Monday, May 09, 2005

You've Got To Hold Your Head Up High

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New Order have a new LP called Waiting For The Sirens' Call. Reviews have been mixed, though they've tended towards mostly positive. There have been a lot of comparisons to Technique, which is accurate in it's balance between clubby tracks and rock, though Technique remains the better record. I've spent a couple of weeks with Waiting For The Sirens' Call now and I like it. It's a pretty typical New Order record, split between dance-y techno-pop and rockers. It really doesn't go anywhere they haven't been before, but after 25 years I'm amazed thay can still even get this far - who knew it would last this long? As always there are a couple of not so stellar moments, and some of the lyrics are going to make you cringe, but then they almost always have, eh? Hey Now What You Doing stood out to me right away, and after a few listens has revealed itself as one of the better moments. It fits into the "classic N.O. rocker" mold - big Hooky bass riff, lots of guitars, and a catchier than ever melody and chorus. I love it. I give the record a thumbs up, but then I've found something redeeming on most of their albums to date. If you're a fan it's worth a shot.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

i can't believe you find HYNWD the most standout track. to each his/her own i guess, my faves are Krafty and the album title track. but yr definitely right, for true fans it's always worth it, like with Sonic Youth... these guys have really perfected the formulas, but since they worked so hard over the years to establish their formulas, i don't really have a problem with their formulaic songwriting and recoring anymore... as long as it sounds kick-ass!

oh, earlier today i listened to the whole Joy Division album (not just the hit She's Lost Control) for the first time in years and i was thinking about how much Bernard Sumner's songwriting has evolved in 20+ years, it literally went from being sparse and minimal to being rich and lush, but it was always emotive, which is probably the sign of genius.

ok peace, i'm out. like yr site quite a bit, check it regularly every 1 - 2 weeks.

su | nb1.be | aumsupreme.com

Michael said...

I don't think it's THE standout track - I haven't made up my mind in that regard yet. I just like it. I wouldn't post Krafty because it's already made the blog rounds.

xolondon said...

I find that my faves on this CD are changing (which is a good sign). It was Krafty and now it's Guilt Is A Useless Emotion. Also like Hey Joe (or Who's Joe). That Dracula song reminds me of Papa Don't Preach!