A curious aspect of Low-life's cover art is that with a physical copy, you can choose different versions - there are four options, each with a grainy photo of a band member, and I've chosen the cover with Gilian Gilbert as my lead photo. Perhaps changing a photo in a jewel case doesn't sound like anything special, and it wouldn't be a major selling point for any record, but the idea of customisable cover art isn't one you often hear about, and it's thus one way that Low-life stands out amongst other albums that came out around that time.
The main way it stands out is, obviously, the music. And it's great.
The transition of New Order's sound from gloomy post-punk to upbeat, house-inspired dance is in full swing by this point. Whilst Power, Corruption and Lies had large amounts of electric songs, there was always a song like We All Stand that changed the mood completely. Low-life at times doubles down on this, though usually with an irresistible beat and with more electronics than before.
You've got to start somewhere, however, and in this case, it's Love Vigilantes. Sumner's melodica is somewhat melancholic, as he sings about a soldier with lyrics he admitted were more sarcastic than anything else - I personally find them a bit weak and simple anyways. The song, though, is a decent opener - it's rather intimate and welcoming in sound, and the bass and guitar solos combining towards the end is lovely as well. The entire song itself feels rather open and emotional, helped by Sumner's yearning voice, and you can immediately tell the next thirty-five minutes will be joyful, yet also sometimes bittersweet.
The next track is The Perfect Kiss, which maintains energy throughout and is irresistably catchy. Sumner now sings more confidently, with lyrics now more inane - a man meets a girl and has fun with her whilst there's a risk of being shot - which I find to be somewhat of a let down. The song itself is the embodiment of fun and letting oneself go, with synths diving into the croaking of frogs, before recharging to crescendo as the song fades out amidst Hook's magnificent bass playing. You can tell New Order really liked recording the song, and I'd advise everyone to go and listen to its much better single release with a proper intro and ending creating a club-ready hit.
From here, the songs continue to deviate between the brooding and the buoyant. This Time of Night is rather gothic in style, with some flourishes of piano and cold synths, more like The Cure than any other tracks here; the song, though, only really comes to life in the chorus and sounds weaker than the rest of Side 1. It's good, but weaker than the ones beside it. Then you have Sunrise, which also starts off unsettling before Hook's bass comes in and it's suddenly danceable; the music is incredible and captures that gothic feel much better, whilst also having an unmistakable groove and making the synths even more foreboding - perhaps this track's the best one New Order made in the 1980s. And Side 1 ends more energetic than it started.
Keyboard notes open Side 2 on Elegia, a beautiful instrumental recorded in memory of Ian Curtis; the strums of guitar and synthesised choir slowly build into a stunning wave of sound, one which is bleak and disorderly - the crashing of cymbals, the closing guitar riff - and is reminiscent of Closer, especially songs like The Eternal. There's even a seventeen minute version, as if five minutes wasn't enough.
That mood is ruined by Sooner Than You Think, as we're back to danceable songs. The chorus is hard to not smile to with Sumner's delivery, and Hook's all over this track with his sublime playing which adds a slight gothic tinge to this song. It's a brilliant song, and my only question is why it was put directly after Elegia. And as the synths close out the song, we're straight to Sub-culture, the second single from the album. The vocals are more subdued, as the same synths melodies loop throughout - it's a more straightforward pop song, one that severely lacks Hook's playing until the end - and when the bass comes in, it becomes more interesting with a fantastic outro. Just a shame the first three minutes weren't that exciting. Maybe I just prefer post-punk New Order, though.
The album ends on a surprisingly cheerful note, with Face Up. The opening minute, a dark soundscape with Morris' harsh drumming, is horribly misleading -it transforms into a song full of vibrant synths and Sumner sounding the happiest he has been on the album, even as he sings "How I cannot bear the thought of you". The bass shimmers throughout and the closing guitar riff is even more chipper, and as the song fades out, one must wonder how in four years, almost the same group of people went from making Movement to this track. I suppose that what disco does to you.
And with that, forty minutes of a wonderful album has finished. Beyond this point, the music gets only brighter.
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