band couldn’t back the critically lauded album with live shows, but the music will be just as fresh when a return to the stage is possible. Read the review.

The Strokes ended a seven-year hiatus with “The New Abnormal,” and there wasn’t a more fitting album for its time. The New York band combined all its classic sound with a dose of ’80s flair: the track listing included writing credits for Billy Idol and the brothers Butler (of the Furs). The Strokes released a batch of stunning videos, launched a Zoom series, performed on “Saturday Night Live,” and earned their first Grammy nomination. Read the review.

The Buttertones released ”Jazzhound,” showing all the promise that had propelled them to their status as perpetual up-and-comers. About three months later, the Los Angeles band imploded amid allegations of sexual abuse (Read more). Some fans declared the band unfairly canceled, but the silence of lead singer Richard Araiza only raised questions. After more than a month, he and guitarist Modeste Cobian released a video statement on Instagram. The duo’s denial of wrongdoing and promise of a comeback in 2021 mostly failed to resonate with the band’s core fans. 

Also in 2020: Muzz, a “supergroup” led by Interpol vocalist Paul Banks, released a self-titled effort, its debut no less. When he couldn’t tour, Nick Cave recorded the haunting “Idiot Prayer,” alone with a piano at Alexandra Palace. The Damned tided fans over with “The Rockfield Files” EP. Read the review.

As for Duran, the band wants to support any new release with live shows. While that’s not possible now, at least in a conventional way, Duran opted to largely stay quiet in 2020. John Taylor delivered an entertaining round of bass tutorials and interviews after recovering from COVID. Simon Le Bon also endured a bout with the virus and carried on with his Spotify podcast. Optimistically, the band has announced live shows for next summer.

Along with an annual list of top live shows, I also won’t be compiling Duran Duran’s top moments of the year for the first time since 2011. If Duran's 2021 concerts are able to take place, its 15th studio album may finally materialize. But it appears that a true 40th anniversary celebration for the band may be falling by the wayside due to COVID. 

True, there are more important things than music in these times. But it sure would have been nice to have had one more bright spot during a dismal 2020. 

New record review: The Damned 'The Rockfield Files'

The Damned must be feeling nostalgic of late.

First, the British punk icons released a new EP, "The Rockfield Files." It's described as a "return to the scene of the crime," Rockfield studios, where the band's groundbreaking "The Black Album" was recorded some 40 years ago. The four-song collection promptly debuted at No. 1 on the British vinyl singles chart.

A few days later, the Damned did something that some expected would never happen: The band got its original lineup back together with plans for a U.K. reunion tour.

While "The Rockfield Files" (Spinefarm) is a nod to the band's past, the EP continues in the vein of modern-day Damned music. 

Opening track "Keep 'Em Alive" is a bad ass track about the modern-day plight of the bumblebee. One can imagine "Manipulator" to be about the president of the U.S., at which several lyrics on the band's 2018 album "Evil Spirits" were also squarely aimed. "The Spider and the Fly," perfectly delivered by singer Dave Vanian, is about the seductive dance between predator and prey. And "Black is the Night" appeared on the band's recent career-spanning compilation of the same name. 

The lineup for "The Rockfield Files," recorded last year, included Vanian, founding guitarist Captain Sensible, "Black Album"-era bassist Paul Gray, longtime keyboardist Monty Oxymoron, and now-former drummer Pinch.

The lineup will look a little different next summer, pandemic permitting. The four original Damned, Vanian, Sensible, Brian James and Rat Scabies, held a socially distanced press conference, the first in the U.K., to announce the reunion. The tour presumably will be only for five shows.

Sensible isn't likely to want to play second fiddle to James on guitar for more than those few gigs. But there's a tantalizing possibility that Scabies could fill the band's permanent opening on drums. Scabies has expressed a desire to get back with the band and even collaborates with Gray in Professor and the Madman.

Whatever the future holds, it's great that the Damned have a chance to reunite the original band. From there, one can imagine a version of the band touring the world in late 2021 or 2022. Hopefully, Gray will be there ... and maybe even Scabies.