CDs 2005 (1)

I’ll tell you what, I’m glad I’ve finished writing all this, because again, it took me far too much time, and there’s occasions when it’s really contributed getting me down. Too much music, the good and the bad, and I feel I’ll get a little respite now at last. Although the next three months is set to bring a few releases, notably the long-awaited debut from The Duke Spirit (this time it’s true). I didn’t discard any record (I mean, record I bought, obviously, there’s thousands more around...) in my reviews this time, reneging on my promise from last year, but I guess it’s because I tried to start the reviews early. I seem to have gone very verbose at times, for which I apologise in advance. I’ll try to be more circumspect in the future, instead of going backwards as I seem to have done a lot lately. Too much hassle, stopping me from doing other things. But hey it’s been a surprisingly good  first quarter for music this time, if not for anything else, so let’s once more stop the ranting and instead give the first ratings.

 

Mercury Rev: The Secret Migration

The Rev in cruise control mode. OK, I admit, I’ve only got the last two albums before that one. And both were treasurable. Whereas this one…oh you’ll still think it’s nice if you love them, but it’s well short of new ideas or sounds. And where the aforementioned two had opening tracks announcing the wonders to come (Holes will forever mean something to me), the opening on this is a middle-of-album filler type of song. There’s not point in fannying around, there are a couple of very nice songs in it, but this is ultimately boring. OK on the previous two I’d skip half the tracks anyway, but…I can still enjoy them anytime. I just don’t need this one. 6.5/10.

Top track : Vermillion, at last something with a bit of a urgency and a pulse’s happening. Float on, turn it up…beautiful.

M83 : Before the Dawn Heals Us

A very frustrating band. Nevermind the tedious live show, the record first catches the ear. Maybe slightly slicker than the previous, it’s got good rich warm synthetic textures, a taste for the (extremely irritating) vocal gimmick, and something that after a live show and a couple of listens becomes frankly pretentious. Critics may have liked it at first, but I doubt this will make any best of list come the end of the year. Certainly not mine. It’s very disappointing when a gig makes you appreciate a record less, but hey these boys managed it !!! Synth-Prog? What’s that about? It may be music for the 22^nd century, but me I’m still stuck in the 21^st. Still better on CD than live, but at least half of it can be dispensed with. Funny how it’s this type of album that is ‘copy protected’. 6/10.

Top Track : A Guitar and a Heart. You don’t need anything else. You wish they'd remembered it more often.

Bright Eyes : I’m Wide Awake it’s Morning

The regular country album. Another great one, although I’m not too sure how it compares to the preceding ‘Lifted’, but yeah it’s still ace, I can’t complain, I’ve got loads of time for this guy. 8/10

Top track : Another Travelin’ Song. Emmylou Harris provides vocals on the chorus of this beautiful country gem, referencing cell phone, mind!

Bright Eyes : Digital Ash in a Digital Urn.

No it’s not a double album from Conor Oberst, it’s a completely different release. And don’t be fooled by the ‘Digital’ title and people’s sayings. This is NOT Bright Eyes going all folktronica on you (although thinking of it, a collaboration between him and Kieran Hebden (Four Tet), now that would be a great idea !). The first track IS a tad on the bizarre side, but after that, the voice, and most sounds are unmistakenly Oberst’s. Maybe there’s a little more reverb on the drums, a bit of effect on the guitars, but again Nick Zinner’s involvement doesn’t make it sound like the Yeah YeahYeahs. At all. So what’s the fuss about ? Well it’s another lovely album, full of tales and stories, and sonically richer than its straight country sibling. You can’t go much wrong with this man at the moment. Despite their different SOUND (this one is definitely more now), there’s not that much to choose between the 2 albums. Actually, this polished gem is fantastic and deserves a 9/10

Top Track : Light Pollution : the keyboards are brighter, the rhythm more pulsating, and there’s a joyful feeling at work there (well, nevermind the lyrics...). The least archetypal Bright Eyes track in here, and still a winner!

Feeder : Pushing the Senses.

No I’m not reviewing it, just warning you off all these artists who area supposed to ‘do a Coldplay’ years after their inception, by turning the amps down and showing their sensitive side. So nice, so bland, so needless. Good for your radio, you would probably get a decent album by choosing the top tracks from all Feeder’s albums, but there’s no need for this wide pseudo-epic stuff. The opening track has got beautiful moments, but after that, Bitter Glass just rips off Travis’ Beautiful Occupation (not one of their best track to start with), Tumble and Fall just uses a Razorlight title (unfortunately not its music), and so on...the less said, the less heard, the better. Highly inoffensive, even not unpleasant at time, but hey that’s FM rock for you. Nice bloke, not brilliant band, as often 5.5/10.

Top Track : Feeling a moment. Irritating intro, but you could nearly like the chorus.

LCD Soundsystem.

Sometimes I just don’t get it. The cowbell-Rapture-DFA-James Murphy-New York is dancing cool thing. And as very often, when you try to put too many influences in one record, all you get is a patchy compilation. That’s exactly what this record feels like. Starting with a typical ‘hip’ number with cowbells and Daft Punk references, this is immediately annoying while not necessarily making me want to dance. Redemption arrives in the form of Tribulations, a tuneful, more Ladytron-like number, and the following Falls-esque Movement is also right up my street. But the rest of it is too diverse while not being especially great in itself. Even the extra CD with old ‘classics’ Yeah! and Losing my Edge fails to win me over. I’m afraid I’ll still prefer unpretentious rock to super hipster’s dancefloor chic. Who cares about being cool anyway ? 6.5/10.

Top Track : Tribulations, now that is good.

Moving Units : Available.

More stuff in the Radio 4 mould, a touch of Faint and a pinch of !!! So fine by me overall. Can’t say it’s outstanding or truly great, but it still does the trick. Well OK, most of it is forgettable, it’s second-rate punk-funk. Maybe the kind of record I said I’d never review again, but since I started early this year, here you go : 7/10

Top Track : Between us & them. The Strokes meet The Bravery.

Khonnor : Handwriting

Already this year’s good folktronica album. But this one’s really on the whispering side..Think Four Tet, think The Notwist, but even largely more understated and soothing. Quiet and haunting beauty, 8/10 in a very unusual way.

Top Track : A Little Secret. One of those you don’t mind sharing then....

Roots Manuva : Awfully Deep

There’s this funny thing about hip-hop and all assimilated genres. I don’t buy many such records, and there’s so much variety in the field that I never feel like I’m buying the same record twice; which, I must admit, is often the case with Rock’n’Roll. That doesn’t mean it’s all good, but I’ve been lucky. Of course there’s no chance of good old Rodders Smith making the same kind of impact worldwide than, say, Eminem or Outkast. But the true man of British hip-hop here once again strikes gold and not bling. From track one to last, I can’t help but love the beats, the voice and the lyrics. My knowledge is too little to compare him with anything else at all, but trust me it’s very good. 8.5/10.

Top track : Colossal Insight. One cool groove, with some video game noises thrown in for good measure.

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead : Worlds Apart

Another funny band to nail down. Always remembered as rather loud and laden with heavy guitars, and the start of the album doesn’t disappoint. But all throughout there’s some bizarre stuff (childen’s choirs ? Medieval strings ? Eminem-style ‘Skits’? Pink-floydian chorus ?) that makes this work seem rather unfocussed. When they’re good (Will You Smile Again ?, Caterwaul), they’re still rather excellent and mighty (though tunes aren’t always easy to remember). It’s just that they don’t seem to be arsed doing it all the time. The first half is great, but after that it all goes a bit pear-shaped, The Best isn’t bad but not quite worthy of its title, and the final track is not so great either. If only they could keep it tighter, more compact, they would make a fantastic album. On this one, it’s just a frustrating 7.5/10 overall. Go see them in the flesh though, because live, they certainly don’t fuck about. A powerful show.

Top Track : Will You Smile Again ? A classic rocker following the theatrical intro.

Low : The Great Destroyer

The opening track on this is like Climbing up the walls fused with There There (both Radiohead’s). Erm, OK, don’t be fooled by the ‘Low gone for heavy-rock’ critics. The guitars may be a touch louder here than on previous efforts, but there’s still much restraint on show. Nothing revolutionary, but it’s still magisterial American rock. You need to have plenty of time to take it in, because it’s one of those albums that requires space to fill. It spreads its wings, takes its flight and remains there before quietly landing on your mind. Another quality release from this lot then, but just don’t be in a rush, it’s still rather (s)low.  8/10

Top track : Pissing : a great album closer...if they hadn’t bothered to put two songs after this smouldering beauty.

The Others.

The new thing these days: you don’t need to actually be able to sing to be the singer in a great band. Proof’s here in this album. Just the raw Rock’n’Roll. Taking over where the Libertines left off possibly, bisexual drug abuser Dominic Masters fits the bill, and with his band of misfits offers a great no-frills London album. Songs about not wanting a shit job (Lackey), ditties about their own fans (Community 853), about his transsexual boyfriend (Johan) or dead mates (Darren, Daniel, Dave). And the music’s just to my taste, greasy bass lines and slow-burning riffs. And the life-affirming lyrics. Heir to the Libs ? The anti-Bravery? Anyway it’s the sound of downing a few cans, hitting the streets and dancing like you don’t care/know how to. Top drawer: here’s to more guerrilla gigging! 9/10

Top track : Lackey. The opening bass line, the incendiary riff, I don’t wanna be a lackey in a job that doesn’t pay, I don’t wanna sell my soul to the man today. A fine opening salvo, both musically and lyrically.

Athlete: Tourist

What’s that about ? Athlete are supposed to have grown mature, write sensitive music and….but I just don’t buy it.  Actually, it takes a few listens to get into, and I’m not gonna slaughter it as hard as I was going to after the first. There is some emotion here (Wires, about the singer’s son troublesome birth being a case in point). It’s just that it’s overall rather monotonic and Mr Pott’s slightly whining voice seriously doesn’t help. It’s a lot better on a downer, but there’s still no memorable melody here, hardly any rhythm, and Athlete still prove a dab hand at...writing very irritating songs (Modern Mafia and its unbearably grating chorus). File next to Feeder. Or rather don’t. 6.5/10

Can I just take this opportunity to be amazed at how albums this year seem to all be ‘growers’? Some (like this one) will never grow very big, but even Silent Alarm belongs to the ‘grower’ category. Weird.

Top Track : Half Light. For a very brief instant, you hope this could be an exciting album. But really, the title says it all, doesn’t it ?

Eastern Lane: The Article

Another solid Rock’n’Roll album, better than most. There may be quite a few bands like them, it’s just sub-Libertines at times, there’s nothing so special about them, but this is still a more than decent record with a couple of top songs.7.5/10.

Top Track : I said Pig on Friday. Well, if you say so, I’ll sing along to that.

Bloc Party. : Silent Alarm

So it’s verdict time for the Party. Having heard all the tracks but two prior to the release, in a version or another thanks to early gigs and various sessions available on the web, I was bound to be disappointed, wasn’t I ? Well, no. Believe it or not, but despite my early heavy exposition to them, this album’s still a grower for me after the first few listens. And the ‘unknown’ tracks that I didn’t like that much at first listen are now making their way up my list. Forget the ‘2005’s Franz Ferdinand’ tags: it may be true in terms of success and impact, but certainly not in terms of music: there seems to be a lot more subtlety and variety to Bloc Party. so far, instantly danceable fast numbers as well as sweet and lovely quiet songs. From the slowly melodic So here we are or the touching Blue Light to the frenzied Luno or the urgent The Pioneers, the gamut of emotions covered here is wide indeed: unlike on Franz Ferdinand, not every song could be a single here.

Like eating glass, with instruments coming in one after the other is a great opener, building up to a frenetic climax. Hit single Helicopter quickly follows, and Positive Tension  starts to show the more subtle side of their tricks. “Something glorious is about to happen” indeed. The newly recorded Banquet doesn’t differ much from the original (amazingly, if anything, it’s possibly more energetic), so it’s still ace, but the reworking of She’s Hearing voices scores bonus points for extra riffage. And a further proof that you don’t need to actually be able to sing to front a band. The inventive riffs are crystal clear and scattered all over the album, only the gimmicky Price of Gas, and the slightly boring closing track (Compliments) letting the side down a bit. When you think of all the great tracks they’ve left off (Skeleton ? Tulips ? Staying Fat ? Little Thoughts ? …), I’ve only got one piece of advice to give you : get the LP, the EP, and the Little Thoughts single, download Skeleton from the fan site and get going. My album of the year is generally not released that early int the year, but Silent Alarm may just have killed all competition already. And with a name like that, who would bet against them winning if they stand for the next general election ? 9.5/10

Top Track : Luno. It’s unlikely you’ll hear a better track all year.

The Kills : No Wow.

Not much of a new direction for our favourite transatlantic pair. But hey, if it ain’t broke...Maybe the sound’s slightly more polished, less raw, but there’s no mistaking its origin. So you get the usual this-could-easily-be-PJ Harvey songs (Dead Road 7), scratchy-vinyl sounds (the opening title track), and repeat-that-cool-rhythm-cool-riff-over-and-over-again formulas (first single The Good Ones and the similar-sounding Love is a Deserter). Not a leap forward then, and you’ve heard it all after three or four songs, but really what’s the problem ? There’s not that many bands like them around, and it’s still a very good and enjoyable record. 7.5/10

Top Track : Your Love is a Deserter. They still do cool like no-one else.

Doves : Some Cities

It’s grim up North. And not getting any better. A couple of years after the exhilarating Last Broadcast, Doves are back, and I don’t enjoy them as much at all. New single Black And White Town is OK-ish and has a bit of rhythm going for it, but there’s a down, bleak feeling that annoys me now. More worryingly this whole album completely fails to grow much on me, even after a couple of extra spins. Overall it reminds me that there were a couple of songs on the last album that I didn’t really like (N.Y.), and this one is just full of numbers more or less in that vein. It’s like when you see two sides to something, and it turns out the ‘true’ one isn’t the one you loved in the first place, like I sort of wrong-guessed them. And it’s really annoying to hear a song like Walk in Fire, which is like a vastly inferior but near-identical rehash of 2002’s brilliant There Goes The Fear. Surely they can’t have already forgotten they wrote that song. Isn’t it a bit early for repeating yourselves there, lads ? This work’s too earnest, and you can see why they apparently stopped performing Spaceface for their live encores: is the fun really gone ? The melodies, unfortunately, certainly are, and I need a more euphoric time than this record can give me. 6.5/10

Top Track : Almost Forgot Myself. This one’s beautiful, has got this floating-through-the-air dreamy quality that will make you swoon.

The Mars Volta : Frances the Mute

More over ambitious work from the hairy ones ex-of At the Drive-in, these suites (4 of them, making up 15 sections on the back cover, but only 12 tracks on the CD. Baffled ?) hark back to mad times. Possibly the most prog-rock thing ever released. Yeah, shades of Zep, Santana, whatever, loads of noodling and yet technically undeniably brilliant. It’s one for the hidden muso in you. But yet, the only way you can possibly enjoy this is if you’re heavily loaded on drugs (and then I’m convinced it will be one of the most amazing things you’ve ever heard), or if you’re a bit of a w****r really… or at least a bit of a nerd. 7/10

Top track : The Widow. If only because it’s the one isolated piece of music that lasts less than 20 minutes on this record.

Kaiser Chiefs : Employment.

It’s hard to not be instantly taken by the irresistible opening couple of tracks. I was less impressed by the rest of it on first listen, but a couple more attentive attempts leaves you with the distinct feeling that this is a celebratory near-perfect pop album. It’s a bit like Dog Dies in Hot Cars minus the irritating voice (especially on the opening Everyday I Love you Less and Less), with shades of Clearlake (What did I ever give you ?) and dashes of Beatles (the accurately titles Na Na Na Na Naa), and, yes there is a slight touch of Madness to the verses of brilliant first single Oh My God. Loads of catchy hooks, clever steals here and there. So yes, it is rather good, and every song here is a potential single. Granted, there’s room for improvement (it tails off a bit after track 9), but it’s very clear in sound and truly enjoyable all troughout. A promising band that goes straight in at 8/10.

Top Track : I Predict A Riot. Their break-through single, I’m looking forward to the riot in front of the stage when they play this.

The Bravery.

Towards the end of last year, a little E.P. from an unknown New York band appeared, and its lead tune became an instant favourite of mine. Hardly three months later, on the back of another admittedly brilliant single (An Honest Mistake) their first LP is already out. But sometimes I think you have to wait a bit longer instead of rushing your album. Nothing like Bloc Party. then. The new Killers ? Not quite. The sounds is like a more electronic/dance-oriented Strokes (most notably on Out of Line), and thank f*** they’re not Killers mk II. But let’s face it, on first listen most songs here sound like fillers, a simple attempt to cash in on the Zeitgeist before it’s too late. It’s certainly not bad, but there’s not very much to lift them above a band like Ima Robot from the other side of the States. Apart from those 2 singles, it’s hard to see anything beyond the posing, it all seems very frivolous. And yet. A few listens (much) later, I realised that this was actually an exciting record. Of course there’s a lot of vacuity (but after all, weren’t they supposed to have formed as a reaction to 9/11?), but there’s a quality to the sound (some kind of synth-disco indeed) and the moves, it’s danceable, it may be superficial but it’s fun. There are a couple of fillers, but the whole thing’s pretty different from most stuff here and is thoroughly enjoyable. There’s nothing wrong with pretending sometimes, and the cool, floating non-danceable Tyrant is another highlight that’s worth nearly as much as the singles. And I realised why I wasn’t so taken aback by this album the first time : I was just getting out of a couple of weeks of intense and quasi exclusive Bloc Party. listening, and there was no way such a record could not sound futile. 8/10.

Top Track : Unconditional. The first single, and still easily the best thing here.

Idlewild : Warnings/Promises

With a title like this, the ‘Scottish R.E.M.’ (as they were dubbed a while back already) put themselves on the line, and just about fail to deliver on their stunning previous album’s...promises. Not that Warnings/Promises is a bad album by any stretch of the imagination (The Space Between all Things is up there with The Remote Part’s best), it’s just that 2002 is three years back now, and not much ground seems to have been covered by Roddy Womble and his chums (OK, bass player Bob Fairfoull has been sacked since). Womble still sounds a bit like Michael Stipe at times, but the overall feeling is that there isn’t much here to make them stand out of the ‘very good guitar bands’ crowd. There’s not a bad track, it’s actually practically faultless (although cutting one of the best riffs short to finish Too Long Awake is a strange idea indeed), but  there’s nothing too exceptional either, so it pales just a shade when put next to the previous blast. Some bands sometimes produce one great album in the middle of their career. This isn’t the one, The Remote Part was. 7.5/10

Top Track : El Capitan. Quiet verse, anthemic chorus, brilliant and uplifting. A truly superb song.

Lemon Jelly : ’64’95.

I got this second hand because I didn’t expect much. And well, when expectations are very low, you often get a pleasant surprise, and this is just that, blending the likes of Four Tet, Moby and Daft Punk at times. As a matter of fact, it’s rather easy and sometimes enjoyable to listen to, with some numbers also possibly suitable for the dancefloor. But don’t get over-excited just yet, it’s still mostly coffee-table background music, and there’s a lot to be bored with (Don’t stop now ? Yes please do !). 7/10

Top Track: Go. A surprisingly rocking finale.

The Arcade Fire : Funeral.

Don’t worry about the title, this isn’t bleak at all, rather glorious indeed. One of these records I buy on the back of a good review, not having any idea about it. And I’m instantly taken by the Flaming Lips apeing opening track. This is a beautiful record with a great vibe. It’s got quiet moments, it’s got rocky moments, a couple of less interesting moments, granted, but overall this is truly excellent, enchanting and there’s a lot of variety. Time for Canada to take over...9/10

Top track:  Neighborhood 3 (Power Out). New Order meets the Polyphonic Spree. Splendid stuff !

Daft Punk : Human after all.

With a title like that, you’d expect something new, special, from these faceless robots? Well, move away if you do, because they’re neither about to show their faces on the artwork, nor intent on using acoustic instruments. It’s darker than their previous albums, less accessible, and I don’t just mean less immediate. There’s nothing un-robotic about the music here : no variety, no emotion (don’t be fooled by the final track’s title), and not much aural pleasure to be found. Some of it you may think good while very drunk on a dark and filthy club dancefloor (Steam Machine), but as far as musicality goes, this is pretty low. A sticker on the case says ‘Includes the single Technologic’ ? The song may be allright as theme tune to a kiddies program (with all the Crazy Frog sounds), and you may find it funny if you’ve really lost your taste, but it’s just one of the most irritating things to have ever reached my stereo. Human after all ? I suppose they mean fallible rather than with a heart. 5/10

Top track : Make Love. The music doesn’t evolve after the first ten seconds, but at least it’s got a lilting heart at its core.

Queens Of The Stone Age : Lullabies to Paralyze.

So what’s left of the Queens after Nick Oliveri’s departure ? Replacing him with a guy elegantly called, erm, Dan Druff may seem like a strange idea, but let’s face it, the music hasn’t suffered at all. Josh Homme is in control now, and the Queens are in safe hands. Once the inaugural lullaby is quietly sung by Mark Lanegan (a permanent fixture now), the album rushes into instantly recognisable QOTSA thrills. Follows a series of hard-rocking beasts, and then it alternates between heavy rock (Someone’s in the Wolf)  and more subtle moments (The Blood is Love), and this is both faultless and exciting. Not an ounce of excess fat (the sound is fat, it’s still metal QOTSA), excellent from start to finish, this may be an album of consolidation rather than a massive leap forward, but it’s imparably good. And now they’re already talking of Nick joining back ? Whatever, the Queens for now fully deserve their throne 8.5/10

Top Track : This Lullaby. Just because it’s deceptively different, such a lovely little introduction.

Six By Seven : left luggage at the peveril hotel.

A bizarre release this : studio outtakes and demos  recorded before their 04 album. They even claim on the sleeve that they release it mostly because they need the money. Or maybe they just realised that these songs are actually miles better than those on their last undercooked album (clue : I didn’t even bother reviewing it last year, though it had one superb song – Bochum) ? Despite Kele Okereke wearing his six-by-seven T-shirt last october, I very much doubt their sales will have soared since. However, a little repositioning before their next album proper might help these Nottingham rockers. A step in the right direction. 7.5/10

Top Track : Dreaming of a Better Life. Short and incisive for once. And aren’t we all ?

Patrick Wolf: Wind in the Wires

Some singer/songwriters are not like others. So the word ‘troubadour’ comes up instead. Patrick Wolf goes to Cornwall and records this LP, but he’s not just your normal gently-strumming acoustic guitar folkie. The music has a very polished sheen to it, a few electronic leanings, rhythm, and is a delight from start to finish. The strings are sparsely and cleverly used (as separate instruments rather than full-blown orchestras), this is like a contemporary symphony for the modern age. It’s not easy to compare with anything else, but it’s lovable all the same and goes down like a refreshing breeze (check the superb This Weather)  in the sometimes stereotypical world of popular music. A true work of art. 9/10

Top Track: The Libertine. See New Order’s top track (below) for a clue. ‘The Libertine is locked in jail’ Hello Peter ? ‘I’m going to run the risk of being free’. There’s a lesson for all of us in here.

Engineers.

Apparently they’re spearheading a shoegazing revival. Do you remember ? Early 90s ? The label that encompassed bands like Slowdive and Ride, but also My Bloody Valentine? And well indeed, it does seem like Engineers bear more than a passing resemblance to MBV, or maybe more specifically to Kevin Shields’ output on the Lost In Translation OST. Taking on the quiet side mostly, and with not that much feedback or distortion to drown their sound in, it may be beautiful for some, but it’s rather boring for me. OK there’s some well-worked singing harmonies, but most of it feels like such a melody-less dirge at time...Shoegazing revival is emphatically not a good idea, and despite the beauty at the heart of a few tracks (Let’s Just See for instance), maybe it was a thing that future engineers enjoyed fifteen years ago, but I guess I’m just in the wrong job. I just don’t find much excitement in either peering at my shoes or listening to this album indeed. 7/10

Top Track : Come in out of the Rain. At least this has got a little more poise, and you may want to turn it up and...look up.

British Sea Power : Open Season

On first listen, this sounds like a little rearranged version of their first album (you’d be forgiven to think that you’ve heard opening single It Ended On An Oily Stage before). If anything, it might initially feel slightly inferior to their debut, since the surprise effect’s gone. But as the album unfolds, you notice a slicker production and some poppier leanings, while it all ends up on...a gentle and truly beautiful manner (Engineers take note) with the last couple of tracks, The Land Beyond and True Adventures. They may have to find a couple of new tricks in the future, but for now this is still well worth your time and a good 8/10.

Top Track :  Please Stand Up. Classic BSP, lush, fairly immediate, but no less glorious.

New Order : Waiting for the Sirens’ Call.

It’s hard when your idols let you down, but hey, it always eventually happens.

The short version: everyone who’s told you this is a comeback to the days of Technique obviously hasn’t listened to Technique in a very long while. The best songs in here may sound slightly like Run or Guilty Partner, but these, however good, were like the weaker tracks on that album. And if it’s the dance/Ibiza vibe they’re referring to, don’t get misled, the dance-y stuff on some songs here doesn’t sound appealing at all. If you’re waiting for the Sirens’ Call indeed, it looks like you may have to look elsewhere. But then, maybe the clue was already there in first single Krafty, a distinctly average New Order song.

Now on to the long track-by-track version. I normally don’t do this, but I’ll make an exception, because this album sort of deserves it, in a not very flattering way.

It all starts with a fine, classic summery New Order tune, the sort you recognise not just from the bass sound, but also from the guitar, the rhythm and Bernard’s vastly underrated but truly affecting voice. The kind you want to turn up while driving in the sunshine. Unfortunately, after the following not-so-remarkable but not-too-irritating-although-slightly-too-long Hey Now What You Doing  and the rather lovable bittersweet title track (in the Run style as said earlier), that lovely summer feeling disappears. Krafty reminds you indirectly that Crystal three years ago was a great unexpected comeback single, while this is just New Order by numbers (you feel you’ve heard it all before, only better then : it’s like a N.O medley for fuck’s sake!).

And then the nightmare starts : first, I Told You So. When it starts, you’re half-wondering why an Ace of Base track pops up in the middle of the latest New Order album. Then Bernard’s vocals kick in, and you’re in more familiar and pleasant territory. Unfortunately, the track doesn’t really go anywhere and is found out being just a little gimmick after all. Morning Night and Day could be one of the weakest tracks if it were on Get Ready (it’s got more guitars, but still not much substance), but here it’s practically in the top half. As for Dracula’s Castle, it’s actually rather good, easily one of the best tracks here indeed (and it grows after a few listens), but let’s face it, it’s like a decent Monaco track sung by Bernard Sumner, rather than vintage New Order (but I did like Hooky’s work in Monaco a lot, so that’s not necessarily such a derogatory comment). But you’ve got to enjoy it, for it’s the last decent track on the album.

Don’t be fooled by the promising Low-Life era bass intro to Jetstream, the next feeling is that it’s actually one of the worst tracks ever committed to record by N.O. Unfortunately, its closest competitor for the title is.....the following Guilt is a Useless Emotion(and another rather deceptive intro), which, although in a similar-ish style, wouldn’t be worth inclusion in Electronic’s second album (which, again, I rate more than most people do). This couple of very dancey/clubby tracks are actually miles away from their best work in the land, their old 12in remixes from the mid-80s, or anything from Technique (give me Mr Disco or Vanishing Point anyday....). There’s still the subtle je-ne-sais-quoi that make these tracks identifiable as New Order’s, but hey, a shit song’s still a shit song. Although I’ve got to say that Jetstream (the next single, expect some more shit remixes, even though half this album already sounds like shit remixes...) is somewhat insanely catchy and stuck in my mind this morning. But then I suppose flu could be called that too...

The ensuing Turn, by contrast, is a very welcome respite and sounds like a half-decent song (more like a Cure B-side than a N.O. single however), but it’s only very relative.

I’ve always had that feeling that New Order (and Electronic for that matter, the great Sumner-Marr supergroup) finished most of their albums proper with a shit track (most notable exception Dream Attack from...Technique, but I also like the instrumental at the end of the vastly underrated Republic), but let’s just say here that New Order doing rockabilly is not pretty : Working Overtime is an absolutely terrible song (forget all I said before this is their worst); one just hopes the title doesn’t reflect on the time spent on it.

If they were a new band, I’m sure I’d be very enthusiastic about this record, maybe even the shit tracks, but I’m afraid New Order have gone the way of many many old artists : they’ve reached the point where they can only seem to repeat themselves, and, unlike Morrissey or The Cure last year, not always very well. They should have stopped at the somewhat more exhilarating Get Ready. They could still come up trumps next time, but for now, as Dominic Master would say, for all my disappointments, I’ll put The Others on and give New Order only 5/10. (but hey, don’t get fooled, I’d still listen to this much more than to Engineers for instance).

Top track : Who’s Joe ? (at least, despite the opening line, they had the good sense not to call it Hey Joe).Sometimes, I nominate the first track because it’s just like a massive statement of intent. At other times like here, it’s just : ‘if only the rest was like it!’.

 

New Order : Waiting for the Sirens' Call.

What ? Again ? Well, you see, the problem is that it was one of the last albums I got before submitting my reviews, so I went the easy way after just one and a half listen. And they are so easy to slag off on this. But what was I saying earlier about 'growers' ? Well, there you go again, even on the zillionth New Order album (OK it's 'only' their 8th album proper)! So I won't come back on all I said, because it's still technically(!) mostly true: Working Overtime is the pits, their worst track indeed, and you would feel slightly ashamed playing Jetstream and Guilt...  if you were driving an open-top car and the weather wasn't just sunny enough. But that doesn't make them shit and they will feel even better in a club, especially Guilt is a Useless Feeling (and isn't it just?) I really really can't take this album off the stereo right now, the bittersweetness (or is it the sweetbitterness ?), the pulse and the rhythm : it IS fucking ace.  Morning Night and Day is a great track, Dracula's Castle is just brilliant and oh well, I'm not gonna go over all of them again (Krafty is so-so but still lovely and loveable while, Turn is distinctly average) but I can still be generous, give it 8.5/10 for its addictivity. Even if it's just like a New Order/Electronic/Monaco best of  but with previously unreleased songs only (I'm sure I've used that for PJ Harvey last year), I'm pretty sure it'll make my best of list at the end of the year. Ultimately, it's all down to whether you enjoy an album or not, and I enjoy this one immensely. New Order, the best band ever ? Possibly.