Paper Gods

Admittedly this album is quite a bit different than what I expect from them, but in this case it is a good thing. Really enjoying this album.

A few words that come to my mind is horrible and failure to make music! What the hell are you guys doing? This music sounds cartoonish and is the worst album of you careers.

At first, the song "Pressure Off" had a cool flavor and of course , Nile Rogers!! Both song and Video prove how this group has kept up with the times and matured lyrically and in modern technology. I have purchased the entire album and can't stop listening!! Songs like universe alone & Paper Gods keep you coming back for more! Nick Rhodes.... you rock!!!

I actually did not know this album before seeing them (finally) live at Ravinia in Chicago area. What an album and what a performance live, Simon after all this time sounds perfect. I have loved this band since Rio in the 80's, and this album continues that feeling. ANY DURAN DURAN fan will love this album, and new fans will find out how fantastic this band has been for so many years. Great job guys!!!

Listening on a mobile phone speaker was a mistake. Once I listened with EarPods and again with real stereo speakers it was like listening to a completely new, deep, rich and funky pop album from Duran Duran. Do yourself a favor, listen to it and then listen again and after that you will be humming, tapping and singing along for days. Vocals are beyond anything Simon has ever done. Having seen them perform the new songs live several times now I am blown away at the talent and quality of this new album. The is a classic band that continues to improve even after 3 decades together. Buy this album and see them live and you too will be glad that you did.

Knowing we all do not like the same sounds I still say this album is really a comeback of sorts for DD. As soon a SATRT hit the scene I was hooked. I went backwards and forwards. Fell in love are the only words I can say regarding how I felt about DD. They were my world for so many years. I will say I follwed them until TU. I did not even realize it had been released to tell you the truth. With all that said I bought Medazzaland and sadly wrote DD off as no longer relevant. Five records later and all I can say is that I feel DD has returned. Every tune on this record can appeal to even the most sensitive of music fans. I listen to everything from Christina A to Marilyn M and feel these tunes fit just perfectly somewhere in-between. I can only hope that mainstream radio finds a place for DD as that seems to be the only way artist may it in the world today.

So, DD made a dance album. The problem is, this isn't their strength as a band. Sure, you could dance to many of their early hits, but at their core, they were a pop band with a rock edge. That DD finally shows up on the last 2 songs, but the preceding songs are a collection of forgettable, dance fluff. They really need a guitarist on the writing team again.

I am absolutely stunned at the 4.5 and 5 star customer reviews of this album. With some even calling it the best of their career. It literally makes me speechless. This is hands down the worse thing this band has ever done IMO. And they've released some terrible albums ("Liberty" and "Red Carpet Masacre" immediately come to mind). Duran Duran's first three albums made them international superstars. With several hit singles. In just three short years. But then success finally kicked in and they lost two of their band members as a result. Which would have been a huge blow to most bands. But then DD shifted gears with their sound bringing on Nile Rodgers to produce their fourth album. And then two completely unknown producers for their fifth. For their sixth album ("Liberty"), they at least brought in a seasoned producer. Chris Kimsey, who produced the Rolling Stones, Peter Frampton, Joan Jett, the Cult and the Psychedelic Furs. To name a few. But the material was terrible. No producer could have saved that album. After that came their comeback, the self titled "Duran Duran". Dubbed "The Wedding Album". Then "Thank You", "Medazzaland" and "Pop Trash". All three mostly big snores. And they lost yet another original member in the process (John Taylor). Then all five members returned for "Astronaut". Yet another stupid name for an album which was mediocre at best. But it was excitig to see the original "Fab Five" together again. Not for long though. Andy Taylor leaves yet again sometime during the "Astronaut" era. So now what? For their next release, word got out that Mark Ronson would be producing. Who was a super fan of their early work. Which was promising. And that album, "All You Need Is Now", was fantastic. Amazing. The best thing they've released since 1983. Every single track was great. The entire album sounded both retro and yet current. It was also hands down one of the best albums of the year. I learned that Mark Ronson was going to be producing their next album too, and I get very excited. Then, I heard Nile Rodgers was coming back as well. And my heart sunk. But I went in with an open mind. Pencils down. The album is terrible. And sad. With all the "featured guests". Duran Duran are trying to be something they're not. A band trying to appeal only to the current younger music buying public. And they fail miserably. Because none of these songs sound like something teens to early 20 somethings would buy. My friend said it best, "Duran Duran are now the creepy old men showing up at the bar".

I'm an 80s kid through and through and was a huge Duran Duran fan. I've been lucky enough to see them multiple times in the 80s, the 90s and the 2000s. This is, hands down, some of their best music ever! I haven't listened to anything else since I purchased this. I sound like a crazy Duranie recommending this to anyone who will listen. I dance in my chair, I dance in my kitchen! Change the Skyline, Butterfly Girl, You Kill Me with Silence and Sunset Garage are shaping up to be my most played. If you liked early DD, you will enjoy this!

Duran Duran have assembled an album that’s reminded this Gen-Xer of those days as a teenager, when you’re genuinely excited about a set of songs and carry them through your week. I applaud these guys for continuing to stretch themselves creatively and for clearly caring so much about not only having fun but also crafting great (yes, I’ll say it) art. Frankly they’ve shocked me with this thing. This set of songs, as well as U2’s recent “Songs of Innocence,” should make people like Chris Martin, who once said something about artists only doing great work while they’re young, eat their words. A couple of interesting quotes about the album from Roger Taylor, in light of the caustic reviews here inquiring about the “absence” of his drums as well as accusations of the band betraying its so-called “true” sound: "Since the day that I saw Kraftwerk perform in 1976, I’ve always been into electronic music from that day on. A lot of the rhythm tracks on this record were actual performances using digital drums; I’ve got an amazing Roland electronic drum kit where you can trigger samples and sounds through that. I think the album does have my personality because a lot of it is played … Duran Duran have always had one foot on the dance floor. I mean, we grew up in a club. It’s in our DNA to make people want to dance, and I think people just wanna dance and listen to pop records. That’s what Duran Duran have done from day one.”