New Order – Waiting For The Sirens Call
A New Order album is like an event. They don’t come very often; this is the second in the last 12 years (2001 Get Ready and 1993 Regret), so of course anticipation was very high. After all these years they still sound fresh and hip.
“Who’s Joe” starts off with an interesting mildly dark intro. The track is a simple little rock song that is very charming. “Hey Now What You Doing” would fit in perfectly on “Get Ready,” again another guitar driven number and some nice daft lyrics to boot. “Krafty” of course is just plain splendid. “I Told You So” is where things start to get a bit on the dance side. It’s got a nice pounding beat. The track does have a good feel to it and will get the people moving. “Morning Night And Day” has a big beat intro, that smooth Hooky bass line, big silly chorus. It’s all here for fantastic pop song. “Jetstream” features Scissor Sisters vocalist Ana Matronic. She provides a sexy and sassy backup vocal to Bernard. The track is a lot of fun, its easy to sing along to, and would be a brilliant single choice. “Guilt Is a Useless Emotion” have the band sounding as sexy as ever. It’s a full on dance track that will not keep you in your seat. The track has some great beats and is heavy on the synths and this one really stands out. “Turn” is a track that at times reminds us of Joy Division but the vocals are a bit more upbeat. “Turn your eyes from me/It’s time for me to go/Across the hills and over the sea” its simple but very effective.
New Order created an album that plays out much like their Greatest Hits would. You have a few songs very guitar oriented and then you have some full out dance tracks. The band has survived everything thrown at them; but they still make some of the best pop music out there and still sound fresh and cutting edge.
By John Siwicki
