I pre-ordered Duran Duran’s Astronaut CD+DVD from Amazon on the 7th. Astronaut was released on the 12th, and I received it on the 16th via standard ground. Not bad considering they had promised to deliver it on the 18th after I would have left. I eagerly awaited the first album in nearly 15 years with the original Fab Five.

Astronaut comes in two flavors: CD and CD + 45-minute DVD with concert footage. The 5-song concert footage and music video of (Reach Up For The) Sunrise were well-done and worth the $4 price difference. I have to give the music itself a lesser review. Duran Duran fans who own Rio, Seven and the Ragged Tiger, and the Wedding Album will find Astronaut a safe play, a “prevent defense” to employ NFL lingo. One can hear Nick Rhodes playing with his new toys on a new album (thankfully) more positive than Pop Trash.

That said, the album overall strives to be both contemplative and carefree-techno-pop. This is unfortunate because the contemplative stuff is soporific, and nobody does the latter better than Duran Duran. (Reach Up For The) Sunrise seems to be poised for the first single release. It’s a sufficiently upbeat theme, but the clubbing public will be better served by my favorite track, Nice, as well as Astronaut, Taste the Summer, and Want You More. These songs do rock, and I would not be surprised if these five ended up in another edition of Night Versions or Strange Behavior.

The contemplative tracks-What Happens Tomorrow, Finest Hour, Chains, One of Those Days, Point of No Return, Still Breathing-remind me of material from 1988’s Liberty as well as the last two releases, Pop Trash and Medazzaland. One of my twins fell asleep listening to What Happens Tomorrow. I expected five creative talents to be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Perhaps this is just to whet the Duranie’s appetite for radical departures like Ordinary World or Hungry Like the Wolf. I was also hoping for more guitar riffs from John Taylor and Andy Taylor (PowerStation - Some Like It Hot), and/or a speedy drum solo from Roger Taylor like Girls on Film. Why else would we want these talents back?

The Duran Duran collector will note that their are no instrumental tracks on Astronaut. I recall 3 other albums with a 30-second blurb on it: Seven and the Ragged Tiger, Big Thing, and Medazzaland. There are no hidden tracks.

l recommend the CD+DVD for collectors. The music is fresh, even if it does sound like Rhodes and Simon LeBon did it by themselves. I would recommend obtaining individual tracks (iTunes? Virgin Digital?) for those wanting something to accompany dancing or working out. If one is new to Duran Duran then I would say that there is enough lively stuff to hook one in and explore the rest-that would be a sneaky yet doable way to market.