Duran Duran
All You Need Is Now

Reviewing an album by the Duran Duran is not easy. It's not easy if you take into account what the English band roughly was during the period 1980-1995. That is, a media phenomenon, a matter of style, of look, and, to a lesser extent, of music. For what they were, the Duran Duran are perhaps more hated and regarded with considerable suspicion than the opposite. It is spontaneous to associate them with the hysterical delusion of teenage girls in the eighties or with the more or less unlikely look they assumed, ignoring the actual value (or lack thereof, depending on the musical product) of their music. Therefore, I will try to write this review (based on the 9-track digital version) based on what the Duran Duran are today, which is four chubby middle-aged gentlemen who have just released their thirteenth work.

"All You Need Is Now" is undoubtedly a return to the roots. There's little to say: if compared to previous works ("Red Carpet Massacre" and "Astronaut"), this new record sounds tremendously '80s. Nostalgia? Maybe. Or perhaps it's simply a strong desire to make music without having to deal with a major label. 

The four annulled their contract with Sony after the flop of "Red Carpet Massacre," and have practically self-produced. This undoubtedly means greater compositional and expressive freedom.  The lead single is precisely "All You Need Is Now". You either like it, or you hate it. An almost "industrial" opening, synthesizers (yes, exactly those of the fake blond Nick Rhodes) in the foreground. Le Bon's voice attacks decisively, perhaps too much. But by the first chorus, the waters calm, and the whole '80s sound of this work emerges. The title track is the piece that perhaps more than any other gives the idea of what this album is: an attempt (in my opinion, fairly successful) to do what the four know best. That is, to recover the sound and style of the origins while varnishing it with modernity and contemporaneity. Because in the end, let's be honest, the much-hated Duran Duran have been copied left and right (Scissor Sisters? The Ark? and how many others...).

"Blame The Machines", with the collaboration of Kelis, is a sharp, edgy track. Personally, it doesn't thrill me, but it doesn't disgust me either. Then follow, personally, what are my two favorite tracks. "Being Followed" is the technical synthesis of the musical abilities of the former Wild-Boys (yes, because the Duran Duran play the instruments, and as musicians, they are even appreciated by the professionals. For this, they should not be confused with Take That, Boyzone, and the likes): John Taylor, a skilled bassist, supports the hysterical drumming of Roger Taylor perfectly. The pulsating rhythm is laid on the veil that Nick Rhodes has woven with his keyboards. And then there's the voice: Simon Le Bon can still sing, and here he resurrects forgotten tones from quite a while ago. Finally, we should not forget the guitar of the now new guitarist of the group, Dom Brown (an honest heir to that brilliant Cuccurullo who was fired in 2000 and turned to hard cinematography. Andy Taylor, the reckless historical guitarist, I don’t even consider in this circumstance). And then there's the classic Duran Duran ballad, that "Leave A Light On" which many have already labeled a copycat of the more famous "Save a Prayer". To me, it doesn’t seem so. This is a dreamy, oneiric track. At times metaphysical. Very beautiful.

Continuing with the listening, there are what I consider the lowest points of this record. "Safe" and "Girl Panic", similar in form and structure, present themselves as the danceable tracks of the work. Funky-like rhythms, the first of which takes advantage of the collaboration of Ana Matronic in the singing. Well-played but bland, and nothing more. "The man who stole a leopard" is instead a little masterpiece. Surreal, never obvious or trivial, it's a little jewel that needs to be listened to several times to appreciate its musical depth. Then follows the most fun episode of the album, that "Runway Runaway" which at times recalls the never-forgotten "Rio". The album closes with "Before the rain", a piece that's not easy to listen to, but for this very reason absolutely appreciable in its dark evolution.

Conclusions: I own several Duran Duran records, but certainly not all of them. This, in the end, is a good album. Thanks also to the production of Mark Ronson, an authentic musical genius. Personally, I really appreciate the fact that the band has achieved a good balance between pop and rock. A mixture that will surely delight the most die-hard fans, those from the beginning. It might not displease the new generations, looking for new musical references that aren't the same old "dinosaurs" (though very respectable) of the seventies. "All You Need Is Now" is a really well-played album. I don't recommend it to the purists of the purest rock, who will certainly not need my advice to stay away from a record by the "hated" Durans. But if you're open to compromise, then feel free to buy it. After all, these Duran Duran have been producing records for 30 years, and if they have millions and millions of copies sold, not only in the eighties, there must be a reason.