专辑简介

by Tim DiGravinaMore than 20 years after Stephen Duffy departed Duran Duran, he reunites here with Duran mainstay Nick Rhodes to create an album's worth of wonderful, bubbly pop songs. From its spooky robotic opener, "Memory Palaces," with its brilliant stabs of icy synth patterns, to the moody closing instrumental, Dark Circles never falters. It's as if Rhodes and Duffy were destined to create this immeasurably fun ode to their past and their separate paths. The Devils don't once mimic Duran Duran, instead mining fresh terrain where folk intonation meets dancefloor electronics. The only moment where one even considers Duran Duran is "Barbarellas," where Duffy sings autobiographical words about the duo's first band and the clubs and worlds they both haunted. It's this kind of autobiographical bent, just like in his songwriting with the Lilac Time, that shows Duffy always at the forefront of relevance. Where other songwriters lose the plot with fame and fortune (no, this isn't a reference to Simon Lebon), Duffy's lyrics remain consistently engrossing over the years. Nick Rhodes deserves just as much credit. Wielding new technology as well as old analog synths, applying vocoders where necessary, layering in diva background vocals, injecting the songs with energetic guitars, and generally just crafting perfect songs respectful of the past yet entirely forward-thinking, Rhodes works like a master studio wizard. One second, a Joy Division influence is apparent, the next, it's Vangelis, but the end result is decidedly original. The highlights are many, but "Newhaven-Dieppe" and "Barbarellas" shine brightest, the former sounding like the Lilac Time given a Technicolor electronic transfusion. Dark Circles is a joyous album that should please any fan of '80s synth pop, all Lilac Time fans, and anyone who appreciates moody electronic music with a thundering pop kick.