Where would dance or club music today be without the godfathers of the genre New Order? No where I tell you. How did a band from the dark, rainy confines of Manchester, England create bouncy synth rock that transcends from their start in the late ’70s as Warsaw then Joy Division, to their most current record, Waiting For The Siren’s Call. You’d think it would be all doom and gloom like fellow Manc Morrissey. Born out of the desperate “no future” of Thatcher’s England, this band’s legacy proves they are authentic, the real deal. True legends. The album features multiple producers including Stephen Street (Blur, The Smiths), John Leckie (Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Stone Roses), Stuart Price (Madonna) and New Order themselves. Kicking off with the quasi-cover of Hendrix’ “Hey Joe”, “Who’s Joe” is nothing less than solid. Track two, title track “Waiting For The Siren’s Call” is considered by the band to be one of the best songs they’ve ever written. It has a latter-day New Order feel a la 2001’s Get Ready but does not stray too far from the Peter Hook killer bassline/Bernard Sumner tasteful guitar plucking recipe they perfected decades ago. UK first single “Krafty” is a classic. The layered choruses, the programmed beats, the lilting synths and perfect use of guitars are where New Order own the patent on hit songs. One of my favorite songs is cheesy named “Dracula’s Castle”, not the usual New Order title, but the Count Chocula™ of tunes. Another standout is “Turn”, a storytelling vibe of a song in the vein of “Love Vigilantes” off Low-life. “Working Overtime” shows how they are one of the only dance bands who know how to use the electric guitar, something that truly sets them apart. “Jetstream”, augmented vocally by Scissor Sister Ana Matronic, could be an underground hit for New York Jets fans for it contains the mindless Jet mantra “J-E-T-S” throughout the song. Go Gang Green! As a testament to their timelessness, New Order are headlining this year’s Glastonbury Festival in the UK. No irony or nostalgia, just a great band playing great music.
