Never Cry Another Tear review in Rockin' On

The Japanese magazine Rockin' On (Nov 2009 edition) had a review, so I'm going to translate what it said. (Note that Rockin' On doesn't give any numbers or star ratings to their reviews.)

http://ro69.jp/disc/detail/26253

"The light has not gone out yet" When I pushed the play button and heard the intro to the first track, I felt that something precious within me was being dug up. I couldn't believe that in 2009, I would hear this slightly anorak-esque ( my note: possibly an adaptation of the slang word 'anorak', although they don't seem to be using it in a negative way---journo's words confuse me a lot!) neo-acoustic (my note: Japanese made-up term used to describe Smiths-esque sounds) rock.

And I couldn't believe that the person in question making such music was New Order's Bernard. To most of the world, this project is probably regarded as a New Order without Hooky. But you would understand why Bernard took this seriously when you listen to this album---the songs are incredibly good.

Honestly, I like this album better than New Order's recent works. I think the melodies are stronger and shine more in this one. And I doubt this was just a coincidence. The album begins with "Sink or Swim", then there's also a song called "Running out of Luck", and then there's "Head into Tomorrow".

It's not like something new was invented regarding this album. But I think Bernard knows that, whether his songs become a soundtrack to our lives or merely a nostalgia for the past---is all up to the strength of the melodies.

leather_girl wrote: The Japanese magazine Rockin' On (Nov 2009 edition) had a review, so I'm going to translate what it said. (Note that Rockin' On doesn't give any numbers or star ratings to their reviews.)

http://ro69.jp/disc/detail/26253

"The light has not gone out yet" When I pushed the play button and heard the intro to the first track, I felt that something precious within me was being dug up. I couldn't believe that in 2009, I would hear this slightly anorak-esque ( my note: possibly an adaptation of the slang word 'anorak', although they don't seem to be using it in a negative way---journo's words confuse me a lot!) neo-acoustic (my note: Japanese made-up term used to describe Smiths-esque sounds) rock.

And I couldn't believe that the person in question making such music was New Order's Bernard. To most of the world, this project is probably regarded as a New Order without Hooky. But you would understand why Bernard took this seriously when you listen to this album---the songs are incredibly good.

Honestly, I like this album better than New Order's recent works. I think the melodies are stronger and shine more in this one. And I doubt this was just a coincidence. The album begins with "Sink or Swim", then there's also a song called "Running out of Luck", and then there's "Head into Tomorrow".

It's not like something new was invented regarding this album. But I think Bernard knows that, whether his songs become a soundtrack to our lives or merely a nostalgia for the past---is all up to the strength of the melodies.

Decent review, the nostalgia truly is still there.

oh and, thanks for posting!

I know the music journalistic lingo is puzzling at times---you kind of get the feeling of what they are trying to say---but those expressions are so ridiculous!

Anyway, I'd say it was a generally positive review too.

Chris Nash wrote: Thanks for posting it Eimi.

It wasn't really a review at all though - interesting, but it just mentions a few tracks, says they're not Bernard's best and then trails off... Maybe I'm missing something.

Lots of reviews by Japanese journos are pretty vague--- especially when it comes to foreign music.

They seldom analyse lyrics and Rockin' On tends to have very vague 'reviews'.

But overall, you can tell that it wasn't a negative review about the album.

I don't take them seriously, but it's always interesting seeing albums by some of my favourite artists getting in there.