Waiting for the Sirens' Call

by

New Order

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New Order are the greatest musicians in rock. In their earliest days, as Joy Division, they wrote music that reached unimaginable heights of passion; as New Order, they wrote music that sounded forever young and carefree; they always had more talent than was meant for mortal man. We know that even the weakest New Order song will be superior to the vast majority of popular music, and so, all we ask from every New Order album is one, just one glorious song of breathtaking brilliance, a song to make us shudder with bliss. Such are "Temptation," "The Perfect Kiss," "True Faith." We were a bit worried in 2001, when New Order recorded their first album in eight years, but fortunately, the first song on it was "Crystal," and when we heard it, we put our inner critic to rest, because we knew that everything would be all right. And in 2005, once again, when the sun is shining outside, and the heat is coming down hard on the lazy streets, and young people are undergoing the greatest romances of their lives, there's nothing to do but put New Order's new album on repeat.

Bernard Sumner's vocals just get better with age. No one can match him for warmth and charm. He's like the best friend you always wished you had, who always thought of the most fun things to do, who could always get away with breaking the rules, who never seemed to be weighed down with cares, and who later flew the world, kissed pretty girls in every city, and came back to see you ten years later without having changed a bit. Just listen to him sing "I've got to find you, whatever I do" on the opening track. If your real friends are as loyal, consider yourself lucky. What about his voice in the chorus of "Hey Now What You Doing"? Just listen to the way his voice goes into an enraptured falsetto on the stressed syllables. It's perfect, and he sounds like he's not even trying. When he sings "you are my jet-stream lover" in "Jetstream," you know that's a silly line, but so does he, and as a result, you can't help but believe him, with a big grin on both your faces.

Some folks might criticize New Order for a perceived lack of innovation, and it's true that they aren't making forays into "IDM" or "glitch-hop" or anything like that. The thing is, though, that all of those micro-movements have died off by now, anyway; electronic music has come back full circle to techno and house, and so, New Order's sound is completely up-to-date. With their wonderful, flawless melodies and rock elements, they easily outdo their contemporaries on the dancefloor (this album is much more danceable than its predecessor; half the songs are electronic), and with songs like "Working Overtime" and "Hey Now What You Doing," they also claim the forefront in the recent resurgence of the garage-rock sound. New Order are fifty years old, but sound twenty-five.

A hack writer for the NME contemptuously observed that "Dracula's Castle" has silly lyrics. He then retired to congratulate himself for his own astuteness, but in case he's back now, I've got some news for you, sweet-cheeks: no matter how many albums you review this year, you aren't going to hear a hook half as effortlessly awesome as the buzzing synth line in that same song. In fact, the next time you will hear such a hook will be whenever the next New Order album comes out. If some other band miraculously stumbles across anything like it, they'll play it with none of the variation that New Order bring to it, without the graceful build-up of strings in the end, or the various keyboard, guitar and piano melodies. And their lyrics probably won't be any better than Bernard Sumner's, and they aren't going to sing them with half of his refinement, anyway.

So what about that one amazing, transcendent song? Well, first there's "I Told You So," which starts off with dissonant electronic percussion, and then all of a sudden takes up that universally recognized staccato reggae rhythm, played not with a guitar, but with a cold, gleaming piano. It sounds absolutely awesome, but it only gets better when Sumner starts singing. He gives the song a yearning air, entreating a friend to "cut loose and run away" from a dreary routine with him. Then there's the dark, grinding guitar break, and all sorts of terrific anxious synthesizer melodies, and the feeling is that of two young people who are drawn to some alluring and dangerous lifestyle in the shadowy nightlife of the city. This theme has recurred in Sumner's lyrics ever since "The Perfect Kiss" back in 1984, but here, it sounds more gripping than ever.

It doesn't end there. Just a few songs later comes the beautifully titled "Guilt Is A Useless Emotion." The song opens with frail keyboard tones; the spotlight is centered on them, their very restraint creates dramatic tension, preparing the way for the arrival of one powerful house beat. When Sumner's voice comes in, it becomes the focus of the song; he sings a lyric describing the way in which love can create upheaval in one's life, with a performance epitomizing the excitement, nervousness and bewilderment of someone who has just undergone such an upheaval. The insistent, rushing chorus is in the great tradition of house music, a sort of call-and-response between Sumner and, of course, a sultry female vocalist singing such lines as "I need your love" and "I want you now." And as if that weren't enough, the American release of the album features an alternate mix of this same song as a bonus track. This version is just as good as the original, with even more energy; the vocals remain unchanged, but now there's a surging, distorted synthesizer riff. It's the best thing you'll hear all year.

It's interesting New Order has returned in 2005 with a new album when almost every hot band with the word "The" stuck in front of it are aping their signature dance rock hybrid sound. The Indie Dance God's must be completely flattered that their sound and influence has endured for 25 years.

Waiting For The Siren's Call sounds exactly what its supposed to be; New Order for the new millennium. Everything is in place... Bernard Sumner's melancholic vocals(and so trite its almost clever lyrics), Peter Hook's signature bassline, Stephen Morris's crisp precision drum work. New comer Phil Cunningham takes over for Gillian Gilbert on guitar and synth work.

In the New Order cannon, you could place it in between Get Ready and Republic in sense of sound. The guitars are not as harsh/loud as Get Ready, yet the bass and guitar have more of a presence than on the anemic Republic. Perhaps Brotherhood is a better frame of reference. There are none of the dance gems of Technique, Low Life or Substance.

WFTSC is an electro-pop-rock amalgam. The song's on WFTSC aren't bad. But that's just it; they are not awe inspiring either. The musicianship is still high and up to par, but their are no instant classics here.. no Regret, no True Faith, no Temptation, no Crystal. Every song sound's vaguely like a New Order song you've heard before. Is it clever self reference or just self parody and running out of ideas? The listener can decide.

There also seems to be some slightly unfocused meandering instrumental passages in several of the songs which take away from them.

The synth work is capable, but nothing compared to the flourish and innovation of the Gillian Gilbert days.

The first 3 tracks Who's Joe, Hey Now What You Doing, and the title track offer up trademark New Order melancholia more on the level of Brotherhood or LowLife's Love Vigilantes. Trademark Hooky basslines, Trademark Sumner lyrics and guitar work.

Krafty was indeed a great choice for the kick off single; a good balance of bass, guitar and synth work. Its almost the most optimistic and coherent lyrics I've heard out of Mr. Sumner.

Jetstream ft Ana Mantronic from the Scissor Sisters sounds straight off an Electronic album,(or even Republic) and the lightest/poppiest moment, though I was expecting more from the collaboration, its fun. Stuart Price(aka Jacques Lu Cont/Les Rhythms Digitales on production duties)

The one true dance track on the album (another Price production) seems like a poor mans Blue Monday, even invoking some of Blue Monday's melodic elements.

Tribal/Progressive don Mac Quayle (who did some programming work on Electronics Twisted Tenderness) gives a stab at the track too and gives a more Giorgio Moroder feel to it.

I Told You So is catchy, but the robo reggae doesn't really gel right. Why not call in Ruined in a Day remixers and dub legends Sly and Robbie and do it right? Melodic elements from 2000s Brutal that was on The Beach soundtrack seep into the mix.

This is not a bad New Order album, probably better than Republic, but certainly not as strong as its predecessor Get Ready. It lacks the experimentation of LowLife and Technique, but in sound, its thoroughly New Order.