Astronaut [DualDisc]

Barnes & Noble

Without the prodding of Bands Reunited,VH-1's guilty-pleasure swoop-down on estranged '80s pop bands, the five original members of pinup boy band and music video superstars Duran Duran have regrouped -- including the unrelated Taylor triumvirate of heartthrob bassist John, brooding drummer Roger, and scrappy guitarist Andy -- for their first studio album in 21 years. And considering that everything about the capitalism-crazed "me" decade -- from garish fashions to middle-aged New Romantic icons -- is en vogue again, the Duran reunion is perfectly timed. Assisted by pop-smart producers Don Gilmore (Good Charlotte, Linkin Park) and Dallas Austin (Madonna, TLC), the original quintet update their whirling, synth-washed pop without sounding dated. Riding John's bubbling bass and Andy's frenetic guitar riffs, "Want You More!" recaptures the danceable soul-pop of their side band Power Station. Meanwhile, frontman Simon LeBon is as charismatic and earnest sounding as ever. The bulk of the disc is pure nostalgic bliss, from the cheeky funk of "Bedroom Toys," featuring a badass bass line by Chic's Nile Rodgers, to the upbeat lead single "(Reach Up For The) Sunrise," to the freaky "Taste the Summer." The latter track finds LeBon, in full Brian Ferry mode, seductively cooing, "Can you taste the summer, I do, I find it in your mouth." Perhaps a better question is, can you hear the shrieks of a million maturing former Duran-iacs? We do. These wild boys have still got it. Tracy E. Hopkins

All Music Guide

"It's like the Mamas & the Papas meets Kraftwerk." This line, more baffling than a lyric like "Shake up the picture, the lizard mixture, with your dance on the eventide," is how Simon Lebon described Astronaut to Rolling Stone. If it was meant to lower expectations of the first Duran Duran album to feature the Fab Five (meaning Lebon, Nick Rhodes, and the trio of unrelated Taylors) since Seven and the Ragged Tiger, it worked. Astronaut, rest assured, sounds nothing like that match made in hell. Instead, it resembles what the average lapsed Durannie might expect or even hope for -- a modern-sounding mixture of extroverted dance-pop and rock, with a couple of relatively subdued and introverted moments. No sound seems forced, and you can tell that the members are thrilled to be in the same studio with one another. Despite a disparate lineup of producers, including Don Gilmore (Linkin Park, Good Charlotte, Avril Lavigne) and Dallas Austin (Boyz II Men, Janet Jackson, Pink), the songs slide into one another as well as they do on any of the group's early albums. The big, glossy, buoyant songs work best, containing punching choruses and sleekly raucous motifs that manage to trigger faint memories without sounding recycled. The lighthearted midtempo funk of "Bedroom Toys," however, is a randy nightmare that's almost as awkward as any of the covers on Thank You. Even with a handful of forgettable songs beyond that, the album is easily the best one credited to the Duran Duran name since 1993's Wedding Album. That's not saying much, but the fact that these five fortysomethings have made something fresh and contemporary -- without acknowledging the '80s revival(s) -- is a feat of some kind. (Note: Short-fused Roxy Music fans are advised to avoid looking inside the accompanying booklet.) [In March 2005 Astronaut was re-released in Dual Disc format, with the DVD side in 5.1 Surround Sound and enhanced LPCM stereo and also including such additional features as video footage of the band in the studio and making the "(Reach Up for The) Sunrise" video.] Andy Kellman