Trash this page and click on this link to check out more trashy Duran Duran albums ... Pop Crash Overall Album Score: 8.4 out of 10 I wasn't expecting this ... in fact, I don't think anyone who actually listened to this album was expecting it, either! With only two of the original band members remaining (... the band completely reconvened in 2003 ...) and the addition of Warren Cuccurullo, the trio went forth and continued to do what Duran Duran had been doing ever since their conception: following the trends! And they follow quite a few trends ... heavy metal, adult contemporary, alternative rock ... (there's no rap on here, though, thank goodness) ... and they even provide an "Ordinary World" clone in here for us all to enjoy (and it is pretty enjoyable). Very surprisingly, every one of these songs in every one of these styles are quite solid ... there isn't a weak track in sight. The real reason for that are the band members' seemingly unbreakable sense of melody ... and they're more awesome here, certainly, than they were in Medazzaland. The downfall, however, is the unfocused diversity. After listening to this album, I don't feel whatsoever that I've just finished listening to a great or phenomenally entertaining album, even though the songs were solid. Oh well ... I can't really be disappointed about it, though. I thought Pop Trash was going to suck ... but the All-Music Guide misled me once again about Duran Duran! (those freaks.) Overall Album Score: 8.4 out of 10 (A brand new peak for Duran Duran ... this album was released in 2000 with very little fanfare, but it's one of the best albums to sport the name "Duran Duran," as it turns out!) Average Song Score: 8.7 (Wow! ... This is an unexpectedly strong set of tracks from Duran "I Thought They Were Washed-Up" Duran.) Album Tilt: 8.0 (In spite the fact that the material on this album is very strong, I don't really think this was put together that well ... a bit unfocused. Just the same, I enjoy the songs ... so I do enjoy the album.) Artist Rating: 8.5 (This might be undisguised pop, but Duran Duran usually does a good job making it interesting and non-schlocky. A really nice effort, this.) Track Reviews Someone Else Not Me 9.5/10 Well, Duran Duran does it again! ... They created another *great* song, even though it's strikingly similar to "Ordinary World." But alas! Carbon copy clone "Ordinary World" all you like if you're able to create something like this ... for anyone who loves that song and can't get enough of it. Of course, this isn't quite as good as "Ordinary World," but it's still really good. Lava Lamp 8.5/10 I really like that groove! ... It's crisp, fun, and the production was well done. I don't care much at all for the chorus (and it's a bit too much on the poppy side), but "Lava Lamp" remains a rather neat song. Playing With Uranium 8.5/10 This song can't be mistaken for pop music ... very similar to what appeared on The Wedding Album ... The production is a bit overdone this time, but the song turned out well, I think. I really enjoy the chorus ... and the rest of the song is pretty good as well. Hallucinating Elvis 9/10 The reason why I think Duran Duran is one of the premiere pop bands (even though they might not have the mass public following to back them up all the time) is that they can make their run-of-the-mill pop music interesting. So far, anyway, they've been doing that at a pretty consistent level ... and they continue this trend with "Hallucinating Elvis!" The groove is menacing and entertaining ... the chorus is rather interesting ... sounding pretty durn insane. ... This is a very good late-career Duran Duran song. Starting to Remember 9.5/10 Retro-pop sort of! ... This sounds like a John Lennon song, actually, which is a pretty major compliment, actually! The melody is very hooky and the instrumentation is alluring. ... Even the vocals kind of sound like John Lennon. This is a keeper. Pop Trash Movie 8/10 I really like the atmosphere of this one ... that was really well developed. I also enjoy the melody, even though it's not *quite* as impressive as it was in previous songs. This is a good song, though. Fragment 4/5 This is a pretty well done instrumental mood-piece. If it were carried out forever, I would probably hate it, but it's only 50 seconds long, so ... Mars Meets Venus 10/10 Verrrrrrrrrrrry verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry schnazzy post-modern pop! The groove on this is new, hip, and a lot better than a lot of the *popular* guys are ever able to do this. Oh! And Duran Duran actually knows how to write melody! ... Imagine that. This is really quite entertaining! Lady Xantax 9/10 Alright ... Duran Duran is not allowed to be this good in the year 2000. They peaked in the 80s ... there is no way Duran Duran can be any good on an album that nobody has ever heard of. ... Alright, so they are good! It's too bad that nobody ever knew about it! (And those who did, don't seem to like it ... those jerks.) The Sun Doesn't Shine Forever 7.5/10 ...Yeah ... It's going to SUPERNOVA eventually, right? ... um ...... This is adult contemporary!!!! ... and it's really not that good. Fortunately, the melody has a few decent (lazy) hooks in it, so I can't hate it. But this is the first and only song on the album that I am altogether unimpressed with. Kiss Goodbye 4/5 ...It wasn't a very long kiss ... fourty-two seconds ...... Yep. Last Day on Earth 8/10 Duran Duran tries the whole heavy metal thing ... with only limited success. The chorus is pretty good, but the rest of the song isn't phenomenally entertaining. It solid to the core, but it pales dearly compared to a lot of the other stuff on here. BONUS TRACK Also included is a "Spanish" version of "Someone Else Not Me." I could swear that they're singing this in a language that is very much like "Spanish" except that it's called "French." Oh well ... I'm sure they made either Jennifer Lopez or Celine Dion very happy by providing this translation. Twenty bucks says you're going to send me your thoughts about this album here! (Really! Twenty bucks told me that once!) mark_howard@ml.com (mark howard) received Jan. 11, 2005 Yes, it's good to finally see a positive review of this little-known album. The follow-up to this, the DD re-united album "Astronaut" has obviously been critically acclaimed so POP TRASH will probably never be listened to again, but it should be. It's so bizarre to see your comments regarding Somone Else Not Me sounding like Ordinary World, I never actaully thought it did consciously, but of course you could almost fit the lyrics and and melody from one to the other. Extraordinary, how you would never notice these things unless they're pointed out. I suppose it goes a long way to explaining why there are such divergent views on the same music, we obviously don't "listen" to music in the same way as other people do. Some people are probably comparing the vocal style, while others are hearing the chord changes first. Someone Else Not Me (God I would really like to hear the Spanish version - sounds amusing) and Starting To Remember are the standout tracks for me. I wonder was the John Lennon sound deliberate? But then they both have that slightly nasal, opaque tone anyway, so maybe it's more to do with that. C ya. Mark.

All reviews are copyrighted by the author, Michael Lawrence. He smells bacterial.