Seeing as I've never given my review of the WFTSC album, an opportunity presents itself. :)
Who's Joe
Very good introduction song for the album. Upon first listen I thought it was mediocre and nothing more. After many more listens I think it better than mediocre. Nice to hear Hooky there along with the synths and Phil's guitar while Barney sings on about this Joe character. Repetitive lyrics, yes, but how can you dislike it?
Score: 8
Hey Now What You Doing
Poor song title - should have been the "Ruin to Road" but that is my only complaint of this wonderful track. I quite like the lyric of "brightest future... writing songs on your computer" even though it's a stretch. Fun and catchy guitar song.
Score: 8.5
Waiting For The Sirens' Call
The song that defines the album and titles it. Slower track that may sound quasi-adult contemporary, but the chorus leaves an indelible impression upon me rendering it one of their finest tracks. Heartfelt lyrics, but too bad Barney leaves out words though, "I won't desert you, I don't know what (sic) say". Despite that minor flaw, I'm able to overook and forgive him.
Score: 9
Krafty
I was not impressed by this track when I first listened to it. Perhaps I was just expecting more. I've, however, grown to like it more than before. It's extremely optimistic (which can be good or bad) and has some great drumming and love the synths toward the end. The flow of the song just seems a little bit off and the chorus didn't do much for me. Maybe it's too poppy. The lyrical emphasis about working on this track (and the overall album) are a bit drab. With that said, I'm slowly learning to accept this song and am actually liking it. It's definitely jumped leaps and bounds from first listen. It is classic New Order, like it or not.
Score: 8
I Told You So
Peculiar track with the reggae influence. Not that that's a bad thing. Different, though. Somewhat yet interesting dodgy beats and has an anachronistic feel (would be more apt on Republic), but it's not really a bad song. Like the above track, it's been growing on me and I'm slowly learning to appreciate and respect it for its worth. It's not a standout track but it's not a clanger either. The female backing vocals at the end are catchy. (By the way, who does the male backing vocals of "And I told you so"? Hooky?).
Score: 7
Morning Night And Day
Love the intro and uptempo pace to this song. A real stomper that sounds good in the house, car or a houseparty. Can't stop humming the chorus to this choon. Absolutely love the Hooky bass at approximately 04:20! Simple yet quite enjoyable.
Score: 8.5
Dracula's Castle
Strangely titled song. This song upon first listen was just boring to me. Now though, I don't feel it's necessarily boring but somewhat bland compared to the others on here. Is it filler? Perhaps. But to my ears it has a Technique feel to it (kinda reminds me of Guilty Partner) and is a real grower. Has some great piano bits, too, which adds a novel element to the track combined with the guitar, bass and keyboards. The lyrics aren't that bad either. Love the ending bit with the synths, very Technique-ish and closing piano (really could've been the last track if Working Overtime didn't make the cut). Overall this song isn't as bad as I first expected even though it lacks that "punch" the other songs may have. Enjoy it for what it's worth: a solid track, filler or not.
Score: 8
Jetstream
Oh boy, where do I begin? This song is sugary and meant for the airwaves and clubs to lure in people who like duets that feature simplistic lyrics and meaningless pop songs. I suppose it's an okay summer song, but that's about it. The video, however, isn't too bad, suprisingly (better than Krafty's).
Score: 5 (being generous here)
Guilt Is A Useless Emotion (standard album version)
*ThumpThumpThumpThump* Ahh, the one song that instantly grabbed me upon first listen. Now THIS is what a New Order dance song should sound like, unlike the leniently-rated track above. Great isolated Barney vocals over a dance beat with the backing vox that feature love lyrics. A real foot-tapper and much more worthy of radio airplay and club rotation. A surefire hit if it were to be released as a single with worthy remixes. My only complaint is the middle of the song tends to slow down too much and lose the atmosphere. Nothing an edit or faster club version couldn't fix up. Noticeably better than the Mac Quayle mix because it is more dancier and retains the rhythm of the beat.
Score: 9
Turn
Here we go! The standout gem of this album. Classic New Order and gives the listener a fast uptempo with meaningful lyrics. Great instrumentation and the chorus is undeniably catchy and infectiously enjoyable (much better than Krafty) and has excellent level of flow unlike said track. No complaints whatsoever.
Score: 10
Working Overtime
Fun little Stooges-inspired track that doesn't focus on the lyrical content but could be a real crowd pumper at the festivals. Does seem like a good summer song, like Jetstream, but in a different context.
Score: 6.5
Guilt Is A Useless Emotion (Mac Quayle Vocal Mix)
An interesting mix from the original. Very good effort and offers a different feel to the song that a lot of folks didn't enjoy from the album version. The synths and bass bring a new dimension to the song, but it somehow loses its dance aura in favor of a more alternative sound. Not as spectacular or crisp as the standard album version.
Score: 7.5
My summary of track rankings, for the moment...
Turn (10)
WFTSC (9)
GIAUE (standard album version) (9)
Hey Now What You Doing (8.5)
Morning Night And Day (8.5)
Who's Joe (8)
Dracula's Castle (8)
Krafty (8)
GIAUE (Mac Quayle Vocal Mix) (7.5)
I Told You So (7)
Working Overtime (6.5)
Jetstream (5)
list up there.Lets get this New order title track out on single soon.I think if this one gets the airplay it could be a massive hit for them,and encourage the band to make some more of this shit,and they keep going longer than the queen mother did
