Eighties pop to scare you.
Duran Duran and the night go well together. Hardly any other New Romantics band was so nightclub-compatible; the excellent, pimped-up versions of their early hits for the dance floor are nicknamed “Night Versions”. The fact that Duran Duran are now using the tailwind of their last album FUTURE PAST from 2021, which went very well, for a dance of death record is brave, because they have only accumulated three new songs.
The ten others are new recordings and cover versions, all of which revolve around the themes of night and horror, because, of course, DANSE MACABRE is a Halloween album – and correspondingly colorful. Duran Duran play “Spellbound” by Siouxsie & The Banshees, quite furiously, and “Psycho Killer” by the Talking Heads, the yuppie touch is good here.
We’re keeping quiet about the versions of “Paint It Black” and “Ghost Town”, the three new songs are completely different: an 80s funk piece with Nile Rodgers on guitar, the total loss ballad “Confession In The Afterlife”, the title track a sound as if Trevor Horn had been asked to use all his tricks. Silly – but great, especially since Simon LeBon sings great, John Taylor lets his bass roar and Nick Rhodes gets a few canned ghost train effects. Overall, it’s a fan service record, which is also reflected in the line-up: ex-guitarist Andy Taylor is there again on six songs.