Duran Duran

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There was a time in the early 1980’s when synthpop stars Duran Duran made the world go ‘round. “Girls on Film” broke the band in the club world and soon MTV simply could not play anything off Rio often enough. Both sexes cloned the band’s fashion, hair and make-up in an effort to resemble the English quintet. But the grueling recording, touring, being-an-idol schedule took its toll, and by 1986 the group had lost two members. They tried to continue in the face of hip-hop and the swelling tide of grunge, but struggled to stay afloat, releasing several albums to minimal fanfare. Yet at the tail of 2010, pop music is as big as it ever was, and Duran Duran has just released their 13th album to incredulous critical acclaim. Of course Duran-fans are not surprised; All You Need Is Now’s title-track was No. 1 on the Pop Downloads chart within 24 hours of its release. Guests include Kelis and Ana Matronic, but perhaps most brilliantly, the band enlisted hit-making hired gun, Mark Ronson to produce. Ronson’s called the album "the imaginary follow-up to Rio that never was.” PopMatters says of the album, “Duran Duran sounds like they’re having fun,” giving the album 9 out of 10. Rolling Stone gave it 3.5 out of 5, admitting the disc has charm and is ultimately a “hoot.” Currently an iTunes exclusive, the physical disc drops in February.

British pop band Duran Duran has announced their new record, All You Need Is Now will hit digital shelves in December, with the physical version dropping in February, 2011. Still going strong after 32 years, All You Need Is Now will be Duran Duran’s 13th release. Their most recent album was 2007’s Red Carpet Massacre. The new album has been produced by Brit-pop phenom, Mark Ronson. An artist himself, Ronson has produced many recent chart toppers, most notably 2007’s Back to Black by Amy Winehouse. Duran Duran keyboardist Nick Rhodes said in an interview with Spinner All You Need Is Now is “…the best record we’ve made in over two decades,” adding that the band plans on “making videos for every track on the album.” Duran Duran’s videos defined the MTV generation two decades ago, but could new digital distribution models pose a challenge in the post-TRL world? Rhodes is confident the road paved by recent videos from Lady Gaga and Kanye West have demonstrated art in the form of well-made videos is still viable and welcomed. Duran Duran fans can rejoice at not only the promise of a new record and nine new videos, but also the high probability of a tour. Said Rhodes, “We haven’t announced [a tour] yet, but this record is built for touring.”

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