Latest Album Reviews
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British band Duran Duran
Source: Supplied
Will Duran Duran’s Paper Gods make them pop deities again? Is Jarryd James worth the triple j hype? Do The Paper Kites fly? Is Natalie Imbruglia’s Male a success or Fail? Can Stereophonics ever top Dakota?
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
PAPER GODS
DURAN DURAN
[WARNER]
***1/2
Duran Duran – Paper Gods
Source: Supplied
DURAN Duran have deftly avoided the dreaded retro circuit that has claimed many of their ’80s contemporaries, but even Madonna struggles to get new music played on radio now.
14 albums and 37 years in, Duran are all about keeping themselves and their fans interested without spoiling their impressive legacy.
2010’s inspired All You Need Is Now wisely reclaimed the Duran sound of 1982 thanks to the world’s coolest Duran fan, Mark Ronson, as producer.
Sadly Ronson was too busy to do all of Paper Gods. As a result it pinballs around genres and is often too worried about trying to sound like a modern record rather than a Duran record. They’ve tried a new co-writer in Mr Hudson, without going all out and using the Maroon 5 trick of hiring today’s hitmakers for sure-fire hooks.
There’s still half a dozen strong new tracks to slot beside Rio and Girls On Film live. Paper Gods, all seven minutes of it, is a psychedigital experiment that actually works.
Last Night In the City, with Hideaway vocal pole vaulter Kiesza as guest, sees Duran in a pulsating electro mode that fits as well as their tailored suits.
You Kill Me With Silence is like a New Romantic Beatles. Pressure Off ropes in Ronson and Nile Rodgers — it’s wildly funky but alas it’s not their Uptown Funk or Get Lucky.
Former Chili Pepper John Frusciante is an unexpected ally whose instantly recognisable guitar artistry elevates elegant middle-aged ballad What Are the Chances and The Universe Alone, which is all funk and strings book-ended by Nick Rhodes’ beloved epic soundscapes.
Face For Today could happily slip on to any Duran album without ever being a single contender, Sunset Garage is unusually perky and Butterfly Girl is like their ’90s gem Come Undone sped up with extra sass and more of Frusciante’s guitar graffiti.
Change the Skyline is derailed by a cheesy EDM synth riff that’s still better than Guetta. But Danceophobia is a rare Duran epic fail — and having Lindsay Lohan as a naughty nurse narrator isn’t even the worst thing about it./ CAMERON ADAMS
SOUNDS LIKE: yesterday meets tomorrow
IN A WORD: rebooted
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/music/browse/pop/paper-gods-deluxe-edition/730710/
TWELVEFOUR
THE PAPER KITES
[WONDERLICK/SONY]
***
Twelvefour – The Paper Kites
Source: Supplied
Radio’s “graveyard shifts” often make for the best listening. No bluster. Egos are pared back — what you hear is what you get. Melbourne folkies The Paper Kites recorded LP two in Seattle with Phil Ek (Father John Misty) using songs Sam Bentey and co. wrote between midnight and 4am, and they sound calm and delirious on Bleed Confusion. Woke Up From a Dream is timeless Americana, a dishevelled strut-of-success (not walk of shame) as a Ryan Adams figure marches home to wash up and eat some grits. Neon Crimson lets Christina Lacy’s vocals overlap like a butterfly’s wings, so brittle that an errant digit could end it all. Keeping these hours can make for a sluggish slog, even if that’s their MO. / MIKEY CAHILL
SOUNDS LIKE: the Middle East return with MOR
IN A WORD: luxuriating
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/music/browse/alternative/twelvefour/730523/
KEEP THE VILLAGE ALIVE
STEREOPHONICS
[STYLUS/WARNER]
***1/2
Stereophonics – Keep the Village Alive
Source: Supplied
If this was the first Stereophonics album, not the ninth, it’d be widely hailed as a revelation. As it stands, the Welsh band have hit a purple patch a year off their 20th anniversary. Village is a taut (40 minutes) collection of great songs, simple. C’est La Vie is a brash, punky burst of energy. I Wanna Get Lost With You demonstrates that like his mate Noel Gallagher, Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones can still effortlessly knock off a killer radio anthem without repeating himself. Fight Or Flight recalls their string-soaked previous album Graffiti On the Train, while Sunny is a mini-epic shoehorned into four minutes. And infidelity has never sounded as harmonious as on Mr and Mrs Smith. / CAMERON ADAMS
SOUNDS LIKE: 40 minutes you’ll revisit often
IN A WORD: sharp
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/music/browse/rock/keep-the-village-alive-deluxe-edition/770918/
THIRTY ONE
JARRYD JAMES
[UNIVERSAL]
***1/2
Jarryd James – Thirty One
Source: Supplied
SENSITIVE is the new normal for our male musicians. After Chet Faker, Vance Joy, Angus Stone and now Daniel Johns, Brisbane’s Jarryd James has (finally) made it big by going small. The hushed intensity of Do You Remember makes it one of the year’s finest singles, with help from Lorde beatmaker Joel Little. James’ debut aims at that mellow sweet-spot between Frank Ocean and Chet Faker. Sell It To Me is minimal and moody, the stunning Undone nails that falsetto ‘n’ beats soulful feel with added vintage Prince. Sure Love drops some acid jazz, The Way You Like It is straight-up, baby-makin’ R & B and Julia Stone swaps folk for warm beats on Regardless. PS: why wasn’t Give Me Something a massive hit? Tune! / CAMERON ADAMS
SOUNDS LIKE: not your average freckly dude from Brissy
IN A WORD: inviting
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/music/browse/alternative/thirty-one/765996/
MALE
NATALIE IMBRUGLIA
[SONY]
**1/2
Natalie Imbruglia – Male
Source: Supplied
Natalie’s career started with a smart cover, Torn, now she’s back with an idea Tori Amos also had — male songs (Tom Petty, Neil Young, Iron & Wine) covered by a female. There’s some gems: like deciphering Julian Casablancas’ vocodered vocals on Daft Punk’s Instant Crush. She reworks it as a warm guitar-pop tune, recalling her own Wrong Impression. Damien Rice’s Cannonball is sweet where it was once haunting, Josh Pyke’s The Summer lets her Aussie accent fly free. But what’s with the fun being removed from The Cure’s Friday I’m In Love and Modern English’s ‘80s I Melt With You to become Mumford & Daughter? The folky, static production showcases her underrated voice but lacks overall dynamics./ CA
SOUNDS LIKE: a campfire mixtape
IN A WORD: nearly
