New Order - Krafty

I can remember thinking how cool I was in 1985 when I first discovered this band called New Order. It was all I could do to keep from tripping over myself getting out of the car with my 12-Inch vinyl of "Blue Monday". Maybe a year later on a very cold December afternoon, I went to Sound Warehouse with the money I had saved from my allowance to buy this great CD called Brotherhood, mostly because I was so impressed with the packaging. The CD cover was printed with a foil overlay that made it look like a piece of metal had been inserted in the CD Jewel Case, and I listened to the song "All Day Long" over and over again. From that day forward, I was forever taken with the band, and of the bands of my childhood New Order are one of the only ones I have consistently waited excitedly to hear new recordings from.

Though they slacked a bit through the 1990's as they were getting their collective shit together, New Order blazed into the 21st century with a brilliant album entitled Get Ready, and I knew that they had lost none of their fire. Harkening back to shades of early New Order, a taste of The Smiths and even Joy Division, Waiting For The Siren's Call should be embraced by fans both old and new. The 11 tracks on the album are proof that some things can get better with age and experience. It is a showcase for the best New Order has to offer us, covering a ranging series of styles from dancehall and electro to, yes, even punk rock. The creativity of New Order has emerged from its shell to produce a glorious recording that ranks among their finest. For you pundits who would like to send Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Gillian Gilbert, and guitarist-in-residence Phil Cunningham out to pasture, put away your pens. You get no such opportunity with this recording. New Order have pulled out all the stops. Produced by Stephen Street, John Leckie, Stuart Price, and New Order themselves, this CD should put to rest any allegations of getting long in the tooth. It's easy to say that the finished CD is perhaps not as glorious as the earliest New Order; yet Sirens stands on its own as a testament to how far they've come. It's exactly what you want from New Order -- gleeful, catchy, playful electronic pop genius.

Because of my long-standing love affair with New Order, I'm admittedly slightly prejudiced. But just listen to the clarity of the performances and the songwriting. They speak for themselves. Both this single, "Krafty", and the bonus track, the title track from the album, should be enough to tide everyone over. The CD does not see American shores until April 12th. Here's hoping we both get to catch them at the 2005 Coachella Valley Music Festival.

TRACK LISTING:

01 Who's Joe
02 Hey Now What You Doing
03 Waiting For The Siren's Call
04 Krafty
05 I Told You So
06 Morning, Night, and Day
07 Dracula's Castle
08 Jetstream
09 Guilt Is A Useless Emotion
10 Turn
11 Working Overtime

UPDATE: The album is now available for pre-order from Amazon by clicking here.