In need of an outer-space killing

Let me start this bluntly -- I am a huge Duran Duran fan, and I'm not afraid to admit it -- but this is not the Duran Duran of old. It can't be; the sound that they stole from the '70s synth band Japan would sound hackneyed nowadays, even if it did yield amazing tracks like "Sound of Thunder," "Is There Something I Should Know" and "Girls on Film" (to name a few). That was 1981; this is 2004, and they're making horrible, club-influenced dance pop.\nIt's not necessarily bad, even if it is way too sugary on tracks like "(Reach Up For The) Sunrise." "Want You More," on the other hand, is a striking rock song (and this album's only reason for being), but it wasn't a single -- it marks a progression as opposed to sounding like what you'd expect out of 40-year-old pop stars. It's not the early '80s, and Duran Duran will never manage to soar as high as it did at its most flamboyant and overwrought, but it's not 1997 either. The fact that they arbitrarily mimicked "electronica" to sound relevant (as opposed to writing songs that don't suck) shows this album just for what it is: a cash-inspired reunion release.\nYeah, so this is the first time all of the five original members have been on an album since 1984. That doesn't excuse the mediocrity of tracks like "Bedroom Toys," especially not in the face of how awesome their previous achievements really were. It's a play to nostalgia that winds up more like a self-parody.