"Give It All Up" is the kind of pulsating electro-disco fantasia Duran Duran have always been destined to record, anchored by Nick Rhodes keyboard surges and sparkling guest vocals from pop star Tove Lo, while "More Joy!" is built on Kraftwerkian rhythms, sugary synth crackles and ebullient vocal accents from the Japanese rock band Chai. But this precise approach also ensures that the guest musicians on "Future Past" make their appearances count.
In that sense, "Future Past" is a throwback to "Rio," another sonically and thematically cohesive album where every instrument is audible and pops out of the mix. Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. On "Future Past" that translates to a mix where every member of Duran Duran is audible, and each musical part has its own precise place in a song: John Taylor's funky bass snarls, Roger Taylor's atomic clock-accurate drumming, and Nick Rhodes' esoteric keyboard excursions. That's another inspired choice: The London-born DJ and producer - who's helmed the stellar recent reunion albums by Ride and the Killers' "The Man" single, among other projects in recent years - draws out the best performances from artists, without muting their unique sound and approach. Coxon is a good match for Duran Duran: He's a cerebral player who knows his way around both jagged discord and beautiful melody, meaning he can conjure up razor-sharp accents on "Invisible" or add more delicate shading on the soft-glow title track.Īlthough "Future Past" notably features Duran Duran's first collaborations with long-time idol Giorgio Moroder - how did it take so long for this to happen? - much of the album features co-production from Erol Alkan. In the studio, Duran Duran recorded with guitarist Graham Coxon, who cut his teeth in Britpop shapeshifters Blur and is known for adventurous solo work.
Over the years, Duran Duran have achieved this goal by consistently working with collaborators fond of reshaping pop music - to name a few, producers like Colin Thurston, Nile Rodgers and Mark Ronson, and musicians such as Justin Timberlake and Janelle Monae. RELATED: Duran Duran and art in the age of internet reproduction Yet the guiding principle of "Future Past" remains the same as it's been for nearly every Duran Duran album: explore the kind of new sounds and ideas that can send the band tumbling toward the future. Like the best Duran Duran albums, the full-length is an immersive, cohesive statement with a meticulous sequence that takes listeners on a journey. The new "Future Past," Duran Duran's 15th studio album, naturally reflects this accumulated growth and sophistication. Times have changed, decades have passed, and the band are far different people and musicians than they were 40 years ago. The Birmingham-formed group set an astoundingly high creative bar for themselves in the first part of the '80s, thanks to albums such as 1982's "Rio" and singles like "Hungry Like the Wolf," "The Reflex" and "Planet Earth." This massive superstardom always hovers in the background of everything Duran Duran does, though it's not an albatross, but an increasingly benevolent presence. The brief scene is an apt metaphor for Duran Duran's career. The look on the real Taylor's face is priceless: He looks both amused and awed when faced with his doppelganger, before recovering and flashing a matching toothy grin for a photo.
There's a moment in Duran Duran's new "Anniversary" video where tuxedo-clad bassist John Taylor encounters his younger self, in the form of an actor dressed like the spitting image of early '80s John Taylor.
0 kommentar(er)
