From the Vault: Duran Duran’s Paper Gods

Duran Duran performing on stage at the Washington State Fair. Photo by Alex Crick via Seattle Music News: http://www.seattlemusicnews.com/2015/09/26/duran-duran-washington-state-fair/

About two weeks ago, some friends of mine held a disco night. It wasn’t too complex an event, just about 15 people in vaguely ‘70s-inspired outfits dancing in an LED-lit dorm room. I contributed a few songs to our shared Spotify playlist, but the one I was most excited to dance to was “Pressure Off,” by Duran Duran featuring Janelle Monáe and Nile Rodgers. I was the only one in the room who knew the song at first, but by the end of it, I had the whole room singing along to the chorus.

If you know Duran Duran, it’s probably from ‘80s smash hits “Hungry Like the Wolf” or “Rio,” but yes, they still make music. They have a new record coming out on October 21st, Future Past, but let’s take some time to visit the pop wonderland that is their 2016 effort, Paper Gods, the album that “Pressure Off” hails from. It peaked at 10th on the Billboard charts, but be honest, you’ve never heard of it. The boys worked with three producers to give Paper Gods a fun, funky vibe that draws from every era of pop. These three producers are part of the reason why Paper Gods feels so fresh despite being the band’s 14th album. The first, Mr. Hudson, contributes ethereal vocals on the titular opening track and produced the bulk of the album’s tracks. The dark tone evident in his contributions to Jay-Z’s “Young Forever” can be seen on “You Kill Me With Silence,” an icy breakup track with grueling, deep bass tones and creepy chiptune synths. The track is my personal favorite on the album, I even learned it as a vocal cover.

The second producer, Mark Ronson, is a name you’ve certainly heard of. If you haven’t… were you even alive in 2015? “Uptown Funk” ring a bell? If Hudson gave the album a ‘90s/2000s dark edge, then Ronson provides modern pop flair on tracks like “Only in Dreams,” a 6-minute long epic that culminates in an electric chorus.

The third and final producer is Nile Rodgers. His band’s 1979 song “Good Times” was sampled in the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight,” the first hip-hop song to go multi-platinum and inspired the bassline of “Another One Bites the Dust.” He also produced Madonna’s Like a Virgin and Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories. Needless to say, his pedigree is outstanding. Rodgers co-wrote “Pressure Off” and his signature guitar style can be heard on the track, but his influence can be heard across the album, particularly on the danceable “Butterfly Girl,” featuring outstanding (and for some reason, uncredited) backing vocals by Anna Ross. This track is a personal highlight for me. It’s not the most sophisticated song in the world, but it’s a modern reinvention of the classic Duran Duran formula––girls, dancing, and fun––that’s been filtered through the same funky lens as the rest of the album.

“Danceophobia,” while being a tad forgettable, is a fun throwback to more classic Duran Duran fare, with deep bass, bright pads and arps, and drum machines. It also included uncredited backing vocals from Lindsey Lohan, of all people. I’m not complaining, her backing vocals add a nice texture to the choruses, but she has this spoken-word part in the bridge that really doesn’t work for me. It’s written like it should be spoken by someone with an English accent, but instead, we have Lindsey Lohan. One more fun uncredited contribution, because I’m a sucker for these: John Frusciante, guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Frusciante played some guitar on a few tracks, including the cinematic album closer “The Universe Alone,” and the aforementioned “Butterfly Girl.” The former features icy processed strings that are a standout feature to me, as well as deep brass and the album’s best guitar solo. There are a few other solos, two on two of the bonus tracks, a short one on “Butterfly Girl,” and one on “What Are the Chances?” that, while supported by lovely staccato strings, doesn’t reach the same heights as the solo on “The Universe Alone.”

Paper Gods shows Duran Duran evolving while not losing what makes them special. John Taylor’s bass playing is the best it’s ever been, and the album’s funk-oriented sound gives him and drummer Roger Taylor (no relation) much more room to strut their stuff. Meanwhile, the album’s dancier cuts give keyboardist Nick Rhodes room to play with bright synths, like on the EDM-inspired “Last Night in the City (feat. Kiesza),” which, while not being a great song overall, features fantastic synths from Rhodes. “Change the Skyline” also features lively, punchy synths from the eyelined icon. Simon Le Bon’s voice has aged well… for the most part. There are a few moments where it’s evident to me that he’s pushing his range. Sometimes he pulls it off, like in “Pressure Off” but other times the resulting sound is a bit strained, like in “Last Night in the City.” The album’s plethora of vocal collaborators should help with this, but more often than not, Le Bon is singing higher than his younger counterparts. Still, it’s fascinating to see his voice interplay with Hudson’s, Monáe’s, and, yes, even Lindsey Lohan’s, and the few moments where he stretches perhaps beyond his limits are sparse enough that it doesn’t affect my enjoyment of the album. I’m not going to claim that Paper Gods is some sort of transcendent work of fine art, it’s not. Duran Duran would never claim their work is fine art, that is not what they’re about. That doesn’t mean they don’t explore deep themes, that’s evident on the title track, but above all, Paper Gods is one thing: fun.

If you’re the type of person who just wants to be told what songs are really good or really mediocre, here you go:

Highlights

“You Kill Me With Silence” (favorite track)

“Pressure Off (feat. Janelle Monáe and Nile Rodgers)”

“Butterfly Girl”

“The Universe Alone”

Lowlights

“Last Night in the City (feat. Kiesza)”

“Face for Today” (least favorite track)