From the October 14 New York Post:

DURAN DURAN FANS GET A DOUBLE DOSE

Musically, the pretty boys of Duran Duran helped sire the notion that substance (unless it could be smoked, shot, or snorted) was the poor relation of style. Now, after a few personnel changes and a 16 year career of perfecting their little screen MTV look, DD is back with a new disc of their own, and there's also a tribute collection out by a gaggle of their admirers.

On the Durans' new, dozen song disc Medazzaland, graying fans will recognize the synthesizer chirps 'n' burps as part of the band's signature sound, while newcomers might be lulled into thinking that the beatbox aesthetic is an extension of the current English electronica movement. As usual, the band doesn't take a chance on letting the music alone do their talking. For this disc, the band bets heavily on the album's first single, the sexy "Electric Barbarella", doing the hawking of this disc and generating additional interest in the collection.

"Electric Barbarella" is an OK, yet repetitive, dance beat song. But the band is generating big buzz with today's MTV audiences, getting them hot and bothered with an accompanying video about a cyber sex doll gone wild. The video features model Sarah Stockbridge and 16 year old Brit sensation Myka along with the Duran guys. It should be noted that Duran Duran pinched its name from the '67 film "Barbarella".

The disc is best when keyboardist Nick Rhodes eases up on his powerful synth-whine to give frontman Simon LeBon some vocal room, as on the collection's final track, "Undergoing Treatment". Here, the band sounds like it's trying to tap a new dark sound. The fast tempo bass and drum support is tightly woven. That combined with LeBon's whispered vocals makes for a musical drama in which the singer sounds as if he is being gentle -- to finish the number without waking a nearby enemy.

Yet for all the goodness of "Undergoing Treatment" and "Medazzaland", the title track, there's a little too much dopey, tired mope here. The worst offenders are the mercifully short, electronic dirge "Silva Halo" and the acoustic 1000-string mush fest "Michael, You've Got A Lot To Answer For".

Duran Duran fans can rejoice and rush out to nab this one. The rest of us can watch the best of this disc on MTV -- the way it's supposed to be heard.

(It goes on to talk about the tribute album: "It becomes clear how dated most of the Duran Duran songs are", although a few remakes were praised.)