Here's the latest New Order album, which notably lacks Peter Hook on bass. The lineup is mostly the same, however, with Tom Chapman replacing him on this record and Gilian Gilbert back in the recording studio, so this album is also the only one recorded as a quintet. The title makes me suspect it's New Order's last, though hopefully that isn't the case - and they did release a single five years later.
Even the cover is delightful - bold primary colours, not like the dull grid from Lost Sirens, which remind me of the colour code from Power, Corruption and Lies - after several albums of bland covers, this one is sleek and appealing.
The single tracks are in bold.
On to the music then, which at 65 minutes long is New Order's lengthiest by far. Trackwise, at eleven songs, it's level with Republic and Sirens for most songs, too. Restless opens the album with sweet electronic sounds before evolving into vintage-sounding New Order. Morris drums wonderfully, and Chapman's playing is indistinguishable from Hook's. It's terrific and catchy, even if Sumner gratingly rhymes restless with success, and opens the album on a very high note.
Singularity goes from gloomy to danceable, often shifting between the two, and makes for a decent second track. Driven by throbbing synths and a yearning sound, it also has a wonderful Joy Division-esque bassline, even if it's only sometimes clearly heard.
Plastic is techno from the start, with tense synths creating a wonderful danceable melody. It lasts over a minute before the rather subdued vocals come in. The chorus isn't particularly anything remarkable, and I prefer the verses, aside from when a thud is played when Sumner says "thunder", it feels too on the nose. The song tries to mix things up after four minutes, but to no major effect, and the song's ending is rather flat, too. It's okay, but feels a bit underwhelming considering what's come before. It's perfect for clubs, though.
Tutti frutti, though, is a great disco-like track from the offset, with a groove that makes it stand out. The chorus is lovely and energetic, and the instrumentation throughout is fantastic as well. There's a touch of piano, and the violins add a wonderful touch as well, along with metronomic drumming that's always on the snare. Though some of the lyrics are eyeroll inducing, it's a wonderful song, one of the best so far.
People on the High Line is similarly groovy, with a great bassline and piano work opening the song. The chorus is less spectacular, but Elly Jackson's backing vocals add nicely to it. The instrumental breaks are similarly nice, as the song fades out and moves into Stray Dog. It's not as great as Tutti frutti, but it's nonetheless a decent dance song.
This song has Iggy Pop on it. It's peculiar and cold, with Iggy providing spoken vocals as it becomes an uptempo dance song. Very urgent, with violin flourishes and wonderful drumming, Iggy continues to speak about mires and alcoholism, and the song continues to be abstract. With a minute to go, Iggy finishes his poem, and the violins and guitar embark on wonderful solos. I could do without the dogs growling, though. The song is odd yet strangely captivating, and I wonder whether there even had to be any words. I know for certain that if Sumner was speaking, it wouldn't feel the same, Iggy's voice is perfect for this kind of track.
Academic leads us back to vintage New Order, with wonderful guitar work and Sumner's vocals returning to discuss "poison brews". There's the arena-perfect chorus and jangly guitar line that shimmers in the track, thus creating a lovely pop song that's hard to not like.
The suspense built up by Nothing but a Fool turns into a wistful song, with lovely guitarwork and lyrics about the loss of a loved one. The drumming and bass stand out in an emotional track, with some wonderful backing vocals as well. I'm not sure if it needed another chorus at the end, but otherwise it makes for an interesting musical pivot - dancing isn't required for this song.
"Heartache", repeated numerous times, opens Unlearn This Hatred, a very curious club song. The synths remind me of 90s Eurodisco, there's even a slight beat drop; the looping beat can get a bit irritating after getting through one verse. It's not noticeably bad, in fact it's quite catchy, but I'm fine with it being the shortest song on the album by a minute.
The Game flips between pulsing synths and reflective guitar lines, a rousing chorus between them. The backing vocals are now fainter, more distorted, and it's a clearer ode to techno than most songs on this album. I wish they persisted with that aspect, instead of the softer chorus, which I think could have been its own song on the album and shone better. The outro greets us with a great guitar solo and some violins, before ending abruptly.
Superheated has Brandon Flowers, from The Killers, on it. An energetic song with restless synths, it would be a great way for New Order to bow out album-wise (if this turns out to be their last), full of wistifulness and even some bells and strings in the middle that truly elevate it. Flowers has similar vocals to Sumner, it was hard telling who was singing what at times. And, much like Flowers' singing, the album "is over".
Music Complete is a brilliant album which is a return to form for New Order, after the sluggish spell of the Sirens recordings. I will admit I miss Hooky, but Chapman's basslines were a decent substitute, and the songs were quite good, as well. Hopefully I'll be able to review more albums in the future, but I guess this is the end of the journey.
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