Music Complete: Reviews
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poorshakes wrote: AllMusic
First bad/mixed review I've seen from the usually dependable AllMusic.
I've just listened for the first time and its a cracker, especially the first 5 tracks
Considering this sentiment from the article, it's a wonder the review is somewhat favorable at all:
"New Order without Hook is like Joy Division withoutIan Curtis, only instead of New Order forming in the wake, it's Bad Lieutenant."
Thanks Bill - Always the best at the NEWS ![[hi]](/emoticons/hi.gif){kind=small}
Fotzepolitic wrote: I've compiled a review megamix - enjoy
Mojo - 'Ninth album lays claim to iconic status'
Uncut - 'Easily New Order's best album since Technique and their most diverse ever. Among its rich, eclectic, 65 minute sprawl, Music Complete contains a couple of songs that are contenders for the canon of all time New Order greats’
The Quietus –‘Thrilling, progressive and fun, which ought to stand as a highlight of their career’
Q Magazine – ‘What’s so impressive about Music Complete is not just that New Order have returned but they’ve come back in such vibrant form’
GQ -"Relentlessly vivid and dynamic’
Louder Than War – ‘Music Complete is going to go down as one of New Order’s finest works. It is where the band come back out of the dark and into the sun.’
Mixmag – ‘An album of outstanding pop, shuddering dance-rock and intricate electronic moods. A runaway victory for class over hype.’
The ArtsDesk – ‘Music Complete sees New Order rejuvenated and fighting fit. The songs here run the gamut of dance, rock, electronica and even disco with a kind of manic glee.’
PopMatters – ‘Music Complete is the best New Order album since 1989’s Technique.’
List – ‘The world should be very happy that what it has right now is a new New Order album.’
DoubleJ – ‘For some reason, bands tend to get pretty rubbish as they get old. Trends change, they lose the hunger for stardom and lose touch with what an audience wants.No one told New Order that, though. Music Complete, released 35 years after the band formed, is an example of a band still at the top of their game. They're not defining genres anymore, but they're still making mighty good music. New Order don't need to change the game anymore, they've already done that enough in their lifetime. The fact they can still give us such vital, relevant music after so many years is testament to the power of this great band. ‘
RollingStone – ‘Their most varied and substantial work in decades.’
ConsequenceOfSound – ‘It’s the rare late era LP that blossoms with life, while also echoing the past.
Exclaim – ‘New Order have made their best album since 1989's Technique. Few people expected this to happen so far into their career, but then New Order have always been about beating the odds’
Live4Ever – ‘Bold, creative and without doubt a tour-de-force.’
The Guardian – ‘Music Complete feels like the freshest thing they’ve done in ages.’
UnderTheArmMag – ‘The best collection of songs that they've produced in years.’
Pitchfork -'The most refined record they’ve released since 1989’s Technique..... sounds like classic New Order, and now over three decades deep into their career, it's kind of amazing that nothing else really does.
![[:)]](/emoticons/smile.gif){kind=small}
Interesting reading but is anyone here gonna actually buy this on the strength of a review? I'd buy it even if they all said it was bollocks. Which is what 90% of reviews are.
Michael Monkhouse wrote: Interesting reading but is anyone here gonna actually buy this on the strength of a review? I'd buy it even if they all said it was bollocks. Which is what 90% of reviews are.
They're never as interesting as the Monkhouse dispatches.
We just like reading the favourable reviews to justify our continued fascination with New Order. I also like to believe that all the hits to those websites helps to remind publications there's still lots of interest in the band. That's why I post links instead of pasting entire articles.
Talked about and reviewed on the Jo Wiley Radio 2 show earlier this evening, go to 1 hour 7 minutes 30 seconds in
Andy wrote: TheNewYorker
NYer reviewer doesn't know how to just enjoy an album. Oh, hinting at disco was done last year, this album is no good then. No frogs. That review angered me.
LostSiren wrote:
Andy wrote: TheNewYorker
NYer reviewer doesn't know how to just enjoy an album. Oh, hinting at disco was done last year, this album is no good then. No frogs. That review angered me.
Agreed; I have a subscription but music journalism (aside from Sasha Frere-Jones, and I don't necessarily always favor his style) is not their strong suit. Often over analytical and self-consciously restrained in offering fair praise, like the grey haired version of some uppity Pitchfork newbie.
LostSiren wrote:
Andy wrote: TheNewYorker
NYer reviewer doesn't know how to just enjoy an album. Oh, hinting at disco was done last year, this album is no good then. No frogs. That review angered me.
Yeah, the reviewer goes on about New Order copying the Chic/Nile Rodgers style guitar that was in 2 years ago..PAH! Bernard was championing Chic many many years ago, around the early 90s, way before they became fashionable again in 2013.Heck , his guitar playing on Sate Of The Nation way back in 1986 was a homage to Chic/Nile Rodgers.
On average these seem like some of the best reviews they've ever received, aside from Technique. Hasn't nearly every album been greeted with, "Ahem, well, erm, some nice songs buried here, but isn't it mostly atmosphere and daft lyrics? Their fans are too serious. They're not really innovators anymore, are they? Mmmm, they peaked a long time ago..."
Get Ready and WFTSC have had a critical mauling in a lot of these reviews of Music Complete. A lot of reviewers now seem to hold those two albums in retrospect as shite.Funnily enough i'm sure i remember Get Ready having mainly good reviews.I think i you could make one good album from the two of them.
Get Ready For The Sirens' Call
1.Crystal 2.Who's Joe 3.Krafty 4.Turn My Way 5.Primitive Notion 6.Vicious Streak 7.60 Miles An Hour 8.Slow Jam 9.Waiting For The Sirens' Call 10.Turn
![[:d]](/emoticons/biggrin.gif){kind=small}
Andy wrote:
Strange review in that it's quite favourable, yet he also see's it as a follow-up to the Bad Lieutenant LP.
The reviewer should listen to Jake's album… that's far more like a follow up to the Bad Lieutenant stuff.
In WH Smith today i saw that Louder Than War now has a physical magazine which comes out just quarterly and this was the first issue.In it there's another review of Music Complete which differs from the one previously on their website which was very positive.However, this new, second review is not so favourable; gave the album just 6 out of 10 and basically said it's just a Bernard Sumner solo album.Welllllll.... maybe you could take that point of view if you wanted but there's a lot lot more to this album than just Bernard.The mag does have a nice full page advert for Music Complete on the back cover though.Nearly enough to make me buy it but i didn't feel like parting with £4.99 on this occasion.
Fotzepolitic wrote: Get Ready and WFTSC have had a critical mauling in a lot of these reviews of Music Complete. A lot of reviewers now seem to hold those two albums in retrospect as shite.Funnily enough i'm sure i remember Get Ready having mainly good reviews.I think i you could make one good album from the two of them.
Yup. I wasn't really into them circa GR but I remember the reviews were above-average. I think people were pleased to get anything at all so long after Republic and that was shit too. Reviewers are fickle buggers. I remember Republic getting a bad press - then the Other Two and You (sheesh) appeared and it was even worse, so they started going, 'It suffers by comparison...' I used to write reviews (for comedy not music but it's the same process) and most of it is just journos (a) filling up space and (b) indulging in their love of language. Amazingly I STILL ain't found a copy of the album out here. Must try harder.
