Future Past＜Colored Vinyl＞

Future Past is perhaps the quintessential title for Duran Duran in 2021, when the veteran New Romantics trade in their legacy while keeping their focus directly on the future. Occasionally, the gilded synthesized surfaces of Future Past recall the futurism of New Wave, but Duran Duran take pains to not re-create the past by inviting a fresh set of collaborators into the studio. Swedish pop star Tove Lo and English rapper Ivorian Doll are duet partners, Japanese pop band Chai provide a chorus cameo, while Mike Garson -- the pianist best-known for his work on David Bowies Aladdin Sane -- graces the finale Falling. Much of the actual vibe and sound of Future Past is due to the behind-the-scenes collaborators, specifically producer Erol Alkan and Blur guitarist Graham Coxon, a pair who are responsible for co-writing and producing the lions share of the album. Together, Duran Duran, Coxon, and Alkan craft a dense, shape-shifting tapestry that gets punctured by the guitarists melodic squalls and the groups thick hooks. Their work orbits Beautiful Lies and Tonight United, a pair of neo-disco tracks produced by Giorgio Moroder strategically placed in the middle of the album. Much of Future Past feels like modern disco, music that blurs the distance separating the club and home and that plays with genre as fluidly as it plays with technology. Duran Duran are taking some calculated risks here which sometimes means they stumble -- occasionally, the ballads feel a shade strident -- but the restlessness makes for a kinetic, exciting album. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

80sサウンドがもはや完全に定着している昨今だが、〈本家は俺らだ〉と言わんばかりの刺激的で素晴らしい新作。最先端のエレクトロニック・サウンドも採り入れつつ、良い意味で重ねた年季を武器にどことなく余裕も感じさせる、ヴェテランならではの快作だ。プロデューサーとしてキラーズやライドを手掛けたエロル・アルカン、大御所のジョルジオ・モロダーを迎え、さらにグレアム・コクソンやCHAIなど参加メンバーも豪華。
bounce (C)赤瀧洋二