My track-by-track review of the album...

Difficult album to review this one, to do a proper blow-by-blow wuld take me more time than I have at the moment.

In summary though.... daft but decent offering from NO.

Lightweight, bubblegum, slightly skewed pop. Which is pretty much exactly what NO have always been good at.

GIAUE is obviously a great dance track, Krafty a really strong grower, Turn classsic NO even Jetstream with its gay anthem pretentions has a new lease of life for me now that it is a likely single.

I do tend to find that I forget about some tracks, from NO , once they're announced as singles I get a new appreciation for them.

So, I like Jetstream, if that means you lot think you can bum me, think again :D

Just wrote a review that took me over an hour, then hit Submit and it disappeared, never to be found again - so here's the shortened version: I liked it.

People who said this album has to be given time to hit home were dead right. I have had a copy of it for a while but only lately have I really started to appreciate it. Better than Get Ready? No fuckin doubt.

-Who's Joe is a great first track, as New Order albums always have. I'm still not fond of the guitar break after the 2nd chorus but I can accept it.

-I still debate whether or not to skip Road to Ruin (the working title is much better than the mouthful we ended up with) when I'm playing the album but it's decent.

-The title track: top class. Find myself singing it a lot. Krafty is much the same. I can't believe some people don't like it. Granted it's a pop song but it puts a smile on the face with every listen.

-That reggae one caught all of us by surprise but after a few listens I really like how they tried something different and pulled it off. Even turns into a jam after a while.

-Morning Night and Day is class too. A really fast, rocky number in which Barney is obviously talking from experience. Nice bass riff in the middle bit.

-Dracula's Castle gets a bit stale (like a couple of songs on this album) when you overplay them, but I like it. The Matronic one is the type of song you're embarrassed to like but it is catchy as fuck. Good remix too.

-Have I mentioned how much I dislike the backing vocals on Guilt? Yes? Well I still don't, but I've definately changed my opinion on it lately. Great bass. Hopefully the US remix does something about the female vocals.

-Turn: majestic. A really great song which I think is a candidate for radio play cos of its length. Along with title track, the standout song on this album.

-At first I was pissed off they tacked Working Overtime on the end. I felt Turn would have been a better way to end the album, and that WO could have gone in the middle instead. But I've gotten over it and it's a nice song. Well played the Order for trying something new again.

All in all this is a beautiful peice of art by New Order. I even love the artwork: does no one see the point Saville was trying to make? Before, you couldn't find the album details on the band's sleeves. Now, in the present day that is ALL you see. A complete turnaround, which is what NO have always done. They have never been content to do the same thing. So I like it even though yes a five year old could have done it. But that is the point: no one expected it. Everyone was wondering what Saville would give us and we were knocked sideways in the same way the album did. Although I could be talking shite and Saville just couldn't be bothered.

I am so looking forward to Oakland in 26 days (count em) and hope the next album will be as good as this one. Thanks lads! :thumbs:

(quote) Why should we lower our expectations?I know times change (no pun intended) and NO were not likely to break any new ground but its no reason to compromise as if to say, "well they are old now so what do you expect?"Get Ready had some instant, classic NO moments of power and melancholy. I'm sorry to say this one sounds to me like formula, half-hearted, clapped-out rubbish. If i wanted "nice" songs like this i'd have bought a Will Young cd!

I Told you So and Dracula's castle are happy? Barney must be using sarcasm.