Duran Duran Album: “Pop Trash [Japan]”

After Medazzaland, Duran proves that they can still wow their audiences. We start off with Someone Else Not Me, a ballad of sorts, it's a wonderful song. Next up, Lava Lamp, it is a very catchy little pop song. Followed by, Playing with Uranium- This song is edgier more rock-like, it is one of the album's best. Next up, Hallucinating Elvis, I fell in love with this one when I saw them live last fall, I can just say, it's different. Starting to Remember is a beautiful litte song, it's quite short. Pop Trash Movie is a SPECTACULAR song, originally written for Blondie (one of my favorite groups), this song proves to be one of the album's best, simon sounds great. Fragment and Kiss goodbye are 2 interludes. Mars meets Venus, again, very well written and performed. Lady Xanax, i love it has a mellow, "trippy" feel to it. The Sun Doesn't Shine Forever, not the best song, but it shows simons strong vocals. Finally last day on earth, It is a good song, almost rock-like, with Warren on guitars, a very strong finish to a great Duran Album. A MUST for any Duran Fan!

all through the nineties and into the present decade. Somebody else not me is a gorgeous ballad, if some current Mtv band had done it then the critics would be swooning all over it. Sun doesn't shine forever is another ballad almost equally good. Lava lamp is a fun song that could have been written in their early days (not that it sounds 80's). But the highlight is Starting to remember, it's simply one of the best songs of this decade. It sounds alot like something Neil Young would have written. It's also nice how they use the short musical interludes between songs like they did on Big Thing, another great album. Hallucinating Elvis (original album title) is a stomping rocker about someone who thinks they're turning into Elvis. Last Day on Earth is the most hard rocking thing they've ever done, damn it's really good! Pop Trash movie, Lady Xanax & Mars meets Venus are all good too, and overall its a great album. A raised middle finger to the critics who've bashed Duran Duran for years.

It's a shame that a band with such longevity and dedication still recieves no respect whatsoever, while old '70's bands put out a new Unplugged album of old material, and it's declared genius. In the meantime, Duran Duran keep putting out new music, and now Pop Trash is the cd of material I knew they could still had in them. I won't break down my favorites, but there are seven excellent tracks on this cd. (1,3,5,6,8,10,and 13) As I wasn't made aware it was being released until two days before (Who does their advertising! ), I also know that it won't find it's way onto the radio stations, because they still have the teeny-bopper label for some reason, and we just can't get enough of Britney, N'Sync, Backstreet, Aguilera, and every other horrid artist that has made me ignore the FM side of the dial for the last ten years. Thank you Simon, Nick, and Warren, and I hope to see you for the fourth time here in Minnesota.

After their 1997 eloctronic spasm, Medazzaland, it seemed that Duran Duran had gone the route of other pop legends like David Bowie, who released his techno album that same year, just trying to see their names on modern pop charts once again by conjurng music that sounded current or more energetic than might be expected from middle-aged rock stars. Thankfully, "Pop Trash" marks Duran Duran's return to the simple style of their 80's glory. Yes, it's pop, but certainly not trash. While cluttered production can sometimes muffle potentially intriguing songs like the spastic "Playing With uranium," other ballads and tantalizing rock tunes override those less accessible moments. The deliciously mellow "Someone Else not Me," with its very Cure-ish atmosphere, is perhaps their best single in at least a decade, while more agressive tracks, like "Meet Mars Venus" or the downright violent "Last Day On Earth," offer coarse guitar licks and a crisp ferocity that prove Duran Duran's vitality at the cusp of the new millenium. "Pop trash" is a wake-up call to record-execs who insist that Britney Spears or The Backstreet Boys are "pop music." No, for a proper definition of pop music in the year 2000, see "Pop Trash."

Although I still miss the three absent Taylors, Nick, Simon and Warren have quite a nice sound going on Pop Trash. There's a little bit of everything from the melodic ("Someone Else Not Me", "Starting to Remember") to the suspiciously autobiographical "Pop Trash Movie" to the driving beat of "Playing With Uranium". I've been a fan since 1984 and although I haven't always followed some of their more obscure work, I'm finding new appreciation for it as I get older. This album beats Medazzaland hands down in my opinion, and I don't think you'll regret buying it.