Daytripper

Up until 2011, I had never owned a Duran Duran studio album. I did buy "Decade" back in 1989 (their first greatest hits album). While I thought they released some fairly decent and catchy singles here and there, I never really liked any of their albums as a whole. I've heard each one through friends. In 2011, I read that Mark Ronson produced their new album ("All You Need Is Now"). And he was a huge fan. So I listened to samples of each track online and thought each sounded great. All felt current and yet oddly retro. So I purchased the album. Money well spent. IMO, it was not only one of the best albums that year, I think it could have been their best album yet. When I heard Ronson was part of the production team on their new album ("Paper Gods", out on 9/11/15), I became quite excited. But Ronson is just one of many producers on the album. Nile Rodgers returns to work with them again. I listened to the album on Spotify today, and it's garbage. And quite possibly the worst thing the band has ever done. They have so many featured current artists as guests throughout the album. Clearly trying to appeal to a younger audience. Which just doesn't work. While listening to the album (twice), I kept thinking that I would never hear a single track on any current radio station. The production seems fine enough, but the songs are mostly terrible. Save for two very slow tracks. It was really depressing listen to this album coming off the heals of "All You Need Is Now".

cdollaz

Yeah, it is awful. All You Need Is Now was great.

Numanoid

Harumph. "Paper Gods" is a cool song. "Last Night In The City" is a great dance track. "You Kill Me With Silence" is one of the best songs they've ever recorded. "Pressure Off" will be a live classic for sure, and could actually chart. And that's just the first four songs.

This album is definitely a "grower". I've been listening to it every day for the last week, and I like it more each time.

dex14

I saw them Tuesday night. They were pretty awesome live. I'm not really into this album, but some of the songs worked well in concert.

Daytripper

Tried listening to the album again. And it was just as bad the second time. Maybe worse. I found this very fitting review on amazon.co.uk. And agree with every single word.

1.0 out of 5 stars rating

What a steaming pile of garbage! Trying so hard to be cool but in the end is a remarkable embarrassment

By Scott Davieson 11 September 2015

I’m one of those early DD fans, having loved their early output. And though I stuck around in the late 80s struggling to find something redeeming about their move to a bland funk sound, thanks to the awful Nile Rodgers, I gave up by the 90s. Even their early 90s comeback made no impression and I continued to disregard this once great and innovative band.

Then back in 2010, rumor had it that a fan of early DD, Mark Ronson, was working with the band to make a return-to-form album, so I couldn’t help but be curious. The early signs were promising. Could this really sound like DD at their golden best? When the All You Need Is Now album was finally released, I fell in love with it. It was all there, the voice, the musical hooks, the experimentation and creativity. I couldn’t get enough. Still love it just as much all these years later.

DD reclaimed some of their former glory and people started taking note once again. DD took their good ole’ time coming up with a follow up, but I was even more curious when it was first reported that Mark Ronson would be back to produce. Yay! But the celebration was short lived when it was then announced that Nile Rodgers was now involved, and my hopes sank. Regardless, I still waited for any sign of something new, just for a glimmer of hope that perhaps it may be DD still being DD.

Oh, the horror! When the first taste of the new Paper Gods album was released, in the form of a nightmare called ‘Pressure Off’, I could have cried. The most banal lyrics and that generic funk guitar, which Nile seems to think is amazing even though it’s the SAME sound he’s been purging forth over the last 40 years. And that whiney “Oh oh oh oh oh oh” chant just makes me want to reach for a hammer!! I hated it passionately, but didn’t want to completely lose hope just yet.

Then came the release of several more songs. ‘Paper Gods’, the song, was so embarrassing. It was nothing but 90s style synthesized backing with Simon guesting on vocals. An initial thought, which now carries through most of the album…. Where’s Roger and John Taylor? For the most part, there’s no “live” rhythm section. ‘Last Night in the City’ was another faceless completely synthesized mess, and with another of many “Featuring” credits. I’m seeing the poorly chosen pattern here. ‘You Kill Me with Silence’ slows the tempo but it’s no less automated and dull on every level. I can’t believe how terribly uninspired the lyrics are across this release.

Having now tortured myself by listening to the entire album, I can tell you it was one of the most painful and disappointing experiences of my life. DD have completely lost their identity (and their rhythm section). Just listen to nightmarish doodlings like ‘Dancephobia’ if you are looking for a reason to run from the speakers screaming. And don’t let a song like ‘Sunset Garage’ fool you into thinking there’s something redeeming. This song is the most tolerable. It seems to have real drums and a 60s pop vibe, but then it’s back to the 90s dance mess with ‘Change the Skyline’. ‘Butterfly Girl’ is a mix of the worst things about the excesses of the late 80s and the dance vibe of the early 90s.

And I can't forget to mention the unbelievably bad artwork. Who did this, a 7 year old? For a band who have been claiming they are trying so hard to be current, the artwork is nothing but images from their past; a little colorforms pastiche of their former glory days, ironically, none of which is represented in the music.

DD has made what may be their WORST album, and they certainly have a lot of terrible back catalog to choose from. The album ended up being produced by several people, none of which did any good. They seem to be trying so hard to appeal to the youth of today with their thoughtless lyrics and same sounding dance beats without a bit of their own personality. They are “musicians” approaching senior citizen age foolishly trying to be cool and relevant, but it backfired tremendously. It took nearly 5 years to come up with this? Guess what boys, you have sabotaged your career yet again and have alienated people you managed to recapture with your brilliant last album. This album is in no way experimental, creative, interesting, or Duran Duran. I have no doubt that this album will eventually be viewed by many of the blindly praising fans as another Red Carpet Massacre disaster, and it will grace the cut-out bins (or recycle bins in the case of digital downloads) in abundance. I’m thankful that All You Need Is Now was so good, and I’m just going to have to accept that it was a one-off fluke and burst of their original spirit, and now it’s back to all of the reasons, and many more, why I ignored Duran Duran for decades. See ya!

Supermallet

It's no surprise. Duran Duran are not a consistent band.

Numanoid

Meanwhile, Paper Gods entered the charts at number 10, their highest chart position in 22 years. Rolling Stone said it best: "If Paper Gods were a debut from some upstart band, the buzz would be insane." A similar thought occurred to me the other day: if this were a Bruno Mars album, people would be calling it genius. People love to rag on DD, they always have.

hdnmickey

Considering it's no where near as good as their actual debut, or Rio, Rolling Stone is full of crap. As a huge fan from the beginning, I wouldn't even rank this higher than the Wedding Album.

I agree there is some great songs. But like so many of the lesser albums, it's filled with duds.

Daytripper

But Duran Duran aren't Bruno Mars. And their music has never sounded like his. It's two different genres. That's what makes this album so bizarre and such a misfire. Stop trying to be something you're not. Yes, I want DD to evolve with each release. But don't embarrass yourself in the process. "All You Need Is Now" was both retro and current Duran. And it was a fantastic album. Not only one of their best, but one of the best that year. "Paper Gods" is garbage IMO.

Ky-Fi

I LOVE the first DD album--one of my absolute favorite new wave releases-- Rio was also good, and Seven & The Ragged Tiger was listenable. I don't own any albums after that. I really liked what I heard of All You Need is Now, and I'll probably pick that up sometime.

I just did a quick listen to the new one, and didn't care for most of it. Would probably have to listen again to give a definite opinion.

cdollaz

Those are the 4 I care to listen to, along with Notorious and occasionally Big Thing. The only thing of their post Big-thing material that I like is all of All You Need Is Now and parts of the Wedding Album.

Supermallet

Lots of highly popular artists have lesser albums that would have been gushed over had a new unknown artist released the exact same album. But a new unknown artist didn't release those albums, and established artists have to contend with the weight of their legacy. I think Bowie's last three albums (The Next Day, Reality, Heathen) are classic records that smoke a lot of the music released in the same years that they were, but they were mostly given short shrift because let's face it, Bowie's in the twilight of his career and none of those albums are as undeniably great as his '70s records. A Bigger Bang was a really good Rolling Stones album but it was no Let It Bleed.

Once you put out an album that is considered essential or the among the best the genre has to offer, your later work has more to live up to than if you were a new artist. It's just the way things are.

Dan1boy

Good lord, it's awful. What in the holy hell were they thinking?

Last album was an absolute BRILLIANT comeback record...and I can understand they don't want to be repetitive and stay relevant in 2015 but this mess was definitely in the wrong direction.

Saving grace is Simon's vocals. Still as fantastic as when the self-titled was released. Even with the autotune garbage.

statcat

DD without Andy Taylor just isn't the same band. That's why I never really cared about their work post third album and even by that point they were diving deep into the 80s cheese factor.

JeffTheAlpaca

"Oh oh oh oh oh ohOh oh oh oh" ruins "Pressure Off"

Barth

Good point. After he left they turned in to a pop/dance band and moved away from the light rock they had with Andy. I think that's why when Andy left he came out with Thunder, he wanted something a little harder and guitar driven.

DVD Polizei

Didn't know Duran Duran was still putting out albums.

https://play.google.com/store/music?hl=en

Type in Duran Duran Paper Gods.

4.6/5 rating.

Not sure if this will put off some people, but you'll need a PayPal account or credit card.

Cardsfan111

I have no idea if I'll like it, but hey it's free.

Thanks!

JackBurton

Thanks, Polizei!

Trevor

Just in case any of you don't know about the free music thread, we've had this and at least 100 other free google Play albums in the past couple years.

Daytripper

Hope you enjoy it. I thought it was a horrible album. Quite possibly their worst. Which is a shame given how great their last album was. They still put on a fantastic live show though. I'm seeing them next week.

Alan Smithee

Dead- the one time I don't check for free music.