party-loving British New Romantic set in the early 1980s, Duran Duran duly conquered the pop world, with millions of teenage girls in their hook-filled thrall. After three albums, however, the original lineup splintered, and the band's profile began to fade. Two decades down the line, all five members of DD's vintage lineup finally reunited for Astronaut. Unlike the group's more "mature" '90s offerings, 2004's Astronaut eschews "adult alternative" trappings in favor of a return to their earlier bold, fun-loving sound, a move that couldn't have been better timed, considering the concurrent '80s-revival craze. Accordingly, Nick Rhodes's synthesizers buzz and zoom with reckless abandon, providing bright color and underlining the dance-rock beat. Guitarist Andy Taylor largely tones down the frantic fretboard exercises of his post-Duran days, opting for a chunkier, riff-oriented approach reminiscent of the glory days, and Simon LeBon comes off as every inch the rock star, his swagger, insouciance, and signature vocal style utterly undiminished by time. Astronaut appeared on the horizon as an alert to '80s-worshipping young bands that the men who wrote the book were back in action.
Duran Duran - Astronaut
year 2004 review: As the premier ambassadors of the image-conscious,
party-loving British New Romantic set in the early 1980s, Duran Duran duly conquered the pop world, with millions of teenage girls in their hook-filled thrall. After three albums, however, the original lineup splintered, and the band's profile began to fade. Two decades down the line, all five members of DD's vintage lineup finally reunited for Astronaut. Unlike the group's more "mature" '90s offerings, 2004's Astronaut eschews "adult alternative" trappings in favor of a return to their earlier bold, fun-loving sound, a move that couldn't have been better timed, considering the concurrent '80s-revival craze. Accordingly, Nick Rhodes's synthesizers buzz and zoom with reckless abandon, providing bright color and underlining the dance-rock beat. Guitarist Andy Taylor largely tones down the frantic fretboard exercises of his post-Duran days, opting for a chunkier, riff-oriented approach reminiscent of the glory days, and Simon LeBon comes off as every inch the rock star, his swagger, insouciance, and signature vocal style utterly undiminished by time. Astronaut appeared on the horizon as an alert to '80s-worshipping young bands that the men who wrote the book were back in action.
party-loving British New Romantic set in the early 1980s, Duran Duran duly conquered the pop world, with millions of teenage girls in their hook-filled thrall. After three albums, however, the original lineup splintered, and the band's profile began to fade. Two decades down the line, all five members of DD's vintage lineup finally reunited for Astronaut. Unlike the group's more "mature" '90s offerings, 2004's Astronaut eschews "adult alternative" trappings in favor of a return to their earlier bold, fun-loving sound, a move that couldn't have been better timed, considering the concurrent '80s-revival craze. Accordingly, Nick Rhodes's synthesizers buzz and zoom with reckless abandon, providing bright color and underlining the dance-rock beat. Guitarist Andy Taylor largely tones down the frantic fretboard exercises of his post-Duran days, opting for a chunkier, riff-oriented approach reminiscent of the glory days, and Simon LeBon comes off as every inch the rock star, his swagger, insouciance, and signature vocal style utterly undiminished by time. Astronaut appeared on the horizon as an alert to '80s-worshipping young bands that the men who wrote the book were back in action.
2 comments:
Easily the best album they ever made. This is one that everyone should hear! =D
i totally agree. Definitely their best album. Fantastic
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