Duran Duran

Although Duran Duran holds a noteworthy place in pop history because of the way it encapsulated the appeal of early MTV, it's important to remember that, musically speaking, Simon LeBon and company were never very memorable. Okay, a handful of their songs were entertainingly silly, and because the videos that...

By Michael Roberts

November 4, 2004

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Although Duran Duran holds a noteworthy place in pop history because of the way it encapsulated the appeal of early MTV, it's important to remember that, musically speaking, Simon LeBon and company were never very memorable. Okay, a handful of their songs were entertainingly silly, and because the videos that accompanied the tunes mated sex and vapidity in a cleverly commercial way, the Duranies scored some substantial hits. But would global culture have been irreparably harmed had "Hungry Like the Wolf" never existed? Methinks not.

Which brings us to Astronaut, a cheerful attempt to recapture the band's version of magic. The CD includes some attempts at modernization, most of them flops: "Want You More!" sounds like 'N Sync circa 2000, while "Bedroom Toys" is appropriately characterized by one of its key lines, "Oh, my God, what's this?" However, the lead single, "(Reach Up for the) Sunrise," finds the still well-tressed lads effectively doing the Time Warp again, as do the title cut and "Nice." Overall, the disc is intermittently diverting, completely insignificant and so familiar that I've forgotten it already.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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