Few bands had defined and dominated the airwaves and video stations during the 80’s, like Duran Duran. The band had the looks, the tunes and the slickest videos.
Duran Duran is one of the few 80’s bands that have somehow managed to stay contemporary without losing their signature sound and this rings true with their fourteenth release, Paper Gods. The band; Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and John & Roger Taylor; have pulled out all the stops with this release by hiring some of the best producers out there such as Nile Rodgers, Mr.”Ben” Hudson, Josh Blair & Mark Ronson. And, if that wasn’t enough, Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols and ex- Red Hot Chilipepper, John Frusciante also make contributions to the album.
Paper Gods is a synth-pop party album, made by a band that is still willing to push past their comfort zone. For the most part, it’s a fun listen although it does stumble from time to time. One example is Lindsay Lohan’s spoken contribution on “‘Danceophobia”, just tacky beyond words. All in all though, after fourteen albums, Duran Duran could have made Rio part ten, but thankfully, the band is hungry like a wolf.