They were the sh**. They were the natural continuation of Joy Division. They were pioneers of electronic and dance music combined with post punk. They have experimented a lot. They lost some members. They introduced some new members. They have changed a lot but they have never betrayed the sound that made them so invincible. They are New Order.
Their tenth release is almost completely self-produced. Willingness to take control has made this album safe from failure. I was so scared that they are going to pull of some commercial tra-la-la trash. Instead, I got a great album with appearances by Iggy Pop, Brandon Flowers and La Roux.
After their last two albums, Waiting For The Siren’s Call and Lost Sirens that were a little bit disappointing (the band sound like its own caricature), Music Complete is an evidence that the guys still got it. High quality production, intriguing lyrics, a lot of electronic music with dark subtext, post-punk dressed in dance and elements of synth. Many can play electronic today but New Order were the first ones who showed how it’s done without turning to pop or taking it to the extreme. On Magic Complete, electronic music is not violent and intrusive, rather elegant and mixed with other enjoyable genres.
This album is maybe more electronic than ever before because they have added that modern sound that audience love so much. The matrix is still the same – a lot of dance and synth. This is dance-rock in its best appearance.
Restless is the core of the album – dark dance. First part of the album is kicks ass with Singularity, Plastic, Tutti Frutti. All these tracks are cheerful and inspiring. They just make your serotonin go wild.
The middle of the album is a little bit more peaceful and melancholic. At the end, Nothing But A Fool and Superheated reminded me why I bought this record at the first place.
Music Complete is New Order’s return to Oz. The band had shown me how maturity can be beautiful.
