New Order, “Waiting For the Sirens’ Call”
Time was, New Order was an ahead-of-the-curve quartet that presciently channeled the future of dance music when the rest of England was still coping with the hangover that was punk and waxing rhapsodic about the Smiths.
The group’s tight rhythm and droning synthesizer made songs like “The Beach,” “Touched By the Hand of God” and “Blue Monday” anthemic in their stature and staying power.
Fast forward 20 years or so and New Order’s latest LP, “Waiting For the Sirens’ Call,” finds a group that has matured and expanded, seeking new influences from which to propel its music.
Bear in mind, this LP, the group’s eighth since it rose from the ashes of Joy Division in 1980, is a far cry from the cold sterility that flowed across “Movement.”
Keeping up with shimmering melodies and entrancing songs, “Sirens’ Call” is that rare moment when a band’s creative juices are in full effect and effectively flowing through each individual note.
Standout tracks include the uptempo “Who’s Joe?” that is reminiscent of Joy Division and the first single, “Krafty,” which made me feel like I was 17 again, driving in my car, singing.
The music is still ahead of the curve, even in a time of synth-drenched emo, but where the latter lacks heart, New Order packs it in, by the truckload. —Matt Moore
Edit: This is from AP, not MSNBC
