Medazzaland

For the most part, the first thin I thought of when I listened to this album was WOW! This is probably DD's best work to date. A little something offered for everybody on this album. I happen to be a big fan of techno, trance-pop, and Oasis-styl rock. And "Medazzaland" delivers on all counts.

To start with, the title track. The song totally lives up to its title. I found myself spacing out each tme I listen to "Medazzaland" for two reasons. 1) The way the music is written. 2) Nick Rhodes, who voiced the lead vocals for "Medazzaland," has a very deep and rich voice, not to mention hypnotic. If his speaking voice is any indication, it would be a real treat to hear hm sing. The electronic tweak of the vocals adds to the trance-like appeal of "Medazzaland."

"Big Band Generation" reminds me of a cross between "Downtown" and "The Reflex." It has all the synth sound a new-wave lover would want, plus a little rock 'n' roll guitar thrown in there couresy of W.C. I absolutely love this song because as a Gen X-er, I can totally relate to it with the "Where the hell is my life going" theme.

"Electric Barbarella" I crack up every time I listen to it. It's a typical DD, Rio-style guitars and synths with typical tounge-in-cheek lyrics and attitude ala "Hungry Like The Wolf." It's a theme we can all relate to; always searching for THE ONE but never quite finding it.

"Be My Icon" very reminscent of "Read My Lips" in the chauvenistic, caveman rock-style of the song. It and "So Long Suicide" wold be my picks for a possible fourth single. But somebody please correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't John supposed to sing the lead vocals on "Be My Icon"?

"Undergoing Treatment" was a trip to listen to, literally. It makes me think of Duran Duran trying to spend a day at an amusement park or Disneyland just trying to get away from it all. Nice twist on trance pop. And its neat how they end the album with a door slamming shut. "Will they ever cure/these illusion of grandeur?" BAND! End of album. Kind of fits in with the theme album's main concept of disillusionment, disappoinment, alienation, and materialism.

This album deftly proves that Duran Duran isn't afraid to teeter on the musical precipice. However, there are a few things that keep me from giving "Medazzaland" a perfect rating. One, in a small part, I can tell one thing's missing from this album....John. Two, no matter how often I give the CD a spin, there are still a few scant places where Simon's falsetto grates on my eardrums. (Don't get me wrong though, there are places where his higher range works beautifully.) Three, some of the song lyrics aren's as complex as what Duran Duran is famous for.

I give "Medazzaland" an overall rating of 8.

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