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Duran Duran / Paper Gods review

By Paul Sinclair

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125

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A track-by-track guide to the new Duran Duran album.

Paper Gods (Featuring Mr Hudson)

Paper Gods starts with its title track and it’s certainly an album highlight. With it’s social/political commentary, Simon at least has something to say and the seven-minute opener is an ambitious work, nicely structured. 4/5

Last Night In The City (Featuring Kiesza)

This has a dramatic dubstep-style intro with Kiesza singing the first lines. It sounds very ‘modern’ and poppy although you wish Le Bon had developed the ‘Last Night In The City’ concept a bit more so that you felt something for the protagonists in the song. You don’t really know WHY it’s might be their last night, other than “no one cares if there’s no tomorrow” (you also don’t know why no one cares about that,  either!). Am I asking too much of a pop lyric for at least some meaning? I guess Le Bon came up with the title and just worked it up as much as he thought he needed to. This is a recurring problem with Paper Gods as we shall see. 3/5

You Kill Me With Silence

You half expect Le Bon to come in rapping at the beginning of You Kill Me With Silence (remember White Lines?) but it doesn’t happen, thankfully. Not really a very good song at all – dull lyric, boring chorus and nothing approaching a good melody. Some of the synth work echoes The Chauffeur. 1/5

Pressure Off (Featuring Janelle Monáe and Nile Rodgers)

Easy to see why this was chosen as the first ‘single’. While Pressure Off doesn’t exactly give any Duran classics a run for their money, it takes the job of being ‘catchy’ fairly seriously in a similar fashion to Reach Up (For The Sunrise) back in 2005. Unlike virtually every song on this album, this has a very good chorus despite the dubious ‘oh oh oh oh oh oh’ refrain. Extra points for the groovy Janelle Monáe refrain. 4/5

Face For Today

The only song on the album Nick Rhodes doesn’t receive a writing credit for, Face For Today has a satisfying synthy verse and decent flowing chorus. One of the better album tracks, to be honest, although lyrically impermeable. 3/5

Danceophobia 

This is the ‘silly’ song on the album, the Bedroom Toys or the Hallucinating Elvis. It’s not actually too bad, although the rhyming with the ‘word’ Danceophobia is knowingly naff.  If you were wondering why Lindsay Lohan features on a Duran Duran album, you’ll find the answer here – she has spoken word role of a ‘doctor’ towards the end. If this was a B-side I might be raving about it, but you do wonder what it’s doing slap bang in the middle of a new DD album. 2/5

What Are The Chances

I guess this is supposed to be a lighters-in-the-air mid-paced ballad. The trouble is, it lacks a great melody and the lyrics are inane. This is the chorus: “So, what are the chances / We’ll never know, if we take it for granted”. Come on, Simon. This dirge goes on for four minutes and 56 seconds too long. 1/5

Sunset Garage

Sunset Garage starts off quite well; crisp drumbeat, nice synth work. Simon comes in with a drawling vocal and it looks like this is going somewhere… until the chorus “What ever happens, we’re okay – hey we’re still aliveeee! To watch a sunset garage day, heading to the light”. What? Even without the dodgy lyrics, the best you can say about this is that it’s quite breezy, maybe a bit of a singalong. The chorus outro benefits for a slightly Motown-y beat. 3/5

Change The Skyline (Featuring Jonas Bjerre)

This pacey number is co-written by Mr Hudson and features Danish musician and singer Jonas Bjerre. It has a fast verse, slow chorus structure. Despite all the supposed innovation and inspiration from the other artists involved, this is another Paper Gods track that fails miserably to be memorable – the chorus is too slow with a melody that just washes over you. 2/5

Butterfly Girl

This features John Frusciante (he provides a nice angular solo), although the Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ songwriter and guitarist doesn’t get a writing credit. This track at least sounds a bit more like Duran Duran and has a female vocalist doing some effective Come Undone style vocals on the insistent verses. The chorus is REALLY awful though…”You can make it through tomorro-ow / set free your butterfly girl / And when you rise above the sorro-ow / you’ll be a butterfly girl”. The chorus is the only weak element, but hey, that’s quite an important part of the song. Annoying, because this could have been very good. 3/5

Only In Dreams

This has everyone working on it – produced by “Duran Duran, Nile Rodgers, Mark Ronson; Additional production: Mr Hudson and Josh Blair”. It is actually pretty satisfying, largely because for the first time on the album melody and words combine to create something reasonably evocative. As with Last Night In the City you wish Le Bon would take the job of developing the lyric a bit more seriously, rather than making do with lines like “There’s a vampire in the limousine”. Despite this, he gets away with it, showing what a difference even one decent line (“Only in dreams...”) can make, rather than meaningless choruses about skylines, sunset garages etc. This does actually sound the most like something from Notorious, and Nile Rodgers contribution is significant. Le Bon’s vocal is good too, although it has that weird auto-tuned timbre to it. Might be my favourite from Paper Gods. 4/5

The Universe Alone

Simon sounds very whiny on The Universe Alone. What’s happened to those dulcet tones that gave us Save A Prayer and Ordinary World? He seems to think if he sings an average melody with enough purpose and gusto, it will sound better. It doesn’t. The melody sounds very under-developed, almost as if he’s making it up as he goes alone. Disappointing end to a disappointing album. 2/5

Summary

Duran Duran keep putting forward the suggestion that this album somehow channels the spirit of Notorious, but Paper Gods contains nothing as sophisticated as A Matter Of Feeling, as direct as Hold Me (with its brilliant middle eight), as funky as So Misled or as moving as Winter Marches On. And they are four Notorious album tracks, never mind the ‘hits’.

It pains me to bring this up, but does Simon Le Bon have anything to say anymore? A simple B-side like We Need You (from the Skin Trade single) moves me a million times more than ANYTHING on this album. And I want to be moved. I want to feel something. Give me something that connects – Big Thing’s ‘The Edge of America’ is far superior to ‘The Universe Alone’ if we’re talking about epic ‘I’m all alone’ album closers.

At its core, Paper Gods houses a good half-dozen completely forgettable tracks including, You Kill Me With Silence, Face For Today, Danceophonia, What Are The Chances, Sunset Garage, and Change The Skyline. To borrow a phrase from Armando Iannucci’s Veep, these amount to little more than ‘noise-shaped air’. Meaningless, inane lyrics, uninspired melodies, and music that half the time sounds like the band stayed at home. Can anyone pick out a great Nick Rhodes ‘moment’ on the album, like the piano phrase from Too Late Marlene, or the famous Save A Prayer synth line. Did anyone smile listening to some standout John Taylor bass playing – like on ‘Skin Trade’?

Duran Duran appear to be obsessed with their ‘sound’, their place in the world and ‘not looking back’ (except when they play the hits every night on tour). They do so much navel gazing in between EVERY album that they often forget to just get the basics right. Write some good songs. They also have a habit of doing something good (Big Thing, The Wedding Album, Astronaut) and throwing away all the hard-earned goodwill by then doing something a bit rubbish (Liberty, Thank You and Red Carpet Massacre, respectively).

Even though I think 2011’s All You Need Is Now is rather overrated, it was a decent stab at embracing the classic Duran Duran ‘sound’ and putting the band at the centre of things. Paper Gods unfortunately maintains the pattern outlined above – the drop in quality is palpable.

Like banks who offer the best mortgage rates to new customers only, Paper Gods doesn’t deliver much to the existing fanbase who are in their forties and fifties, but the album is transparent in its attempts to attract new, younger audience –  hence the collaborations have to be advertised on the track names.

Perhaps all the collaborations on Paper Gods will help Duran Duran shift units, deliver crossover appeal and make them more ‘marketable’ thanks to massive social media reach, but it doesn’t appear to make the songs any better. Back to basics next time, methinks. Paper Gods is out now.

Overall rating –  2/5

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125 Comments

125 thoughts on “Duran Duran / Paper Gods review”

  1. Pingback: Pre-order Duran Duran’s new album, ‘Future Past’ – SuperDeluxeEdition
  2. Pingback: Duran Duran: Deep Cuts | superdeluxeedition

  3. What Are the Chances? is quite possibly my favorite DD track recorded since they reunited. You Kill Me With Silence isn’t far behind. I find it a bit odd that even though All You Need Is Now was more of a return to form album than I dared to hope for, not much sticks out of the
    pack. Paper Gods isn’t quite as consistent as AYNIN, but the songs that do are really perfection. The bonus tracks available only on the disc sold at Target are really good, as well.

  4. I think this album gets better over time and the live versions add another dimension.

    Initially I didn’t like the album and idea of collaborations but it has certainly grown on me, and it’s great to see a lot of publicity for the upcoming tour.

    Not sure how you can give What are the Chances 1/5 and Dancephobia 2/5 which to me is the worst track on the album.

    What are the Chances is a great song and more traditional to the DD sound, but the collaborations also work well – Last Night in the City live on Today show is a good example.

    Anyone else liking the album more now we are a few months since the release?

  5. Well, got the album a couple of days ago and…s’alright. Not their best, not their worst. I understand the comments re Red Carpet Massacre, but I quite like that album, so no problem there.

    It’s not as strong as All You Need Is Now (which had at least three copper-bottomed classic tracks on it), but I don’t think it’s quite as bad as some people are making it out to be.

    Plus, with regards to the comments about trying to stay relevant? As the album has hit both UK & US top 10 – first time in 22 years! – I suspect the band will be thinking mission accomplished.

    What I think they need now is a career spanning box set, to put the whole caboodle into context…

  6. What are you all – and Paul in particular – nagging about? Clearly this is just the point of view of some individual, not some institute. If you don’t like it, then don’t like it. If you do, then just do. That’s it.
    To me it’s more interesting to see how the majority feels, and so far the album gets more attention and praise than the last ten albums together. That;s more than enough for me and I suppose for the band as well since there’s more than ever well earned attention to this soldering on band that has been underrated for ages now. It’s time for some revenge on their part. And right they are.

  7. I have deeply enjoyed reading both the review and the wondrous stream of comments. I’ll add a few to the mix, if anyone happens to read, my gratitude to you.
    I have been a huge DD fan since the beginning, multiple live shows, I’ve listened to every album countless times, (much like many of you). I know everyone has a different opinion here, and that is what makes life great. When I first heard DD were back in the studio, I was both excited and worried. I really liked what they did with AYNIN, and I had a feeling the possibility of replicating the sound and mood of that one was quite slim. And I won’t go for a long drawn out explanation on my favorite DD albums, but I will say I’ve always preferred their trademark rock/synth/moody sounds over the attempts at straightforward funky soul, but that has a place as well if done properly. Nonetheless, I was seriously concerned when I saw the album art. DD has always been interesting and innovative in the album cover image choices.To me, this artwork is something that should be used on a greatest hits package, right? It pays tribute to many of their classic songs/albums, not a new album of all original material. It seems as a “nostalgia” visual marketing/selling scheme. Anyway, I was at first completely turned off by the songs. Not much here in the way of JT bass or RT drumming. Even Nick’s DD sound is muted or sporadic at best. I decided to consider this a LeBon solo album, and write it off as rubbish. But then I realized, perhaps a band or artist can only create a certain sound, so much, before ultimately horrifically repeating themselve(s). Limitations exist in the universal plane of creation when set to any boundaries. Long story short, I listened to the album in full, without expectations, taking it straight at face value. And you know what happened…I liked it. No, this is not a great DD album. Is it good? Yes, in its own way. Is it what I wanted? No. But I can tell you now, I’m very happy that I gave it a chance. Upon repeated listening, though far from a masterpiece, there is enough here that is entertaining and intriguing. And at this stage of the band’s career, after close to 35(!) years, perhaps that’s all we can really expect.

    1. I think this is a pretty fair assessment and an honest overview of the album. I agree with a lot of the points you make here. Some of the album has grown on me after repeated listening. Thanks for the breath of fresh air in your observations.

    2. Pretty much sums up how I viewed this album. Was expecting, hoping for more John Taylor and Roger Taylor interaction but there’s so much production on this that they are buried and initially I wrote it off… after a few more listens, it’s grown on me. I guess I got with the program-ming. ;-)

      It’s a feature of guitarists (Nile, Steve Jones, Frusciante, Dom Brown) and I think they went for the most produced album they could without becoming just a ProTools session. I’m a big fan of “Northern Lights”, “Planet Roaring”, “Paper Gods”, “The Universe Alone” and even the more clubbish tracks like “Change The Skyline” and “Face For Today” but I miss the holy trinity of bass, guitar and drums of Duran Duran.

  9. ‘By the way, Simon HATES “A Matter of Feeling” (he called it a misguided attempt to rewrite “Save a Prayer”)’

    I never knew that. Surprised. Strangely, I think A Matter of Feeling is so much better than Save A Prayer in every aspect.

    1. Simon doesn’t hate “A Matter Of Feeling”. He dislikes how they purposely tried to make another “Save A Prayer”. John cleared this up recently.

  10. Oh Paul–and Big Thing had some silly lyrics too…title track for one (man, that’s a stinker). Drug? Not very original. All She Wants Is? Some may find that rather annoying. Then you’ve got Do You Believe in Shame. The ups n downs of being LeBon…

  11. Wow! There’s a lot of comments here! At least it proves the fans who wanted to write DD off 30 years ago are STILL passionate! That being said, yes there are some harsh things in the review (mainly “What Are the Chances” is the BEST song–did we hear the same album?–I actually sort of like the “Diamond explodes” bit of the lyric), and yes, AYNIN is probably their third best album after the first two, but this is ultimately one listener’s opinion and people need to not take it so personally. I give the band credit for not repeating themselves over and over and at least TRYING to stay current (at the risk of losing track of who plays what)…it’s a very tough world out there now and DD’s age does not do them any favors. (…and John Frusciante should join NOW)

    My big complaint on the Duran is the price of the vinyl. $35US for an album that has nothing particularly special about it other than being a double gatefold. At least we were led to think the silly cover images were decals or something! Couldn’t they have made it scratch n sniff?!? Not even sure it’s pressed on 180gram. My shop has to pay $24 just to carry the damn thing when most records run about $15-20. THAT’s the ripoff, that Universal knows their fans are older, have some money, and will pay. Wonder why they think they can get $40+ for the new Lana Del Rey vinyl?! Oh yeah–middle age men with extra cash love her…but can a teenager afford that? Crazy.

    Also to address the long rant earlier, I quite like all the recent Depeche Mode albums, as one gets the sense they have really been affected by Martin’s dealing with his parental issues by exploring darker and bluesier American soul (who would have thought from the “Just Can’t Get Enough” guys). However, I agree there is little to be found redeeming in Madonna’s last couple releases. Kylie’s one album in which she wrote most of the lyrics (Impossible Princess) was actually much deeper than said ranter gives her credit for as her other poppier songs are mostly written by committee engineered to give her hits. Again, these are just my personal opinions.

    By the way, Simon HATES “A Matter of Feeling” (he called it a misguided attempt to rewrite “Save a Prayer”), and if you look back over their career, some of the best DD songs were from the first couple records and had bonkers lyrics. Even if a song like “Goodbye is Forever” or “Michael You’ve Got a Lot to Answer For” have deep meanings, some of their best like “Hungry Like the Wolf” or “New Moon on Monday” have very little depth. That’s the up and down of Simon’s writing style–some things have meaning, while some are just about fashion or celebrity, and while “Danceaphobia” won’t win him any writing awards, you can see the Daft Punk-as-inspiration in that song. It’s supposed to put us in touch with our silly sides. I’d rather have that than a pompous tendency to overreach for something beyond his grasp (“The Universe Alone”, while it has decent music, lyrically it’s a step too far after what’s come before.)

    I didn’t mean to write this much! Sorry!

  12. Just came back from the Paper Gods concert in NYC at Terminal 5. A small venue. A couple of years ago during the All You Need Is Now tour they played the MSG, now a very small place. They started with Paper Gods, a beautiful song. They played 4 songs from the new album. Later came Pressure Off (sounds very nice live), Last Night In The City and the awful Dancophobia. During the new songs, John played synth bass except for Paper Gods. Last Night In The City I actually like. It’s a good song but it sounds absolutely awful live. It’s sung in a very high note and i’m almost positive there was some serious autotune going on. Or some form of cheating. It did not sound real at all. I think they won’t play this song live anymore after the Paper Gods tour is over. It’s just too high and at some point all you hear is shouting with autotune or so. The other stuff was great and sounded fine. Except for Last Nght In The City the band did well and finished off in a rather long medley of Dancophobia, a disco version of Too Much Information and an updated dance version of Girls On Film. All In one go. Dancophobia is a terrible song, a lot of beats and no melody. The disco version of Too Much Information was interesting as well as the updated Girls On Film version. Above some people say Dancophobia could have come from Liberty. I agree with that. It’s just noise. I can’t believe they even put it on this album, let alone play it live. They did not play a single song from All You Need Is Now. I have seen DD now 4 times. This was an average concert. They also played White Lines which I absolutely don’t like either. It’s a waste of time to play an obscure cover song at your concert when there are so many DD songs that you can play but didn’t. Anyway, there are some good songs on the Paper Gods album, and a few bad ones. My first impression is that it is not as good as All You Need Is Now but it’s not a bad effort. They clearly moved towards a more electronic sound. I think Nick (who by the way looks more and more like some nasty old perv guy with his terrible comb-over) won a lot of battles in the studio. Either way, it’s a mixed bag, an inconsistent effort at minimum.

  13. Can’t get over yet from the monumental disaster this new Duran Duran album turned out to be. The most accurate way to describe it would be like an utterly forgettable and poorly conceived musical effort. I’m a proud fan of Duran Duran since the RIO days, so it’s hard for me to admit that this time the boys blew it big time. The only worthy track is the first single “Pressure Off”, a fantastic return to the funky sounds from the NOTORIOUS era. The rest is boring, obscure and rather uninspired. Better luck next time!

  14. The Most negative comments I’ve read about this record are in this review and in the following comments. Paul, I agree with you that AYNIN is overrated , but I’m digging this so far, but I liked RCM quite a bit, and this feels as a extension of that. The title track and You Kill Me With Silence are upper , upper tier Duran songs. You need to relisten to YKMWS.

  15. I have to disagree about some vinyl comments. My copy is mint. Very quiet surface.
    The album is split into 2 disks, 3 songs per side, mastered by Sterling.
    Every song has the dynamic range of a 12″ 45.
    No distortion. Plenty of thumping bass and highs.
    As for the content, well, I have to play it a few more times until I am used to the songs, before I make that judgement. But nothing wrong with the vinyl.

    1. Mine is also quiet but there was a harshness to it when I played it. However, I was on strong medication at the time! Just expected more goodies in within the album sleeve and for the vinyl to be heavy duty, not 80’s thin.
      A lot of people here mention AYNIN as their best ever. It a great album for sure, but there are some crap filler tracks on it as well: Network Nation, Other People’s Lives, the instrumental interludes. I prefer the iTunes 9-track release. Add Mediterranea and it’s perfect! One thing Duran are guilty of is quality over quality. I know most albums these days are around 12 tracks long but give me 10 and it’s enough.

  17. I agree wholeheartedly with the review. The album was a HUGE disappointment to me. The joy of All You Need Is Now (and working with Mark Ronson) was that they were no longer embarrassed to sound like Duran Duran! This is them going back to the mess of Red Carpet Massacre where they think collaborating with cool people is guaranteed to give good results. The title track and Pressure Off are the only tracks which would even be CONSIDERED for All You Need Is Now (not guaranteed they’d make it though). After all the talk of working with the world’s number one Durannie (Ronson) again and Nile Rodgers, it says a lot that they only worked on 2 songs! Their influence is sadly lacking throughout the album. It reminds me of 90s dancey Madonna! So disappointed.

  18. I still haven’t heard the album in full and am rather worried to. Pressure Off is very average and Paper Gods is great. They are still the only two tracks i’ve heard – they have both been given 4/5 and that is why i’m worried ;-)

    That said, there is no way they will ever top AYNIN. An album that good and at that stage of their career? Not many bands can pull that one off imo.

    Somebody mentioned about Duran not playing hits at gigs – when they did the small UK gigs in 2011, they played the majority of AYNIN and sounded fantastic along with the likes of Secret Oktober, Shadows On Your Side and Hold Back The Rain. The only ‘hits’ were the boring Come Undone (i’ve never liked it live), Notorious and Sunrise iirc and yes, I wish they’d do more setlists like that.

    However, for me personally, the real test of new music is hearing it live so maybe it will be a few months for it to sort it self out. Even AYNIN weakest point (Safe) sounded fairly decent live.

    Will pick the album up later and expect the worse.

  19. I agree with Chris. Some people are disappointed for what it’s isn’t rather than for what it is. It has few DD trademarks, however I’m loving it. Still pi$$ed off about the vinyl packaging though. The cover I’ve got used to but still do not understand it.

  20. As a DD fan since 1982, I unfortunately have to agree with most things Paul said.
    I had the same “did John and Roger play on this song at all?” feeling I had with Red Carpet Massacre.
    I actually did like Pressure Off, even the ohohohs, but couldn’t imagine this was almost the sole highlight of the album.
    Super excited for the album after the previous one, but I think if Simon’s voice wasn’t so unique, I wouldn’t have recognized any of the songs as DD songs.
    While the AYNIN might have overdone the reuse of classic DD keyboard sounds, this album shows none of the DD trademarks.

  21. Not sure how to articulate this but I’ll try. Your review is accurate but I disagree………….you’re disappointed in what the album isn’t as opposed to liking it for what it is which, I’ll assume isn’t what you wanted it to be. DD haven’t been very deep in a while and even when they obviously were conveying a message such as on “Blame the Machines”, it wasn’t very deep and I don’t think I’ve seen them saying they are important or have something all that important to say. The record’s sonics and vocals for me are terrific, not that I get any deep meaning from the lyrics but the vocals fit the music and vice versa and the album is extremely interesting in that it mocks and celebrates our paper thin culture, the album is a potpourri of musical styles with performances from different corners of popular culture, influences…..everything that is spinning around in the orbit of popular culture right now(which isn’t very impressive to begin with) has been harnessed here. DD have observed what’s out there and interpreted it their way and for me, it equates to a great listen.
    I’ll admit a bias here, I grew up on The Clash, New York Dolls, T Rex, Talking Heads, Simple Minds and admired pop, yacht rock, from a distance when no one was looking. Most of us know that the 80’s went pop, big sounds that was penned to fill the arenas the artists were hoping to play and I played along and made my peace with it. Occasionally, an album would come out and slap you in the face with how good it was but much of it was made for the times and people just wanted to have some fun after the doldrums of the 70’s…..despite the awesome disco music, Exile’s one song, Ambrosia….etc.
    What this means is that I started to like DD after growing up a little and stopped trying to be so serious, they made great records and I found something to like in all of them going forward………even Liberty and Thank You.
    Now here we are, this band that so many rooted against picked themselves back up for the umpteenth time and made a record that, for me reflects our shallow world where, to paraphrase Chrissie Hynde…..female singers practically have to pole dance to get attention because their music……………SUCKS…..for the most part. I’d take Skeeter Davis and Siouxsie Sioux over 99 percent of this bollocks in a heartbeat. Don’t be too hard on the boys Paul, there’s some good stuff in there…..even some great stuff in there…….even if it isn’t the stuff you may have wanted.

  22. ‘Paper Gods’ is a contrived, pathetic, and downright insulting attempt by DD to ‘trick’ a new audience (younger) into buying the record by slapping 20 different names on it.

    And the music sucks. Yes, there are a few good tunes; Planet Roaring, Northern Lights, Butterfly Girl, Face for Today… But 4 or 5 good songs out of the 17 released (including all the various bonus tracks) is a paltry showing.

    Never have I seen a bunch of 50 year old English guys trying to sound like a 20 year old pop star. Ridiculous.

  23. I agree! All the hype saying that it’s a return to the classic sound should have been a dead giveaway. It’s like medazzaland and red carpet massacre and I HATED those albums. They need to get rid of that waste of space Mark Ronson! I fear my time of anticipating new Duran albums is now at an end. Andy was always my favorite member anyways.

  26. I like the album a lot but each to their own. What I can’t get my head around is people complaining about Simon’s voce not being the same as it was 30+ years ago! Of course it isn’t – no one’s voice ever is. What a ridiculous complaint to make about a singer.

  27. I think Paul nailed this review of Paper Gods and I agree with him on nearly all the points made because for me the albums problems are so obvious. The main problem for me lies with the band and their obvious lack of confidence in believing that between the 4 of them they are still capable of making great music. All you ever hear them say in interviews is that their constantly trying to strive to keep their sound ‘up to date’ and clearly think they can only accomplish this if they do collaborations with DJ’s and musicians that most of us wouldn’t give a second listen to. Why is it so important for them to make an album that they feel appeals to a younger audience when the majority of their avid and loyal fan base must surely be youths of the 80’s that are now in their 40’s and 50’s and not necessarily interested in the fact that Justin Timberlake, Lindsay Lohan, Ana Matronic or Mark bloody Ronson make appearances – we’re buying a Duran Duran album ffs!!!

    I just wish the band would go in to a studio with a single producer and make an album with at least SOME feeling to it, rather than the tosh we get about being ‘danceaphobic’. The album doesn’t speak to me about anything, nothing on it resonates and lyrically it sounds inept for a band with a wealth of experiences and personal history to pull from.

    I know the band can make a great album again and ex-member Andy Taylor believed that they could too before he was asked to leave the band after the ‘Reportage’ sessions.

    I just wish the band believed that they could too…

  29. I’m not interested in this album, or this review, at all. However, I’m compelled to post after reading your week in review e-mail, Paul. This week you write at length about DD never going away, filling up news feeds about the album, hyping it up to high heaven. Is this not a tad disingenuous? I mean, you’ve not stopped banging on about it yourself (by normal SDE standards, anyway). There was a post about the cover, one about the 2-LP version, one which was a how-to-buy guide, this which is a review, plus this week’s e-mail. There will be no mention of black pots/kettles and biting feeding hands from me… with respect.

    1. I don’t think it’s the same thing – although I would say that :) The loose remit of SDE is to keep people informed of reissues, deluxe editions box sets etc. However when artists like Duran or a-ha are issuing new albums, I’m interested and I know a lot of you are too, hence the coverage. Also, I’m not part of the Duran Duran PR-machine (that’s plainly obvious) – I’m independent and not rubber stamping everything. Once I’ve made a decision to highlight a release, these things can take on a life of their own. The vinyl was £12.99 a while, so that became a deal alert allowing me and many others to pick this up cheaply. There was no cover when the new album became public knowledge, so obviously when the horrible cover was revealed I felt it was of interest and newsworthy. It just so happens that there has been lots of stuff going on with Paper Gods, it wasn’t as if I had a game plan to make sure there was lots of coverage. Also when there are loads of comments (62 for the cover) you feed off that and respond to the interest accordingly.

  30. A review is one person’s opinion and not necessarily the right opinion….for you. It’s about how YOU feel about it, not somebody else.

    I agree with some of what Paul has written, for instance Dancephobia is crap. Yep, it sure is. However, I’m not looking for deep or meaningful lyrics on an album such as this. It’s a modern, fun pop album by a band who thought they’d take a risk. It’s not going to please everyone, especially those looking for a new RIO (give me a break, yes it’s their best album but it’s over 33 years old!) or AYNIN ( a great album but it has clunkers like Other People’s Lives, Network Nation and those bloody awful instrumentals. The iTunes 9-track version was the best).

    I’ve bought the album with an open mind and I like it. It’s fun, it’s pop and it’s modern. It’s also different and not a DD I recognise but I’m happy to take it in. I loved Pressure Off the moment I heard it. Likewise the title track. You Kill Me With Silence I’m unsure about, same with Last Night In The City. The rest with the exception of Dancephobia is pretty good..in my own humble opinion and the bonus tracks Valentine Stones and Northern Lights should have been on the standard album rather than the last two I mentioned. Ok, Roger is playing Roland V-Drums and John is playing a Moog synth bass on many tracks but I don’t mind. I remember seeing them play Red Carpet Massacre in its entirety at the London Lyceum and really enjoyed it, more so than the actual album, but what was also great was the Electro-Set where they played Last Chance On The Stairway and a few others on keyboards and V-drums only. It made a change from the usual run of hits. Possibly one of my favourite ever gigs! To me here they are doing the same, having a go and not giving a f#€%. I applaud them for it.

    I have to add that Simon’s vocals are the best they have been for years. The coaching he had after rupturing a vocal fold in 2011 has made a big difference to his delivery. However, I feel that he sometimes over sings, trying to prove he’s still got it. I miss the lower range work he does so well and this could have been used to great effect on some tracks here.

    The artwork I still do not get. I know it references their past but why? The packaging is bloody awful as well. I have the vinyl edition (made in EU), it has no lyric sheet, no booklet, just a credit sheet and the vinyl itself is around 120gr mark instead of the usual 180gr for modern day releases. It’s also a little too harsh. DD usually like to package well their albums though not always to great effect (think RCM) so I do not know why this is so sparse. Mind you, so was the Notorious album!

    At the end of the day, some people like it, some won’t. It appears to be selling well but it’s still early days to say whether or not it’s a success.

  31. Longtime DD fan here. I’ve supported the band wholeheartedly through personnel changes, stylistic changes, ups and downs. I’ll never stop supporting them; being a dedicated fan of theirs is in my blood. Their music and their presence have been a vital part of my life for decades. However, this review is as boldly truthful as it is accurate. I don’t need rehash and a retread of past glories; but what I need even less is a strong, self-sufficient band trying to fit into a vapid, faceless contemporary sound that in no way represents what they’re truly capable of. I believe in looking forward and carving out a new path…but one that has been paved by the band itself. Stop trying to sound like the faceless dolts who clog radio airwaves today. All the craft and panache the band has perfected for decades is now being traded in for a desperate need to appear contemporary and modern; a paranoia that never plagued this innovative band before.

    1. Gabe well said,I think that sums it up perfectly.The reason so many people work with them is due to the music made in the past,yet working with these artists Only ends up making them sound out of touch and desperate to be contemporary.Which is a crying shame as they made some of the most forward thinking pop music of the 80’s.

  32. It’s a point of view people,we don’t all like the same things,get over it.Its not forcing you to dislike it.Its not a haters review just Paul’s opinion.
    I doubt I’d buy it as the last album of theirs I loved would be the wedding album or Big thing.

  33. If you go by your scoring, this album gets 32 out of 60 points. My math gives it a little better than 2.5. I think your personal disappointment in the album influenced the score that you gave it song by song

    1. I was going to give it 3/5 but I just thought that was too generous. Q Magazine gave Big Thing 2/5 if you really want a beef with ‘verdicts’ :)

  34. well Paul, i’m glad someone agreed with my ‘come undone’ female vocal reference i posted the other day on here, I like some of the album, love a few tracks and kind of hope a few others grow on me, that’s about as good as i can offer. Btw if ever you want to look at someone who builds up their albums causing feverish excitement followed by crushing disappointment….step forward Bono of U2

  37. I’ve been a fan since ’83 and I have no idea what you’re listening to, but the album I have is their most consistent and compelling since the original three. I’ve not taken to anything they’ve released since 84 as quickly as I have this one. I haven’t loved everything here save a couple of moments. The only two star track for me here is “Planet Roaring” and that was obviously a castoff, being only on the deluxe release (the other four of the deluxe tracks are quite good).

    That said, I don’t discount your experience. I’m sure this review is an honest account of what you heard. That said, you’re obviously fixated on bands from the past. Perhaps you’re holding bands to account for their ability to help you revisit the past. This is a brilliant modern pop record taken on its own.

    As for lyrics, well, Simon’s TS Elliot days have long past and they’re not coming back. But I do think some on this record are among his finest of the modern era. “The Universe Alone” brought tears to my eyes. Honestly.

  38. Music is all about opinions. I find it interesting that you can only have an objective view of Paper Gods if you don’t like it!
    I love Paul’s writing and his review is to the usual high standard but other fans can have different views without being abused (not by Paul I might add!).
    One thing that interested me about paper gods is whether it’s been polished so much it lacks warmth in places. Duran have a habit of doing that- the wedding album and astronaut were polished so much they lost their charm. The astronaut demos are far superior to the final product, what happens tomorrow for example was edited to death just to make it a hit, which didn’t work! I’d be interested to see what sort of journey the tracks on this record made.
    The only thing we all agree on here is that the album cover is complete and utter nonsense

    1. I like the album cover. It represents DD and the items in their videos of days past. The mouth with sharp teeth-The Wild Boys, the yellow wine glass & the pink phone-RIO, the hat-The Chauffeur, the sumo-Girls on Film, the tiger – SATRT etc……….

  39. I’m NOT a VERY BIG Duran Duran fan, my favourite bands (from whom I have to buy all studio albums at least) are a-ha, blur, Suede, Faith no more, Travis, Indochine, Nirvana, Wolf Alice, Beastie Boys…

    But I like Duran Duran and have purchased at least some of their studio work (Wedding, Best of, Pop Trash, Astronaut, Red Carpet, All you need is now).

    I must admit that I really like All you need is now and – surprise, surprise! – the refreshing Red Carpet Massacre and hence cannot fully agree with Paul. Astronaut is quite weak, in contrast.

  40. On the off chance that one of the duran lads should look in on this site, (they obviously aren’t going to be happy) Something I really think they should do is a one off or short run of concerts as Arcadia and perform the So Red the Rose album, perhaps do it in a London theatre or some dramatic setting. They could also perform some more of their obscure Duran tracks like My Antartica, and Winter Marches On.
    To my knowledge I think they have only performed Election Day live the past.
    SRTR has grown significantly in status (it’s been described as the best Duran album – Duran never made) and is about to celebrate it’s 30th anniversary.
    Would other Durannies like to see this?

  41. Some of you guy’s kill me. It doesn’t sound like this album, it doesn’t sound like that album. Then go back and buy THAT album. Change is good, sometimes. And in this case, it works for DD. Agree, some songs are not as good as others, but that’s the way it is on every album. “Some of the lyrics don’t work here.”(I’m laughing out loud)………why are you listen to the words and not the beat. I’ve never heard somebody say they didn’t buy the album because of the lyrics!!!This is a great album. You have to break eggs to make an omelet, and DD did it here.

    1. Duran Duran are a pop band, not a dance band. I find it rather amusing that people are arguing (with a straight face, apparently) the case that lyrics don’t matter, or that a pop song isn’t improved if more time and effort is put into the lyric to make it ‘better’. Maybe McCartney should have just stuck with ‘Scrabbled Eggs’ instead of ‘Yesterday’.

  42. I’m happy to see a more objective review than the endless stream of impressionable diehards trying to convince everyone to like it as some sort of “growth”. To say anything is wrong with this album is to be considered “harsh”. But seeing that some of the comments here are along the same line, I’m just going to reaffirm a comment I added to various comments on my Amazon review of this atrocity:

    It’s pretty amazing how many comments are showing up around the internet of people having to listen over and over before they start finding some appeal in the album. “It’s a grower.” No, it’s a disaster. I think that’s a pretty clear sign that things have gone wrong when people have to convince themselves through repeated listenings and forced self-insistence that it’s not garbage. It’s like forcing a kid to eat their veggies, and just maybe they will learn to like them in time. It’s bad, really bad, and even if they are a favorite band of some people, you shouldn’t have to talk yourself into liking it, because in time it’s more than likely to become about as appealing as a power drill.

    1. Scott, that’s not what a “grower” is, i.e. “forcing” yourself to like something via repeated listenings. A “grower” is when you say on first listen “OK maybe this is not what I expected, but I’ll listen again with an open mind and give it a chance.” If after a few more listenings you can appreciate what the band is going for and start to like it, it’s a “grower”. If after several listenings you still hate it, like you said that’s probably not going to change. Apparently you fall into the latter category, which is fine- we all like different things, but just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean no one else can. Musical taste is completely subjective.

  43. While this isn’t their most inspired work, I’ve found a 2nd & 3rd listen to be quite rewarding. The hooks aren’t as strong as on their last outing, but the production is solid and pretty intoxicating. One point I agree with you on is that this album shares nothing in common with the album ‘Notorious’ (maybe they haven’t listened to anything except the single in the years since ;). I’d say the album it sounds the most like, if I had to pick one, is ‘Astronaut’: yes, a bit desperate to keep up with the times, but it is largely successful at doing so. Just my 2 cents.

  44. 1. Duran Duran not playing ANY hits on tour would go down a storm… Not. Every band does this as you would know. Even Numan
    2. AYNIN is NOT overrated
    3. Album 3.5 IMHO (AYNIN 5/5)
    4. ‘You blind me with silence’ 1/5… Laughable
    5. ‘What are the chances’ 1/5… Laughable
    6. I expect a little better in the review. You seem to be trying your best here on hating
    7. ‘Danceophobia’ is the worst track on here
    8. I do not care much for lyrics on a DD album although i do love ‘Ordinary World’, ‘Save a prayer’ etc. of course
    9. ‘You blind me with silence’ and ‘What are the chances’ scoring lower than Danceophobia? What are the chances… Again, laughable

    1. Hi Neil,

      I wasn’t suggesting for one minute that DD shouldn’t play hits on tour. That would be ludicrous.

      Articulate for me why you think ‘What are the Chances’ is so good? I’ve told you why I think it isn’t good (really obvious chorus melody, awful words etc.)

      I”m sorry, but All You Need Is Now IS overrated – It’s a fine sounding record, no doubt about it and some of it is good, but Blame the Machines, Other People’s Lives, Too Bad You’re So Beautiful, Run Runaway…. you think these are great songs?

      Neil, you seem to be taking it very personally. You expect ‘better’ in a review? Not sure what you mean. I spent a lot of time listening to the album and justifying opinions and summarising what I feel the ‘problem’ is with Duran Duran and how they approach records at the end. I suppose you just want me to say it’s really good. Judging by the comments here there’s a fair few people who agree with me and a fair few that don’t and some in the middle. That isn’t consistent with me being some rogue ‘hater’ out of touch with reality.

      I love Duran Duran, I’ve been a fan since the beginning, but that doesn’t stop my ears from working. This album is a big disappointment, but I’m glad it’s not for you.
      Simon has written loads of good lyrics. An example of a great melodic track with a ‘decent’ lyric is “None of the Above” from the Wedding Album. That song is better than EVERYTHING on Paper Gods.

      The lyrics on Big Thing were excellent, so I don’t agree with this ‘Simon’s lyrics have always been shit, so it’s not valid to criticise the lyrics’ argument.

      Talking of Big Thing, here is me saying nice things via my review of Big Thing > http://www.superdeluxeedition.com/reviews/duran-duran-big-thing-2cddvd/

      1. Hi again Paul. I must admit i do not review albums like you do as i have not the time. It’s what you do as a job. I’ve never been too much a lyric person either if i’m honest. I’d also say that you are better qualified. 80’s Duran of course i have the Deluxe edition where appropriate or just the normal CD’s but i do not play over and over as i’m into so many bands. I may’ve taken it a bit personally and realise that i do love most of my fav bands records across the board which most don’t. Having said that i’d confirm i’ve always had a low opinion of Red carpet massacre. I have a high opinion since the reformation of both Astronaut and AYNIN. I’d have to stick by my opinion. The songs you mentioned i can’t even recall right now. Like all of us i wish i had more time for music and more time for a better reply. Overall i’m just passionate about music and my fav artists and feel after a few plays that this is a good album. I do like ‘What are the chances’ but it’s just personal opinion of course. Thanks for the detailed reply i do appreciate it

  45. I grew up listening to Duran Duran and I’ve seen their career ride peaks and troughs. Paper Gods falls into the latter category. A disappointment after All You Need Is Now.

    The kindest thing I can say about the album is that it’s worthy of its cover.

  46. What are the chances? That this is the best track on the album…answer is…Yes it is !!! what are the chances of Duran Duran ever making an album where every track is absolutely brilliant…answer is…nil….enough said.

  47. Paul is right, it’s a bit of a stinker. Never mind though, it will probably go away quickly like most latterday Duran albums; the band halfheartedly promote their records for five minutes then bugger off back to their island homes thinking that will do. Even when there is some potential for continued interest with some good singles (as in All You Need Is Now) there are hardly any remixes and no promotion. I predict a fizzle out…

  48. I saw that Culture Club documentary also. Did ever being in a band look such hard work and soul destroying?
    I really felt for Jon, Mikey and Roy, Boy George came across as monstrous, spending hours in the make up box and then berating the others for going to a bar to watch a football in their free time.
    It will be interesting to see how they promote the new album.

  49. Listen to the album couple of times. Not bad at all. Much prefer this album than AYNIN. Best tracks so far for me is Face For Today, What Are The Chances, Butterfly Girl, Only In Dreams, Valentine Stones & Change The Skyline. I don’t like Last Night In The City & Danceophobia.

  50. This comes from a longtime fan. I tend to buy their albums on or near the release date which is usually followed by a significant degree of disappointment. Yes, I do want a return to past glories without pandering to trends or whims on each different album. Yes, I once wrote years ago that Duran Duran constantly feels the need to reinvent the wheel and it always comes back square. That said, AYNIN was a pleasant surprise, a return to form that I have cooled to slightly. Paper Gods though is an album that I like more than I’d have ever expected. As much as I want to hear swirling keys (there are some) and organic drums (there are pretty much none to these ears), I’m enjoying the record start to finish (save for Danceophobia or whatever it is called). I get a sense of what they’re trying to do and time will tell if it’ll be a success.

    As for your criticisms Paul, I’ve never looked to DD for inspirational lyrics. Inanity may be part of the charm. And many of the songs you panned are among my favorites. Strange because I think we are both looking at the album through the same colored glass.

  51. I pretty much agree with you on the overall rating as barring the bonus tracks, it’s pretty disappointing. Danceophobia is perhaps the worst thing they’ve released in decades. I will disagree with you on What are the Chances and You Kill Me With Silence as they were the two songs that really grabbed me upon first listen. Ideally, the album would have been released with 10 tracks:

    Paper Gods
    You Kill Me with Silence
    Pressure Off
    Face For Today
    Valentine Stones (deluxe edition bonus track)
    What are the Chances?
    Butterfly Girl
    Northern Lights (deluxe edition bonus track)
    Only in Dreams
    The Universe Alone

    This would have made for a much tighter, less bloated and more enjoyable album IMO.

    And you didn’t enjoy All You Need is Now? Blasphemy…easily their 3rd best album with The Man Who Stole A Leopard being their best track since the RIO album.

  52. What a shame! I was looking forward to this one after the last one (which I really enjoyed). Paul–I did see Culture Club in Cary, NC a few hours away from home about a month ago and I did enjoy the new tracks. There is a great BBC documentary called “Boy George and Culture Club: Karma to Calamity” about the making of the new album and the guys trying to get it back together. I really enjoyed the concert and documentary.

  53. Nice review, I was actually shocked how much I liked this album. I made a special point not to hear anything from it before it’s release as I wanted to hear it all in the framework of the album. I do agree there are a few weak tracks, though not necessarily the same ones pointed out above, but even with those taken out of the mix there are 12 incredible tracks, I’m referring to the deluxe version of course.

    I think their albums since getting the majority of their original lineup back together have been some of the best of their career and this one is no different. On a side note, it amazes me how good Simon’s voice still sounds. He sounds as good as he did on their first release.

    1. “On a side note, it amazes me how good Simon’s voice still sounds. He sounds as good as he did on their first release.”

      Damning with faint praise seeing as SLB has always had a whiny, weak vocal.

        1. I have always preferred unique singing voices, Simon fits the bill. Again unfortunate use of Auto Tune on this album killed many songs for me.
          I also miss the variety in Simon’s style. What happened to the breathy, deeper voice he used on songs like ‘Palomino’, ‘Night Boat’, ‘Buried In The Sand’, ‘The Seventh Stranger’….

  54. Haven’t got it yet, but looking forward to it immensely. Loved All You Need Is Now, and quite liked Red Carpet Massacre (especially the title track). Allmusic give Paper Gods, AYNIN & RCM all 3.5/5, so on that basis I’ll give it a go. Mind you, I’m someone who quite likes Thank You, so…

  55. I am also mildly disappointed with this effort. I love tracks 3, 4 & 5. I purchased the Target and Deluxe Editions. I haven’t listened to the deluxe version tracks yet. I’m also very aggravated Duran did not put out a 7-inch or CD single to promote this release. I’m actually a big fan of Pop Trash and Red Carpet Massacre. Paper Gods is on par with Thank You and Liberty. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

  56. Agree with SDE 100%. Half an album or a good EP padded out with utter tosh. In the words of that other great lyricist “Life Is A Lemon And I Want My Money Back”.

  57. I have to mostly agree with you Paul. I have been a big Duran Duran fan for over 30 years, but after the last few albums, am now wondering if I should change my status from ‘Fan’ to ‘I-like-some-of-their-stuff’.
    Unlike many, I didn’t think AYNIN was so great and “Early Summer Nerves” saved that album for me. I was so impressed by the track ‘Paper Gods’, my hopes were high for a meaty, new Duran Duran album for 2015.
    Instead I got an album of what seems to be rejected Pet Shop Boys songs from the 90’s with Simon Le Bon singing vocals and Roger Taylor pushing buttons.
    Like RCM, my guess is this album will sound much better live without all the electronic gimmicks – ‘The Universe Alone’ – who thought horrible distortion at the end of a decent tune was a good idea?
    Sadly also, AUTO TUNE destroyed many songs on this album as well – ‘What Are The Chances…’
    Like almost all D2 albums, there were at least a couple of gems for me, but definitely not an album I will put on for complete listens through. I’d have to skip too many tracks.

  58. I got the “target edition”… Listened to it once…it isn’t that I want them to sound like their 80’s high point….I would just like some good melodies…have never cared about their lyrics…I have always loved the songs that I immediately hummed along with from the beginning…the ones that start in a minor key and shift to a major one with the chorus…I thought I did hear Roger and John occasionally…but not enough…as innovative as Nick as always seemed to be…he just seems like he would be a royal pain to work with and has way to much control over their sound…sigh…maybe next time

  59. “Duran Duran appear to be obsessed with their ‘sound’, their place in the world and ‘not looking back’ (except when they play the hits every night on tour). ”

    Hah, sounds just like Prince! Who has just released one of the worst albums of his career, which is quite the feat considering there’s stiff competition from all of his post-Warners output.

  60. Got the CD yesterday (deluxe edition) and have only listened to it once thus far.
    I found it quite disappointing, aside from a few tracks. Hell, I liked RCMassacre.
    Think they’ve strayed a little too far from what is Duran Duran.

  61. Paul you are far to generous with this.

    I bought the vinyl from HMV 22 quid, ignore the fact the songs are a really poor selection of what sound like bad 2000 era club tracks. the vinyl is so over blown and distorted all the way through its a pain to listen to.

    Is the CD distorted too is it intentional? Its not eve heavyweight vinyl and no download code either.

    1. I picked up the CD (with bonus tracks) at Target for $10.99. For that price I couldn’t justify the $33 for the vinyl. My CD sounds fine – could be a poor vinyl mastering job. Sorry to hear it’s not good. I’ve run into a few of those, and they’re unfortunate to say the least.

  62. Has Roger Taylor left the band again as he does seem to be on the album. Actually did any of them turn up? This album sounds like Simon singing over the top of a ropey dance compilation.

  63. A good and objective review though I find Last Night In The City truly awful and kind of like What Are The Chances. The lyrics I agree are inane but the melody and arrangements are very Alphaville-esque in a good way.

  64. Then again I tend to like stuff fans dislike (like the Liberty album…it’s all about “First Impression” a great lost opportunity for a single. But I agree didn’t like most of Pop Trash (just the first four songs I liked), Red Carpet Massacre (only like “Skin Divers” and “Night Running” isn’t half bad) and Thank You (only like three tracks including Perfect Day, Drive By and Thank You, the rest is just awful).

  65. Wow I actually quite liked the album, far better then All You Need To Know…some really great tracks….Paper Gods (should be edited down for a single release), You Kill Me With Science, Danceophobia (weird title, good song, What are the Chances?, Planet Roaring, Change the Skyline, Face for Today, Cinderella Ride and Northern Lights. Their best album since Medazzaland for sure. There are some clunkers like Last Night in the City (talk about overproduction), Pressure Off (terrible first single), This Universe Alone (starts out lovely but once the whole band jumps in it turns into a trainwreck), Only in Dreams and a few of the bonus tracks (On Evil Beach, Valentine Stones). My only main complaint is the flimsey digipak. No inside lyrics or pictures, pretty bare bones strangely for a Warner Bros release. There appears to be no regular case for it either. Sad fans are so deeply divided over this one.

  66. Paul, isn’t “impenetrable lyrics” part of Duran Duran’s charm? That was always one of my favorite elements of the first three albums, if not the first four. (Yes, that’s a little tongue-in-cheek.)

    While I feel more warmly towards the album than you do, your review was well-written, reasoned and justified. As always, keep up the great work.

  67. Northern Lights (bonus track) was probably one of the strongest tracks on PG. All else is easily forgettable . DD are trying too hard to be other than themselves.

  68. Paul, I much remembered your rather negative review of “All You Need Is Now”. I couldn’t disagree more with that review. I thought it actually was their best album ever. So i’m hoping for a similar case here. If Paul doesn’t like it, chances are, I do. I realize yours is just an opinion. The songs I have heard so far I like but I haven’t heard the entire album yet as it is not physically out in the USA. I think you put too much emphasis on the lyrics. DD is not a lyrics band and never will be. Therefore I’m entirely focused on their melody and chorus.
    Although I may not agree with all your reviews, your site is divine and I thank you for it. I check it every day.

    1. If I’m quite harsh with DD it’s because I’m a big fan. Perhaps it’s a fools’ errand hoping they can recreate past glories, but I will always judge their work against past releases and they’ve put out some great stuff over the decades.

  69. Good review. It is just a lot of sonically offensive noise; a sort of DD parody or tribute band who had to make up their own songs. The complete absence of a decent melody or coherent, intelligent lyric is quite an achievement give there are fifteen opportunities to find one on this album.

    As I look to what some of their peers have produced (A-Ha’s very good ‘Cast In Steel’; Alison Moyet now working on the follow up to the fantastic ‘the minutes’ and the great live versions of the upcoming Culture Club ‘Tribes’ album), this looks all the more weak, insipid, self-indulgent and lazy.

    To think this is the group who brought the mighty ‘Do You Believe In Shame?’ …a feeling that after thinking this would be good enough to present us with, I hope LeBon et al are getting firmly in touch with right now (though I’m not optimistic).

  70. The thing I love about duran is they don’t try to repeat themselves. Whilst the new a-ha is nice, it is all very familiar ground for them. Nothing knew. Duran for good or bad at least surprise you. I really think this album is a grower. Just sounds really fresh and vibrant to me.

  71. only played it once so far. well 3/4. ran out of time.
    looking forward now to hearing Only in dreams (after
    what you wrote) just from what I’ve heard, I totally agree
    with you Paul some bits I liked, lots I wasn’t crazy about …
    just wanted more. we’ll see what repeated listens bring.
    liked what you wrote about Notorious album. totally agree.
    that tour was the first time I saw the band. side note:
    I’m one of the few people that loved RCM, just loved the beats

  72. Paul, I feel guilty about agreeing with your review since I just won a DD “prize pack” from a local record shop (including the new album on vinyl, Paper Gods t-shirt and postcard signed by the band) but I think you’re spot on. The only point where we might disagree would be over Simon’s lyrics and performance. As much as his voice fits the band, his lyrics have always been pretty ridiculous for the most part. Were you really expecting anything substantive?

    Anyway, I’ve been a fan since ’83 and will continue to support them regardless of the frequent missteps. Hoping that they’ll finally issue Reportage, the album they made with Andy before he left the band, after they finish promoting Paper Gods.

      1. I don’t totally disagree with this review Paul, but I must say it seems a bit harsh. There are a few more great moments on this LP than you’re giving them credit for. “What are the Chances” and “You Kill Me with Silence” are two brilliant tracks in my opinion. Perhaps they’ll grow on you. However, I must admit with Mark Ronson involved, I was hoping for a much stronger, more cohesive follow up to “All You Need is Now,” which I thought was their strongest long player in ages. A bit of a let down for sure. AYNIN was lyrically classic Duran Duran LP. “Paper Gods” is clearly, ah-hem, NOT. This new record feels a bit like “Liberty” as compared to its predecessor “Big Thing.” Big thing has some truly poetic input from Simon LeBon, while Liberty was at times so lyrically lazy it was utterly painful. As far as the new record goes, apart from that atrocious Lindsey Lohan track, I must admit that my biggest complaint is with the cover art. Seriously, what were they thinking?!

  73. I think you are harsh. Initially I thought the sound was just awful, too electronic and little re intruments being played.
    But it’s a grower. Lyrics have never been great with Duran but Simon’s vocals on this are as good as they have been since Notorious. This album also has the best title track since Notorious.
    We do get to hear the bass kick in nicely on paper gods and the universe alone are both fantastic.
    It’s sort of a Big Thing meets Arcadia record for me.
    There are some duffers but even they are catchy! I think it’s not as good as AYNIN but it’s a good album. The A-ha album is more consistently polished throughout. The peaks here are higher but the lows aware really low! (Yes Lindsey Lohan I’m looking at you)

    1. You just wish they could be a bit more consistent with their long players… it’s all peaks and troughs. They should have just stuck with Mark Ronson and done another whole album with him. Despite all the positive noises from fans and press about All You Need Is Now they felt they had to ‘move on’ and do something different. God knows why!? I agree a-ha is probably better. Somehow a-ha always sound like a-ha and with their albums it all comes down to the songs. Duran are constantly mucking around with their ‘sound’ as referenced in the review.

    2. Agree with Arcadia link for sure, and I’m also really enjoying these; the lyrics don,t really mean much to me, I think of them more as “sounds” like Brian Eno does than necessarily having to be “meaningful”.

  74. It’s grown on me…especially the title track but I agree that they are too obsessed with their “sound” and their “legacy”. Time to be bold and do something different. The talent is there but is the will?

    1. Oh my GOD, whine whine whine! Duran just can’t win. Never mind the fact that the likes of Weller, Madogga, Depeche Mode, Simple Minds, Sting are also expecting kudos for their work and are vocal with it! Paul, all Duran are doing are advertising their album-you expect them to say “this is bad, don’t buy this.” A more ridiculous point that Si’s deeply underrated lyrics will vere be!

      I wonder about you lot of so-called fans! It’s so easy to do the “a-ha are better”-like you can’t support both (do you do this with all the crap of today? Pretend that you don’t like ALL of them ALL of the time!?) Duran “muck about with their sound”?! Jesus, it’s called progression, it’s called a music career-not the Kylie Minogue/Madogga/ usual pop rubbish approach of one song fits all and gets repeated ad infinitum! And many so-called serious bands suffer from this-the Beatles knock-offs Oasis are a perfect example (the only way they’d be called perfect, believe me) and the biggest roarers of self-glorification.

      Anyone with common sense would KNOW Duran have built their career on a constantly changing style that always ends up being their own, not anyone else’s, and they generally pick to producers who work around THEM, which is the best way! A-ha are a bit more generic-in fact the few times they’d tried being different, it didn’t really work (“Memorial Beach”) or is wholly ill-received despite it being one of their career bests (“Lifelines”). A-ha tend to play safe, which is their way, and that’s fine, it works for them, but Duran, like Alphaville (most underrated band around) have always gone for the experimental, breaking new ground approach and THANK GOD FOR IT, because even if you don’t like it at first, with the years you can look back on an amazingly eclectic back catalogue full of risk, fun and damned fine stuff, which is not what you get from the likes of many things. Depeche Mode for one, Madonna for another, though these two things are forever treated as Gods who can do no wrong, despite the fact Madonna is nothing but a thieving attention-seeking old tart with no musical pedigree beyond who she nexts sleeps with, and Depeche Mode have been faithful old bores for ages now, with albums that lack power, whose sole strength is-WAS their singles back in the decade and a half they mattered! So there, I’ve said it.

      I also must take Bruce to task about lyrics! In a world of absolutely stupid lyrical rubbish so clearly dumb, pathetic and trashy I can’t believe the world lets them get away with it (Spandau Ballet, Bon Jovi, Madonna-of course!-The Cure, Madness, Oasis, most Britpop, all rap, Lily Allen, Killers, B52s, Beastie Boys for starters) alongside the generally hilarious at times-when they were younger, now they’re just dull (Depeche Mode, Wham! ABC, Michael Jackson, Prince, Nik Kershaw) to the generally pretentious and bombastic in musical approach (Simple Minds, U2, Paul Weller, Sting, Phil Collins-many of which have generally lousy voices on the whole) to the truly maddeningly making no sense yet it’s labelled poetry (Tori Amos), there’s tonnes of absolute guff out there masquerading as “serious writing”, to say nothing of the Minogues, Chaka Khans, Whitney Houstons, and Tina Turners of this world that can’t even WRITE a lyric, and all the Snow Patrol bores writing sheer lazy banalities, why does no one ever act like THIS lot need help! And that’s only the few I’ve mentioned.

      Janet Jackon got respect early on, despite being famous chiefly for being Michael’s sister, yes she managed one good album (the 1989 one, despite one AWFUL song being present) but the album she broke through on-“Control” was full of pleasant fluff incongrously set against a crashing, clunky dance beat where rock and dance collides dreadfully, and ‘Nasty’ in particular was stupid as hell lyrically-but fun to dance too.

      Leonard Cohen-whoopedy doo, can’t say I’ve listened to his literal musings for years, he’s not my think. All I know is when Duran started, the 80s was brill cos EVERY SUBJECT was being written about, and much of it was fantasy/space age/sci-fi future stuff-and why not! Not everything has to be a self-important moan about unemployment, taxes, the goverment or the sickly fluffy banalities of love, something OMD stated they were proudly against when they started.

      Excuse me, Simon has nothing to be ashamed of! Colourful, clever, shocking, always inventive, intuative, open to interpretation (Kate Bush, anyone? and why does Japan never get called out for writing stuff that does sound meaningless?). Admittedly the first 3 Duran albums (especially their silly 3rd one-that’s their weak and often daft and musically average link) sound a bit more stuck in a time warp (like the early work of many) but by their first career-best “Notorious”, the music and lyrics came completely bang-up-to-date cutting edge contemporary. It can’t be nothing Paul mentioned FOUR “Notorious” tracks, adding swiftly he hadn’t even got to the singles yet! Exactly-but ALL of them sound like singles. In fact none of my faves (I have 4) WERE singles, which kills me, but I love the 3 that were-they should all have come off, though and ‘Vertigo’ should NEVER have been just a b-side. Simon’s lyrics never hit the lows of many. I can’t believ what Damon Albarn gets away with in Blur, for instance, and all in that tone deaf voice. Oh deeaarr!!

      A-ha may be more “polished” but isn’t that more of a worry-too pristine, a little over-manicured even. In fact, A-ha went a bit too old-man dull with the “Analogue” album (trust the idiot UK to go for that one, over the 2 before it and the one after, which are all their best, alongside the 1990 one), and I worry “Cast In Steel” will be more “Analogue” than “Foot Of The Mountain”-which is not promising!

      “Notorious” was full of great lyrics, Paul, and there are many moments scattered over all the albums since. “Pop Trash” has a unique psychedelic, punk-rootsy approach with some great moments on there, wild and suprising and really clever. “Liberty” was their first attempt at a whole stadium rock record and they pulled it off, and “Red Carpet” was them at their experimental best, and lyrics matched. “Astronaut” was an actual safe bet return-don’t rock boat to please fans, yet contained their worst choice of singles ever, and it was a tame affair all over, despite a really nice montage of slowies on Side 2, plus the catchy ‘Want You More’, which, along with the slow ones, would have been a much better single than what came off. “Reach up for the Sunrise”! What next, though I add the “Seven Ragged Tiger” singles were never all that either. Now that’s an album that never makes sense-them at their incomprehensible worse, bless them, across all fronts! And no one says it cos it was made “back then” when it was in to support them-i.e they hadn’t had a first split and all the cling-ons were yet to be devastated and switch to such high “brilliant” new movements as Wet Wet Wet, Bros and Beastie Boys. What-ever!

      I get not everyone can like Duran’s new album, but too often to me it seems likt they, unlike any other act, get nothing but moans, needless criticism and little objectivity. Tell me I’m wrong. Come on, tell me you lot REALLY don’t think Madonna, Bon Jovi, Oasis, Depeche Mode, Simple Minds, Michael Jackson and everything from the 90s onward to now and beyond is SO much superior, and that Duran is clearly you whipping boys cos someone needs to be and you really don’t want to swoosh it about too fairly in case other acts sustain blows deserved that you can’t really mean. Cos Duran are so awful aren’t they?!

      I mean-even for us fans-they’re SO awful aren’t they?! Like never doing anything right, worst albums in the world, worst songs, lyrics, producers, images, egos, blah blah blah! Even the feted “Rio” was a “lucky hit” right and nothing to do with them, like Madonna being famous for being famous is nothing to do with her.

      Duran fans-ya got to love ’em! they’re almost indistinguishable from those who hate them, if a little more vociferous on the sbject what with having to endure their “awful” records. Poor you. It often makes me wonder why you bother sticking with them-clearly they only exist between ’81-’83 with you, as opposed to everything else, but I now know why you do it. Cos constantly criticising them makes you feel like your alive and have something to say. Yet you can’t sat this about ANY other act?! So clearly, Duran ARE the worst act ever then?

      Interesting…but stupid…and there was me thinking that was just Simon’s lyrics and their constant “inconsistencies with long players”. You really must tell them somehow. Maybe they’ll all take it to heart, give up and retire and peace can take the world back, which it never had, and never will. But when there’s no Duran to criticise-how will you cope? No…don’t even think about starting on the Mode…

      1. Interesting rant. People have complained for years about how crap Simple Minds (until the last album) and Depeche Mode have been, and Oasis and Madonna (in recent years). You are painting Duran Duran as being victimised which is hilarious. They are multi-millionaires who don’t make records quite as well as they used to, like many of their contemporaries.

        1. Well it had to be said, but come on, where have you got that. NOBODY BUT NOBODY DARES insult Madogga, Dep Mode, Simple Minds, U2, Cure, Minogue, Bon Jovi or Madness, it’s ALWAYS the same when I read or hear it-“it’s another great one” blah blah blah. Who are these “people” insulting these bands and ‘singers’ that highly deserve it. In case you didn’t notice, critics have always hated them, whilst giving a hell of a load of leverage to exceedingly crap acts (and continue to do so)-the music world has always been a highly unfair place with no sense of balance, How the hell a nobody like Man-donna has been able to get away with the cess pit of rot she calls a career ever since she screwed herself up the ladder is one of the biggest mysteries this stupid world has ever known.

          I entirely disagree with your assumption-Duran are one of the few acts that make records easily as good as they’ve ever done0-in fact have made a more consistently high-end upsurge since their forties then most decent acts do. In fact many could learn. It’s really only the likes of Sandra, Alphaville, A-ha, Kim Wilde (when she can be bothered), China Crisis (now they’re finally back), Bangles (when they bother), Berlin and Duran that CAN and DO continue to impress with quality records. The likes of Stevie Nicks, Cyndi Lauper, Sade, Crowded House-to say nothing of a whole host of others, just don’t have it any more!

          When I rate an album, I base it entirely on the songs-producers I could care less about-those songs are Durans, no one else’s and I don’t think they owned the 80s any more than anyone else-in fact the only one that got through it with no less than six out of her seven albums being a full 10/10 (to differing degrees of love, th other being a 9/10), but they still did a damn fine job, but I don’t hold up “Rio” as that which cannot be bested, and I find it absurd their weakest original album (the 3rd one) is actually treated as a classic when it’s so obvious anything else they’ve done beats it up totally, and the covers album generally doesn’t come beneath it either (or above)-but as album 3 was original, it should really have been better. But no matter, Duran take me by suprise almost always in a good way, but then I’ve always embraced their experimental side and their progressive desire to keep things fresh. Other bands just keep banging out the routine all the time. Duran take chances and almost always land on their feet. I’m proud-and I think they’ve also got an uncanny knack for (most of the time) keeping the right things from being on an album. They’re also the only act, bar one, that I won whereupon they can knock out 5 star albums every decade. That hasn’t changed yet.

          So I’m sorry you dislike their new work so much, and also the past cliches it’s obligatory to dislike, but I would implore others to play it for themselves and not be so hasty. And to everyone else trying to be funny, the albums’ doing pretty well, despite them getting no airplay at all simply because A-ha are easier to support, and other people are critical dahlings (bleurgh!).

      2. Very interesting. I can remember from the start how people just could not get comfortable with admitting they liked the bloody band……….even the crazies after a while. Granted, they had their base who gladly boasted support but outside that, the people who liked them had problems with them. I was forced to say 12 “Hail Johnny Rottens” by my fellow Clash fan friends for admitting that Planet Earth had something going. From “7” on, it seemed that they never could just reach that area where they shouldn’t expect to get ripped by half of us, regardless of what was actually on the album. People complained about what wasn’t on it.
        They seem like nice boys, no great reason for people to dislike them this way, the music ran the gammut from horrid a few times to absolutely brilliant…..most of the time closer to the latter for sure….at least IMO. Like I said, I’ve found much to like in everything they’ve put out and given that’s 14 records I’d say that’s………..”adequate”. They are one of the reasons I grew up when I did and I’m extremely happy they’re still around, I truly believe that after all the albums purchased, all the shows I’ve taken my wife to that I’ve received exponentially more in return.

  75. Wow…umm….a bit harsh. How many listens of the album did you give it? Also, bear in mind that it looks like you only listened to the standard version of the album. There are, spread over a few different CDs, a total of five extra songs on the deluxe or exclusive editions – Planet Roaring, On Evil Beach, Valentine Stones, Northern Lights and Cinderella Ride.

    Yes I’m a fan, but not one who goes frothing at the mouth and sees red when they read a negative review of the band’s material. I think you’re way off with your rating of What Are The Chances? and You Kill Me With Silence. These are, in my opinion, really strong songs. Am I too concerned with what Simon’s singing? No, not really – not most of the time. It’s the music that moves me, how it sounds and what vibe it gives off. To be honest, I’m not expecting Simon (or the band) to write earth shattering lyrics – good lyrics yes, silly ones no – I just expect them to write songs that sound good.

    I will agree that Danceaphobia is utter crap. As you stated, this would have been a better B-side track, but even then, I would have edited out Lindsay (which I have done with sound editing programs). The band should have put Planet Roaring on the standard edition and put Danceaphobia as a bonus track, but there you go.

    1. I just don’t like the lyric on What Are The Chances? – it’s horrible. Also the chorus to You Kill Me With Silence where they slow it down is very, very average for me.

  76. I think your trying too hard to find things wrong with it to be honest. It’s just a harmless pop album that has had all the modern ingredients added to it so as to attract a newer audience, the unfortunate side affect to that is will alienate or put off some of it’s older long term fans in places. I personally think they have come up with some really great stuff on this & am enjoying it greatly. I would really miss them if they were not making their brand of pop music anymore! …. As it stands i think it a strong effort but this is only my personal opinion.

    1. Don’t really disagree that it’s ‘harmless’, it’s just if I’m going to put an opinion out there, almost by definition I feel like I need to take it seriously and give some proper thought / analysis to it. Also you have to compare like with like – how does this compare with some of their best/better work…

  77. That is an excellent review Paul. I think you hit the nail on the head with your navel gazing theory.
    It will be interesting to see what their old rivals Culture Club come up with on their new album, though I think it has been on hold for a year already.

    1. Thanks. I saw Culture Club last week and they played some of the new stuff live. It did sound fairly promising, although obviously will reserve judgement until I hear studio versions!

  78. Largely agree with you Paul but your least favourite are my favourite, with What Are The Chances sounding like the killer tune. Its too modern sounding, there isnt enough melody, Simon’s lyrics are largely inane, you cant hear JT or Rog and a big fall from All You Need is Now. Now Liberty, there’s an album!

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