Review: Duran Duran Get Dark with Danse Macabre and it Works
- by Harley Houghton
- in Reviews
You read that title right, folks. British new wavers Duran Duran have broken their mould and gone in a completely different direction on their latest album. We have grown used to them being quirky, but we have never seen them go goth before. And that is exactly what they have done.
‘Danse Macabre’ is a Halloween-themed thrill ride of pure fun and joy. They have covered 13 brilliant tracks and done them glorious justice. These covers are not genre-specific either, featuring such variance as from The Rolling Stones to Billie Eilish. What all the tracks have in common is that signature blend of Duran Duran zest, that we have come to know and love, despite the darkness of the subject matter.
Nick Rhodes is in synth heaven on this album, creating masterfully spooky sounds that still feel playful and fun. Every single track feels like a massive risk, yet amazingly, they all work. Somehow even the songs that feel like they shouldn’t, are miraculously transformed into pieces that feel brand new, fresh, and more fun than we ever could have imagined.
Each member of Duran Duran brings their signature contributions here, not just Rhodes. Lead singer Simon Le Bon is clearly having the time of his life here, despite telling Rolling Stone via a recent Zoom interview that he does not even like Halloween:
“I’m not a fan of Halloween at all… It comes too close to my birthday; my birthday is on the 27th of October. That’s a much more important celebration than Halloween.”
John Taylor’s basslines feel like precious glue holding the reimagined tracks together, while Roger Taylor manages to seem equally relaxed and energetic with his drumming. But the big news is that former bandmates Andy Taylor and Warren Cuccurullo have come back for this one to lend some truly awesome guitar work into the mix.
Whether you are a fan of Duran Duran, Halloween, or both, do yourself a favour and check this album out. It is available on all streaming platforms and can also be purchased from their official online store here https://duranduranofficialstore.com/ along with some awesome ‘Danse Macabre’ merchandise.
