This album is amazing...best of 2004, easily. To consider that these guys are all well into their 40's by now is all the more impressive. It breaks the heart to think of how amazingly more solid their career could have been had they not fragmented as they did after the "Live Aid" gig in 1985. Their sound is vibrant and real; this is not a band that is trying to recapture their old sound or to make "an '80's album". With the original line-up restored for this album, Duran show that they were far better qualified to set trends rather than follow them (as they seem to have done over the last ten years or so). If you've followed them the length of their career you will EASILY find this effort to be their most solid and complete since the "Wedding Album" in 1992. I would set "Astronaut" above that one myself, but I'm probably one of the few Duran fans that was not completely in love with the Wedding Album even back then. I do think that "Astronaut" is definitely a Top 5 Duran album, and I grieve for missing the abbreviated tour that came through here in 2003. I am completely stoked over the notion of seeing a tour to support this album, though. It's good enough so that I won't mind if a few "classics" get booted from the set list to make room for the newer material. Here, then, a track-by-track breakdown:

"Sunrise"...great lead-off track; does everything you'd expect a good Side 1, track 1 song to do...sets the mood, defines the sound of the album. In this case the sound is just drop-dead cool. The talents of all 5 band members shine; Andy shows why he was one of the most underappreciated guitarists of his time...JT is playing bass GUITAR just as he was back in the day...Roger grooves like he hasn't missed a beat despite being out of the scene for 20 years. Simon's voice is as tell-tale as ever, and the vocal harmonies are fantastic. Nick adds flavor and atmosphere as usual and is the glue that keeps all the instruments together.

"Want You More"...funky and fast-paced...Nick's synths and Andy's Chic-esque guitar chords are definitely in the foreground. Roger has the energy needed to move it along just like the old 16th-note hi-hat days with "Girls On Film", et al. Definitely old skool.

"What Happens Tomorrow"...slows the pace a bit, a mellow groove that would sound very much at home on "Notorious". Simon's falsetto is superb in the chorus, and the lyrics are evidence of a fully matured lyricist who has reached the point where he is more interested in communicating real emotions rather than trying to be poetically aloof. Great atmospheric song.

"Astronaut"...good enough song...starts out sparsely enough with voice and acoustic guitar, but then Andy kicks in with the funk and the tempo runs up and down, with the chorus being the high point. It's probably the most uneven effort on the album (is there an unwritten rule in pop music that title tracks must always be subsstandard?); the lyrics aren't really that good, and the quick stops, while proof that the band are musically very tight, are disconcerting enough to make you think something's wrong with the disc or your player.

"Bedroom Toys"...is about exactly what you'd think a title like that should imply. I love the female back-up vocals, the lyrics are particularly witty and sexually playful...the repeating "Omigod, what's this?" sample is classic. John's bass and Roger's drumming make a good sex groove. This song is so good that it should have been by Prince.

"Nice"...is much better than just that. John's bass playing is absolutely off the hook. The old rhythym section is just unbelievably good on this one, and Andy's guitar playing reminds me that the art of rhythym guitar, something I've always love in the Dandy Warhols' music, is an art not completely abandoned in this century. The structure of this song is terrific...it grabs you by the b@11$ and squeezes ever so convincingly. If this song isn't the next single (it realy should have been the first), something's really wrong.

"Taste The Summer"...picks up where "Nice" left off. Roger's got the 16th notes happening, and John's on top of it like a fornicating tortoise. Andy and Nick provide an almost contradicting soundscape of a background (the rhythym is the lead "instrument" here)...and Simon's vocals are just terrific. Pity this song wasn't out in time for summer '04 (unless you're hemisphere's the southern one); it should be a summer anthem for years to come.

"Finest Hour"...cuts the tempo back a second time. The slower songs on this album are not exactly the romantic, lighter-inspiring efforts that "Save A Prayer" were...and in truth this song doesn't get particularly interesting to me until the bridge kicks in...but it is a well-written, well-engineered song. I don't know why, but I suspect it sounds better live than it does on the CD. I'd look forward to hearing it in concert knowing how it sounds from the studio.

"Chains"...probably a tad overproduced...but Andy and John show another side of their respective techniques here. You begin to think that it's one slow song too many, but then it kicks into this pseudo-psychedelic "na, na-na, na, NA-na" bridge that has too good of a hook to resist...I wish there was more of it; it would've been better to fade out with that riff.

"One Of Those Days"...pretty obviously two fragments of songs that were combined to make one; it shouldn't work, but it does. Some bits of it remind me of some of Blur's older classic stuff. Can't make a better recommendation than that. Duran's ability to record a song as an artist puts paint on the canvas is well demonstrated here.

"Point Of No Return"...starts out as a good late-night, come-down sort of song, but it picks up enough in the chorus to give the party one last last kick. Good show of licks from Roger, too. Andy has a notable guitar solo here, very effective for what notes are left out as well as for those chosen...I loved the same aspects of Daniel Ash's playing, also. This is probably a good song to play maybe 3/4 of the way through a set...and it has a classic '80's fade-out, too...always a good thing.

"Still Breathing"...this reminds me more of some of the chill-out portions of one of my favorite albums of theirs, "Big Thing"...very retrospective in tone and lyric, it is as good a way to end what will inevitably be referred to as (yet another) comeback album. I don't believe they would have been capable of recording a song like this even five years ago.

If you're a Duran Duran fan you probably already have (And are really enjoying) this CD; if you think modern pop music has completely lost the plot you'll want to buy "Astronaut" just to experience what true song craftsmanship and musical talent are all about...I can't recommend it heartily enough.

When I was a young teenager in the 80's Duran Duran was my LIFE- I was so excited to see that they got back together, but also really skeptical of how they would sound after 20 years. . .

My review- I love it!! This may be one of their best recordings! Simon LeBon still sounds the same as he always did, you can still hear Nick Rhodes tinkering with the keyboard and yet the music sounds more mature somehow... I haven't been this excited about a new cd in a long time - and it feels good!

So for all of you 'thiry-somethings' out there with kids and responsibilities who used to call yourself "Duranies" - buy this cd! You won't regret it!! :)

.... and to the "Fab Five" boys- thanks for taking us back! It's even better the second time around.

`Astronaut' sounds like Duran Duran did during their eighties hey day, great! Heck, they've even gone back to their original line up, and worked with Nile Rodgers on a few tracks.

Opening track is the aptly titled sunny upbeat `Sunrise'. A blazing way to start the CD. `Want you more' features a fuzzy bassline and great guitars, groovy! Title track `Astronaut' is a guitar driven dance track, showing the Franz Ferdinands and Killers how it's done.

`Nice' is a dance song with a Chic feel. Featuring a very catchy chorus and bassline. Following in a similar vein is `Taste the summer' (with catchy `to do dos' and Nile's great guitar work) which in my opinion is one of the best songs on this amazing disc. Simply outstanding! Oh, did I mention how great Simon Le Bon sounds?

Not everything is upbeat though. Known for their beautiful brooding ballads (`Save a prayer' anyone?) this CD is choc full of them, the tender `Still breathing', the slow chugging `What happens tomorrow', the awesome `Bedroom toys' (great guitars and bassline and female backing vocals, another contender for best song), `Finest hour', and `Point of no return'.

What are you still doing reading this review? Go get your copy if you haven't already...

I was so thrilled to hear that the original line-up of Duran Duran was reuniting. I bought this cd the day it came out and I have about worn it out I have listened to it so much. They have successfully recaptured the signature D2 sound they had back in the 80's while also showing their musical growth at the same time. I think all tracks on this album are fantastic but the standouts would have to be "sunrise", "what happens tomorrow", "nice", "taste the summer" and "bedroom toys" is a delicious piece of funk. As a matter of fact it is the best funk-flavored track they have ever done. If you have ever enjoyed their music, you have got to get this album. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Astronaut by Duran Duran

When I heard that the original line-up of Duran Duran had reformed, I was sort of disappointed.

I was a HUGE Duran Duran fan back in the `80's, and when the band splintered (with key songwriter Andy Taylor leaving with drummer Roger Taylor), I certainly felt something was missing, at least with "Notorious", their first album without Roger and Andy. I continued to buy and enjoy their albums, though not with the same excitement. But with the release of 1992's amazing "Wedding Album", I was happy with the "new" Duran. I thought Meddazzaland was the best thing from LeBon and Rhodes since their brilliant album "So Red the Rose" with Roger Taylor as Arcadia. I thought "Pop Trash" was similarly brilliant with should-have-been hits like "Hallucinating Elvis" and "Lava Lamp", the heartbreaking and lush "Someone else, not me" and the powerhouse rocker "Last Day on Earth". I'd grown up and I felt Duran Duran had grown up as well. I'd always felt they were an enigma: An art band in drag as a pop act. What had made Duran Duran distinctively different from all those now forgotten `80's bands was that they weren't just a great band, they were endlessly experimental and forward thinking. Duran Duran never stopped to look back, they never gave up and they never stopped making really great music. So it was with heavy heart that I took the news that Warren Cuccurullo was gone and they'd reformed with the original lineup. Duran Duran, it seemed, had finally given up and gone the way of retro reunion acts.

I bought Duran Duran's new album "Astronaut" the day it came out, but didn't have high hopes. My first impression seemed to confirm my worst fears, it was the "old" Duran Duran pop sound and the edgy art pop experimentalism they enjoyed on "Meddazzaland" and "Pop Trash" was gone and in it's place was the kind of happy-go-lucky pop album they turned out back in the `80's. Pop-a-licious, and unbelievably good sounding (side note: "Astronaut" is possibly the best sounding pop recording I've EVER heard!), but more obviously a pop album than previous attempts. Good pop product, but not as obviously rich as the last 2 studio albums.

Upon subsequent listens, Astronaut's true dual character emerges. Partially written before 9/11 and finished afterward, it is almost two albums: One, happy, groovy sexy and optimistic; the other, more introspective, aware and adult. The whole album is incredibly polished and the band sounds tighter and more exciting than they ever have. There is certainly a return of the classic "Duran Duran sound", but they sound anything but dated. Strangely, Duran Duran sounds as modern and viable as any band out there, with a more subtle and varied pallette. "Astronaut" reminds us that what made them huge and enduring wasn't their style or their looks (though they certainly were a factor in their success), but their chemistry and competence as a real live band. Anyone who's been to a Duran concert knows they put on an amazing show and the live band they used to be certainly shows through on every song on this album. I won't fall in step with the countless other reviewers who feel the need to disparage the last 18 years of output from Duran Duran out of some misguided burst of nostalgia. The `80's had their moments but I don't miss them. Some great music has come out since and Duran Duran has made a lot of it. So it's with a healthy appreciation of EVERYTHING that's come before that I can say "Astronaut" is a damn good album from a really great pop band.

One of the nice treats is that each band member's unique talents come through on this album. Roger Taylor's unique groove and tones combined with John Taylor's funky/melodic bass playing mark the return of one of the best, yet under-celebrated rhythm sections ever to come out of pop music. Nick Rhodes' genius synth and production work seems more subtle than ever, making room for, and supporting, Andy Taylor's signature chord progressions, funk/pop guitar playing. Andy Taylor seems the most changed by the time between his Duran contributions, and with a new depth to his playing, it wouldn't be overstating things to suggest that he carries this album perhaps more than any one of the other band instrumentalists.

Then there's Simon LeBon. I've often thought of LeBon, uncharitably, as the William Shatner of pop music. I start listening to every new Duran Duran album wondering if he's a good enough singer, if his lyrics are ironic, subtle, or embarrassingly obvious and, as I do with every William Shatner performance, I finally just give up and enjoy his uniquely distinctive performances. Simon LeBon is the brain behind all those hooks, melodies and mega hits of the `80's and early `90's and yet I don't think anyone outside of Duran Duran, really thinks of him as a songwriter. Which is a shame because it's clear on "Astronaut" in a way that wasn't perhaps as clear on the last few albums, that he is, in fact, the key element that turns the other band members' considerable contributions into actual Duran Duran songs. LeBon sounds better vocally than he ever has, his melodies are stronger than they've been in a good while and while some of the pre-9/11 songs from "Astronaut" mark a return of his earlier over-sexed lyric style, the latter songs on the album show just how subtle and graceful he's capable of being. "Bedroom Toys" is both sexy and funny at the same time, "Nice" and "(Reach up for the) Sunrise" are solid, happy, if somewhat adolescent "classic Duran Duran" sounding. But it's on songs like "What happens tomorrow", "Chains", "Finest hour", "Point of no return" (the latter two being my favorite songs from the album) and "Still Breathing" where LeBon's lyrics and vocals are as delicate, touching and meaningful as the music and we can hear the solid gold song craft of the mature and self-possessed band that Duran Duran have really grown into. LeBon needs no redemptive moments, but he gets many of them on this album nonetheless.

Finally what seems like it might have started finance-driven reunion effort, takes on new life, new dimension with a maturity that sounds anything but dull, making it clear that Duran Duran are still a force and still moving forward.

If you loved the classic Duran Duran from the first 3 studio albums, you won't be disappointed. That band is back, more mature (not just older!) and sounding better than ever. But if, like me, you followed them all along, "Astronaut" is still worth your time and money. The Duran Duran of "Pop Trash" and "Meddazzaland" is mostly gone but what has replaced it is full, rich, vibrant and magical. There is a visceral quality to this band that disappeared when the band splintered, but it's returned, bigger and richer than ever before. The art pop elements are still there, but more subdued.

So... good songs, great production, and is very much like a really exciting first album from a reincarnated classic pop band. I can't wait to see them when they come `round to tour this album and I'm looking forward to the next album. `Cause at the end of the day, Duran Duran is, and always has been, about looking forward.