While
Duran Duran
have worked steadily since their 1993 comeback,
The Wedding Album
, they haven't always sounded as stylish and creatively tuned-in as they do on 2007's
Red Carpet Massacre
. Perhaps it's because there hasn't always been a definitive sound for the band to catch onto in the way that adult alternative informed the mature aesthetic of
. Interestingly, rather than go for the sound of more obvious neo-new wave bands like
the Killers
,
finds the original lineup of vocalist
Simon LeBon
, keyboardist
Nick Rhodes
, bassist
John Taylor
, and drummer
Roger Taylor
-- guitarist
Andy Taylor
left prior to recording -- hooking up with modern dance-pop producers
Danjahandz
and
Timbaland
for a sound that at once returns the band to its edgy, club-oriented roots while also updating its sound to fit in on the radio next to such contemporary
-helmed acts as
Justin Timberlake
Nelly Furtado
. In fact,
Timberlake
even co-wrote and produced the very
"FutureSex/LoveSounds"
-ish ballad
"Falling Down."
These are darkly atmospheric, pulsating tracks that make the most of
's longstanding knack for moody, somewhat cheeky dance-rock. To theses ends, dark disco cuts like
"Nite-Runner"
"Skin Divers,"
with their dominatrix whip beats, high-pitched choruses, and obligatory
raps, are both deliciously hedonistic and crisply appointed electro-soul numbers. Similarly, tracks like the synth-driven title cut and the angular and oddly funky
"Zoom In"
come as close as the band has been in years to re-creating its own glamorous and neon-coated '80s aesthetic. ~ Matt Collar