Duran Duran

iTunes Review

Pulsating keyboard grooves, angular guitar thrusts and a dollop of decadent glamour made Duran Duran the perfect flavor for the early ‘80s. Though they were labeled New Romantic pretty boys at the start, the group proved itself adept at cutting well-crafted hits as well as posing for fashion shoots. “Planet Earth” (sci-fi ennui jumping to a pop beat) and “Girls On Film” (brittle yet sexy) became influential singles as well as trendsetting MTV videos. Singer Simon LeBon’s jaded croon filled these tracks with a seductive urgency, while guitarist Andy Taylor reeled off funk-spiked guitar lines. Those descending deeper into the album basked in the moodiness of “Night Boat,” luxuriated in the insinuating “Tel Aviv” and bopped to the disco-matic energy of “Is There Anyone Out There.” Layers of contradiction teased the listener — were these handsome young Brits mocking modern love, celebrating erotic obsession or doing both simultaneously? Duran Duran’s fans didn’t parse such subtleties and simply surrendered to the album’s high-gloss charms as the group ascended to stardom.