Low-Life

Meh, I generally like new wave but this album just wasn’t super interesting to me. I’ve liked some New Order that I’ve listened to, but this wasn’t my favorite.

Pop, Rock, 1985 -> 3

Can never hate on new wave

It all sounds very much like Blue Monday.

I love New Order, so I knew that I was going to like this album. However, I don't believe that this is their best work, still, Love Vigilantes and This Time of Night are bangers. Love Vigilantes 9 The Perfect Kiss 6 This Time of Night 8 Sunrise 6 Elegia 5 Sooner Than You Think 7 Sub-Culture 7 Face Up 8

A good album. NO definitely carved out a new sound melding rock and dance elements in their sound. Both ground breaking and influential

A little too new wave dancy for me, but the reality is that this is much more interesting than their contemporaries. Plus, there's a couple of dope rockers on it.

I have a really weird relationship with this album. For the most part I consider it just alright but there are some impressive highs that elevate it much more in my eyes. As a starter the whole atmosphere of the album is perfectly moody. Both the upbeat parts and the slower ones manage to stay coherent to the original vision. The whole package consists of 8 songs which make up a really nice listen. Bonus points if it's one of these gray days that would elevate the experience even more. Now as far as the ranking. My favorite song of the record is "Elegia". This one is a bit more special for me. It is actually one of my all-time favorite songs in general. There is something about it that throws me to the deepest corners of my psyche. Everything from the slow build-up to the eerie sounds layering on top of one another makes it a truly magnificent piece of art. I ultimately consider it New Order's greatest achievement. It also greatly skews my overall rating of the album. The second standout track, in my opinion, is "Sunrise".

For some reason, I thought this was going to be more electronica than synth-pop. I kinda dig it.

This was a pleasant background listen. Sounded very much like early 80's new wave but nothing stood out as a classic song.

3.25 - A few songs in had me thinking this was a four star banger, but there were some lulls later in the album that brought the rating down a bit.

Buenos sonidos futuristas del pasado, esos bombos medios comprimidoso y los teclados con sonidos tipo laser, son fantásticos. La voz de el ayuda mucho a acompañar todo esto, pero no se porque tengo como si la voz de joy division fuera otra. This time of night tema a destacar realmente muy bueno. El siguiente track (SUNRISE)también, se nota mucho el sentimiento, tanto en la voz como en el ritmo del track que va escalando llegando a un punto de climax intenso. Super valorable y positivo. Sonner than you think también gran tema a destacar, es un buen buen sonido que te hace moverte y disfrutar. En definitiva le tiro un 4 estrellas porque realmente es muy bueno new order y ni hablar joey division en esto. Los sonidos son muy futuristas para la epoca del disco y es sumamente agradable.

This album grew on me throughout the listen. It is really cool synth music and the actual sound is really full and satisfying. I really dug Sub-culture. I'll definitely listen to this again.

Nice little party in my phonehead. Tight, playful tracks that never let up. It's got this confident vibe without being arrogant. I could see this soundtracking a late-night dance-off or a road trip with friends. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions - Love Vigilantes - The Perfect Kiss - Elegia

Enjoyed this one quite a lot more than I expected to as I'm not normally big on synth-heavy music. But this was artfully done and with some enjoyable beats.

If the knight rider and airwolf soundtrack's grandma. I rue the day synths were invented

Ok, another 1980s British synthpop album appears! At least this band is actually decently known! Anyway, this album sounds almost exactly like I expected it to. While there are some quite engaging rhythms and guitar in addition to the synths and hooky songs, it mostly just sounds like all the list's other 80s pop albums. The vocalist especially is insanely generic, and so are the lyrics for the most part. The history of this band is probably why they're better known than most of the era's bands, as there's little difference in quality between this and, say, Soft Cell. I don't even think this is their most popular album, so I genuinely have no idea why it was included. Oh, wait, it's 1980s British synthpop, that's why.

I was expecting New Order to pop up at some point since, y'know, Blue Monday exists, but after searching around, it seems that never was released on a traditional album. Honestly, if you had told me this album was released after Blue Monday, I wouldn't have believed you; this sounds way more 80's than Blue Monday does. I still like it, but there's a lot more rock than I expected. It almost feels like they're taunting me with that synth sound at times, but choosing to focus more on the guitars.

sensational album by new order the highest point since the death of ian curtis and the end of joy diviaion lyrics that range from romanticism to war production of a typical electronic pop synth pop they are beautiful all different that never repeat themselves

Det va mer interessant enn mye anna de siste dagan, men de siste to uken har vært gudsjammerlig kjedelig, så det sier veldig lite. Men det va passe gøy, æ klage ikke!

Token new wave. Synth sins. Meh

I useta lump Blancmange, Depeche Mode and New Order into a bin of synth-pop bands that don’t really do much for me. Then Depeche Mode came up with VIOLATOR (1990) — which I loved — and last year I picked up an old Blancmange album on vinyl and liked it more than I expected. Given that, and my fond memories of New Order from friends’ mix-tapes and 80s alternative playlists, I was looking forward to this one. But LOW-LIFE doesn’t really add up to an album for me. It’s basically three great tracks (“Love Vigilantes,” “The Perfect Kiss” and “Elegia”) paired with 5 other OK songs. And taken as a whole this all just sounds too similar on a song-structure level from one track to the next. Too drony and repetitive and icily slick. Overall, disappointingly, these eight tracks just left me cold. 2.5 stars

Not the 80s vibe I was into. Interesting how the bass guitar is the lead, vocals not polished.

I enjoy New Orders top hits but did not enjoy this album.

I've never been a big New Order fan, but I enjoyed this album. My favorite song is Elegia, such a beautiful, haunting song.

temas para ir caminando por londres

Not too shabby. I've listened to very little Joy Division/New Order and I expected this to be darker, but it was a lot dancier than I was thinking it'd be. I can see where a lot of later bands pulled inspiration from this.

Yeah this was exactly what I expected from this band. Not really surprising therefore, but pretty nice to listen to overall. It lacked a bit of variety but overall it was a good listen. 3/5

average good

sensational album by new order the highest point since the death of ian curtis and the end of joy diviaion lyrics that range from romanticism to war production of a typical electronic pop synth pop they are beautiful all different that never repeat themselves

Frogs??? Faves: Love vigilantes Perfect kiss (besides the frogs)

Solid album. 3.25/5

A little bit of the Cure, a little bit of Depeche Mode. It’s not my thing but I can dig it.

I finished listening to it 30 seconds ago and I already forget the entire album

Easy listening

This album will be over Sooner Than You Think. May leave you Face Up towards the Sunrise.

classic 80s synth pop

A couple of interesting electronica bits and then a lot of quite generic 80s pop. Definitely didn't feel as fresh/interesting/different as the Joy Division stuff to me.

I have a few New Orders albums, not this one. Actually, I don't recognise any of the songs. Starts great, sounds like New Order, no duds but then again no total standouts. 3.5 rounded up Heard before? No Owned: No 59/247 (23%) Will I get: Maybe

Nice!

Not bad electronic music but didn't find anything too stand out

Amazing album by one of my favorite bands

3/26 Not bad

the vocals were tough to get through and the music was okkkk a lot of 80's bland electronica/dance synth music. It's just really average

Jeg kan faktisk ret godt lide det. Jeg er overrasket over det, fordi det er så sindsygt dateret i lyden, men på en charmerende måde. Den får lige et lyt mere idag. 👌

Når jeg hører sådan et helt New Order album, så begræder jeg endnu mere Ian Curtis’ alt for tidlige afsked med denne verden. Der er virkelig langt fra Joy Divisions post-punkede lyd til det her dansemusik. Jo New Order rammer nogen gange plet, og her rammer de også et par okay gode numre. Men det når slet slet ikke samme højder som Unknown Pleasures mm.

Good music but wow Sumner's voice is hit or miss

Bellino dai. Musica anni 80 ma non è noiosa.

More upbeat than I expected. I think of New Order as doom and gloom emo music. Not exactly full of sunshine and rainbows, but energetic at least. They’re growing on me as a result of this project!

Released on **May 13, 1985**, *Low-Life* represents a pivotal moment for New Order. It was their third studio album, recorded at Britannia Row and Jam Studios in London, and notably the first to feature the band members' faces on the cover—wrapped in tracing paper that had to be torn open. This was a significant departure from Peter Saville's typically abstract designs . --- ## Lyrics Bernard Sumner's lyrical approach on *Low-Life* is characteristically **deceptively simple yet emotionally resonant**. The album showcases a fascinating duality: **Narrative Storytelling:** "Love Vigilantes" opens the album with what appears to be a straightforward country-tinged tale of a soldier returning from war—though many interpret it as the ghost of a fallen soldier. Inspired partly by Kenny Rogers' "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town," it carries an anti-Vietnam War message beneath its bittersweet melody . **Dark Humor and Provocation:** The band's mischievous side emerges in tracks like "The Perfect Kiss" (originally titled "I've Got A Cock Like The M1") with lines like *"Tonight I should have stayed at home/Playing with my pleasure zone"* and "Sub-culture's" *"You realise you can't shaft without someone else"* . These deliberately provocative lyrics, delivered with deadpan sincerity by backing vocalists, create moments of unintentional hilarity. **Existential Melancholy:** "This Time of Night" features the album's title source—a sample of journalist Jeffrey Bernard saying *"I'm one of the few people who lives what's called a low-life"* from his *Spectator* column. The sample caused controversy when Bernard threatened legal action, leading the band to sneakily reduce its volume to a barely perceptible whisper while keeping it on the record . **Collective Writing:** Unlike "Love Vigilantes," most lyrics were written collectively by the entire band, contributing to the album's diverse emotional palette . --- ## Music & Sound *Low-Life* represents New Order's **most eclectic musical statement**, seamlessly blending multiple genres: **Genre Fusion:** The album moves from country-tinged pop ("Love Vigilantes") to ecstatic dance-rock ("The Perfect Kiss"), brooding instrumentals ("Elegia"), and guitar-driven rock ("Sunrise"). This diversity is arguably the album's greatest strength . **"The Perfect Kiss":** A nine-month production journey that became the album's centerpiece. The track features the famous "frog solo"—the band sampled a pinball machine flipper after Warner Brothers demanded $30,000 to license the "That's All Folks!" sample . **"Elegia":** A 17.5-minute instrumental edited down to under five minutes, dedicated to Ian Curtis on the fifth anniversary of his death. Inspired by Ennio Morricone's score for *For A Few Dollars More*, it creates a "cyclical motif" of "twinkling glacial keyboards, ringing bass, alternately shimmering and choppy guitars" . **Innovative Techniques:** For "Sunrise," the band achieved a metallic lead guitar tone by removing strings and placing small metal washers at the bridge end. "Sooner Than You Think" opens with the same sampled congas as "The Perfect Kiss" . **The Cure Connection:** "This Time of Night" features a bass sequencer melody that Robert Smith noted was "a direct steal" from The Cure's "A Forest"—slowed down. Smith took it good-humoredly, suggesting the band "must have had a few beers, got drunk, put the Cure record on and then decided 'wow! that sounds like a good tune!'" . --- ## Production **Self-Production:** Produced by New Order themselves with engineering by Michael Johnson, the album reflects the band's growing confidence in the studio. Stephen Morris noted: *"With Low-life, I think we grew up and became a proper band... we wrote great songs and played them with conviction"* . **Technological Evolution:** The band adopted MIDI and SMPTE timecode, adding a Voyetra-8 polyphonic analogue synth to their existing gear from *Power, Corruption & Lies*. The mixing process at Britannia Row was described as "slow and painstaking" . **Tension and Chaos:** The sessions were fueled by cocaine (a new addition to their previous habits of pot and acid), alcohol, and increasing internal friction. Bernard Sumner's habitual lateness, chaotic working patterns, and the band's divergent lifestyles (Morris, Sumner and Gilbert being nocturnal while Hook tried to maintain boundaries) created pressure . **The "Sub-Culture" Remix Controversy:** The John Robie remix of "Sub-culture" for single release was widely criticized as "over-egged/overcooked," though later Razormaid remixes were more favorably received . --- ## Themes **Duality of "Low-Life":** The album title encapsulates its central tension—between the hedonistic, nocturnal club culture (the band frequented leather subculture clubs like Skin Two, inspiring "Sub-culture" and "This Time of Night") and moments of genuine emotional vulnerability . **Memory and Loss:** "Elegia" explicitly memorializes Ian Curtis, while the album as a whole represents the band's navigation of their post-Joy Division identity—no longer purely post-punk, not yet purely dance-pop. **War and Violence:** Beyond "Love Vigilantes," the Falklands War influenced the album's atmosphere, with Bernard's military obsession shaping lyrics . **Sexuality and Subculture:** The leather/S&M club scene permeates tracks like "Sub-culture," reflecting the band's immersion in these worlds—Peter Saville was even spotted "skulking in the shadows" at such clubs, claiming to be "just curious" . --- ## Influence & Legacy **Chart Success:** *Low-Life* became New Order's first album to chart in America, reaching #94 on the Billboard 200. "The Perfect Kiss" hit #1 on the UK Indie Singles chart and #5 on US dance charts . **MTV Breakthrough:** The Jonathan Demme-directed video for "The Perfect Kiss" helped establish New Order as MTV stars, bridging indie credibility with mainstream exposure . **Genre Creation:** As one reviewer noted, *Low-Life* was *"the first in a genre no one could name, but everyone recognised"*—perfectly synthesizing bass-driven post-punk with electronic dance music . **Cover Versions:** The Oyster Band covered "Love Vigilantes" as a single in 1989, demonstrating the track's belated recognition as a classic . **Cultural Permanence:** Forty years later, the album remains *"one of New Order's defining works"* and *"still shines as brightly as ever"* . --- ## Pros | Aspect | Strength | |--------|----------| | **Diversity** | Seamlessly blends country, synth-pop, rock, dance, and ambient instrumentals—no two tracks sound alike | | **Songcraft** | Contains some of New Order's most enduring songs: "The Perfect Kiss," "Love Vigilantes," "Elegia," "Sunrise" | | **Production** | Flawless self-production that balances electronic precision with human warmth | | **Emotional Range** | Moves from euphoric dance tracks to melancholic tributes without losing coherence | | **Innovation** | Pioneering use of sampling, MIDI, and genre fusion that influenced countless synth-pop and dance-rock acts | | **Band Chemistry** | Peter Hook's melodic bass, Sumner's guitar textures, Morris's drum programming, and Gillian Gilbert's synths achieve perfect interplay | | **Accessibility** | More immediately engaging than *Power, Corruption & Lies* while maintaining artistic integrity | --- ## Cons | Aspect | Weakness | |--------|----------| | **Vocal Limitations** | Bernard Sumner's "slightly strained vocal style" and "nasally" delivery can be "grating" to some listeners—one reviewer compared it to "a guy singing karaoke at a bar after several drinks" | | **Lyricism** | Some critics find the lyrics "simple" or "nursery rhyme" level—"mundane and banal subject matter" that occasionally feels like an afterthought | | **Inconsistency** | The extreme diversity means not every track appeals to every listener; "Sooner Than You Think" is sometimes cited as a relative weak spot | | **Mix Issues** | Some tracks suffer from "weird" mixing choices—"This Time of Night" features "overdubbed drum fills [that] practically coat the song" | | **"Sub-culture" Remix** | The single remix by John Robie is widely considered "godawful naff" and "dated" compared to the album version | | **Cultural Barriers** | The 80s production aesthetics (gated reverb drums, specific synth sounds) can sound "dated" or "like someone just got a new Casio for Christmas" to modern ears | --- ## Conclusion *Low-Life* stands as **New Order's most eclectic and arguably most complete album**—the moment when they fully synthesized their post-punk heritage with dance music innovation. While Bernard Sumner's vocals and occasionally simple lyrics remain points of contention, the musical achievement is undeniable. The album captures a band at the height of their creative powers, navigating internal tensions and external pressures to create something that defined an era and influenced generations of electronic and alternative music. As Stephen Morris reflected: *"Everybody knew what they were doing and even if we didn't realise it at the time, we were somewhere near the top of our game"* . Forty years on, that assessment holds true—*Low-Life* remains a cornerstone of 1980s music, bridging the gap between rock and electronic dance culture in ways that still resonate today.

Songs I liked: - Sunrise - Love Vigilantes - Elegia Very moody, but some of it felt too soft to me. I liked it all in all.

Some great songs on here but has to be rated a 3 against the masterpiece that is Power Corruption & Lies.

Great album by New Order feat many of my favourite tracks by them like Elegia and Love Vigilantes.

Mér finnst að ég ætti að fíla þetta betur en ég geri, þarna eru element sem ég kann við, en heildin er ekki að heilla mig. Dreg þetta kannski ekki í tvist, en eigum við að segja að þetta sé solid 2,7?

Tosi modernin kuuloista levyksi mikä on tullut 85. Tykkäsin, paljon rokimpaa kuin mitä odotin. Elegia kanssa hieno instrumentaali välisoitto mitä tän iän levyissä ei nyt yleensä ole. Parhaat: Love Vigilants, Elegia

I enjoy the more instrumental songs, but not the more vocal ones. Frog samples were interesting

Я заебался уже

Not the best New Order Album, but OK.

New Wave and Post Punk are such a hit or miss genres for me, and I blame it on this list, because it features an incredibly amount of bland and mediocre records that fall under these categories. As a result, I thought I wasn't going to like this, and the first seconds didn't help, as it opens with the drum sounding incredibly loud and with that particular sound of the 80's I cannot stand. However, it seems like I shouldn't have doubt the band previously known as Joy Division, because this album actually slaps. What I thought was going to be a generic pop album from the 80's turned out to be a very moody, melodic and grandiose post-punk record with some touches of synth-pop. I want to make emphasises in the moody sound of this album, as it is the aspect I enjoyed the most. It reminded my a lot of The Cure, not only because the bass and vocals sound incredibly similar, but also because some songs have some gloomy and sad atmospheres with the very vulnerable and intimate melodies. The best examples of dark moments are "This Time of Night", "Sunrise", "Elegia" and "Sub-culture", being very slow and deep songs. "Sunrise" might not be as slow as the others, but it has a very sinister intro and I also wanted to mentioned it because I believe it is the best song of the album. The choruses in here are sound absurdly epic and grandiose and the vocals are super expressive. Although its darkness is great, this album is also incredibly catchy and vibrant. There are a handful of quite cheerful and uplifting parts, like the opening "Love Vigilantes", the very ambitious "Perfect Kiss" and its use of frog sounding noises and the very infectious ending "Face Up". So yes, I was incredibly surprised with this. It may have some dated aspects from the 80's, but in this instance, it didn't even bothered me.

Not for me. Didn't love the singer's vocal tone and the songs were too similar for me.

disappointing. 1 great track, the rest is pretty middle-of-the-road 80's stuff

Just kinda sounds like New Order. Not as good as where they’d been, or where they were going.

Brought me down a Joy Division rabbit hole, that was fun

4/5

The lyrics don't match the music, matey(sorry, I'm in a St. Patrick's Day mood). Ahoy, I was expecting some more thrashing, and all I got was some old school workout music. Favorite Track: "Elegia".

His voice is very generic british 80s pop, however the synth does sound great. Elegia is really a cool song.

Really like this. It is interesting, enchanting and well put together. Solid 4.

More new wave poppy 80's crap. Yawn.

This reminded me of the cure a lot but they don’t do anything that special for me. Elegia was great tho I liked that one

Good find

Great new wave sound captured here on an enjoyable album.

It was ok probably just a three it's not offensive but it's not joy division

Now, hey! This is pretty solid. Very Smiths-esque, like a lot of entries on this list. I had no idea the Smiths had such an "imitated" style before starting the project, but there you go. It's a very distinct 80s-British sound, and it can be pretty hit-or-miss. The spacey, echoey 80s production can get pretty stale for a lot of people (myself included!). But New Order does something that few others do: they make the music reasonably catchy. Love Vigilantes? Groovy as heck. The Perfect Kiss? Damn catchy. But problems start to arise when the band compromises songwriting, memorability, and musical hooks for the sake of... atmosphere(?) and track length(?). Beginning with This Time of Night – the weakest track on the album – the quality gets a bit sketchier, and you really begin to feel the length of some of the tracks. Sunrise, though very exciting and packed with space-rock-esque guitars, goes on a little too long (without changing texture a single time) for comfort. The percussion is all over the place in The Perfect Kiss. Kind of a "fluttery" atmosphere. I haven't really heard anything else like it. This song is solid. Elegia stands out as the mellow-yet-weighty album centrepiece, the eye of the storm between Sunrise and Sooner Than You Think. (As an aside: what happened to instrumentals being the length of full songs? This slaps.) It's a relief to not have to hear Sumner's vocals for five minutes. They're fairly weak. Luckily they're quite low-energy in the song Sub-culture, which shines as a result. That track also uses the circle of fifths in its chord progression, which is always a win. 3/5 Key tracks: Love Vigilantes, Elegia

Oh this has that song from Stranger Things. I didn’t know the others here as I only know a handful of their songs, but ya, good stuff.

Should be 2.5 stars. Not a bad album but a definite step down from '83's Power, Corruption and Lies. As on 'Movement," N.O. sounds so unsure of its next move that it can't focus on the move it's making here.

Pretty cool

The sense of separation from JD is probably complete here. The album is good, has some strong elements but fails to provide anything to set the band apart from others. There are echoes of the Cure, Depeche Mode. The vocals are a weak point, when on point it feels 'in tune' but more often it is not. The rhythm section does not disappoint while some of the synthesizer frills are awful.

magical album, amazing musical experience

Like others have stated, the vocals ruined it!

I probably would like this album a lot more if it wasn't for his vocals little bit i don't know why a bit but there are a couple of good tracks, one of them being an instrumental. The opener "Love Vigilantes" is really a great track. "Sunrise" almost captures that spirit, but again the vocals drew it back. But the biggest standout track to me was Elegia", written as a tribute to Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis. It's a very emotional instrumental piece. It was featured prominently and *Pretty in Pink*, and featured prominently on the John Hughes mix CD box set "Life Moves Pretty Fast". It actually comes from a longer 17 minute piece which I've never heard in whole I need to check that out at some point. Honestly most of the music I liked it was mainly the vocals that just keep it from what could possibly be a strong four star album. (7.55) ★★★½

Enjoyable synth-pop. 4 stars

"Love Vigilantes" is an awesome song, but nothing quite matches the magic of the opening track. It's not all bad, but it feels a little bit like a let down after that. "Sunrise" is probably the song that comes closest to matching it. 3.5 stars.

Definitely an album to check out before you die over Technique which is their other one on this list. This has just much more of a classic feel from them front to back and is beefed by some genuine beefy hit whoppers as well. Perfect Kiss = Perfect Chef’s Kiss. Surprised it’s not playing with more people’s pleasure zones here. Sunrise has thrilling racing Fleetwood Mac Chain outro vibes and even a bit of Shadowplay as well. Sub-culture is the other standout banger although I do think the 12” mix on Substance is superior. Overall full of heart and full of class and livin the high life. 4.5 stars bumped up to 5.

At first, I thought this was just more uninteresting 80s synth pop. But the band name rang a bell. The music sounds a bit like The Cure and Sisters of Mercy, only less interesting. The exception is the track Elegia, of which there is also supposed to be a 17' version. I quite enjoyed listening to this album, but I won't be doing so again anytime soon. 3/5

I like it, i didn't knew his band, but i enjoyed this album and some of the recomendations by Spotify

The mid 80's had a lot of sounds I identify as "The Sounds of the 80's". Some bands were ahead of their times, like Bowie. Others were throwbacks like Ska and Rockabilly. This effectively ports me back to a certain time and place in 1986, mostly. Time travel does exist, in the vinyl between the tracks on this album. That said, if you don't go for this vocal style, it can be a hard album to listen to all the way through.

Only ever like one song, Blue Monday

Not a bad album. I never went out of my way to listen to new order back in the day other than the odd track. I think some tracks sound of their time but some are inspired. Well worth a listen

Really not much to say. In one ear, out the other. Reviews were right, vocals kinda stink.

No review, I was too busy at work

As emotional as the lyrics sometimes are, the style of music is just a bit too aloof for me to form a true attachment to it.

Redan när jag första gången hörde introt till första låten tänkte jag "...det här är världens bästa popmusik". Low-life var en sån där skiva som jag minns tydligt första gången jag hörde. Det var en sån där skiva som ruckade lite på ens popvärld. En liten liten förskjutning som gjorde att allt runt omkring kom i ett annat perspektiv, lät på ett annat sätt. Jag älskade The Cure, jag älskade Pet Shop Boys, och här kom nåt som lät som dom båda motpolerna, SAMTIDIGT. Jag håller fortfarande Low-life lite som en referensskiva till hur jag vill ha min popmusik. Den har varit betydelsefull för mig. Här finns det mesta av det jag tycker om. Det är självklar popmusik, melankoli och syntetiskt sväng. Kombinationen av analoga trummor, trummaskin och Peter Hooks bas är oöverträffad. Melankolin på "Elegia" som låter som en blandning av The Cure och Bowies Lowplatta. Syntarna som bär hela skivan i stora sjok och indiegitarrer som ömsom skär vasst igenom allt eller svävar på Cure-vis långt fram i mixen. Och allt blir självklara poplåtar, varenda låt skulle kunna vara en singel och potentiell hit. "The perfect kiss" är precis vad den heter, en perfekt popkyss flyktig men andlöst berusande. "Sub-culture" är den bästa Pet Shop Boys singel dom inte gjort själva. Och för alltid min favorit "Sunrise" börjar som The Cures "A forest" för att snart bli en stenhård knytnäve i magen av rusig popmagi. Det är den perfekta New Orderlåten. Enda stora invändningen jag har är att man i flera fall inte får fullängdsversionerna utan tonade albumversioner. Och avslutande "Face up" delar kanske sound lite väl mycket med dåtidens listpop för att kännas helt hundra, även om det är en bra låt. Jag säger som jag gjorde på Human Leagues Dare. Rent objektivt är det kanske en stark fyra men för mig blir det en femma. Den har betytt för mycket för att inte bli det.

New Order vid den här tiden är den perfekta syntesen av postpunk, synthrock och dansgolv. Och starkast av deras album är detta. Men jag tror man måste lära sig älska Bernard Sumners lite bleka, nästan uttryckslösa, sångröst för att fullt ut uppskatta New Order. För mig passar den som hand i handske. Allvarsam och rak, utan överspel. Inledande Love Vigilantes är en låt som gärna hade fått hålla på hur länge som helst. Sunrise, men Joy Division-gitarrerna, This time of night, Sooner than you think, Sub-Culture, kanonlåtar. Jag hör inga svagheter. Det får bli en femma.

Arvet från Joy division är tydligt. Samtidigt är ju New order definitivt något annat. Jag gillar flörtandet med discodoftande klubbmusiken. Snyggt och rytmiskt. Allra starkast i inledande och avslutande spår. Hade nog velat ha lite mer hits. Något som verkligen sticker ut. En mycket stabil trea blir det i alla fall.

Jag hör lite the cure och lite Giorgio Moroder i det här. Men det låter som en ganska blek kopia av dessa. Sången är verkligen inte bra. Det är som helhet godkänt, men inte mer.

Wow! An 80s synth pop album that isn’t trash. The uber-distorted, funky guitars pair well with the synths to create something danceable but with an edge. The songs are very well-written, with pretty grand arrangements, and the vocals are your typical 80s Morrissey-style crooning BS.

Great synth pop record, with music just as interesting and engaging as the Joy Division years. It is certainly a popier album, especially on the vocals so it feels like this band forever remains in the shadow of what it was before, but still quite enjoyable.

Deliciously 80s

Love this album. Clean 80s alternative sound.

I was not too familiar with new order and was really impressed with this album. I thought of them as dance music and this is far more than that.

This exact type of 80s British rock frankly kind of pisses me off. It’s both the vocals and instrumentation together that create a really just unlistenable sound. I want to like it but it’s honestly not my thing and the only song I relatively liked on this was the only instrumental song. Not gonna be coming back to this one.

Throughout this album I was thinking about what it was that I didn't like about it. Not to try and find faults in it but to figure out why I couldn't get in to it more. It seems like I would like it but I just can't. Maybe its the hectic rhythms that show up sometimes, maybe its something missing with the singers voice, maybe its just not for me.

New Order are a strange band. The singer is terrible, the lyrics are often worse. The production also often sounds horrible. But they still regularly produce great songs that rise above it.

There was some stuff here i really enjoyed but I think it was way too long. Good album to play chess to.

Not their best.

The most 80s music to ever exist

Powerful and moody

Fair fare for the era. Withered as it went though. Not a fan of the 80 soundtrack audition and the vocals on the last track were embarrassing.

Class

Not bad, but a pretty middling 80s sound. Not much grabbed me here, but it’s not a bad listen.

Honestly. There’s not much I can say about this. It just didn’t hit me in any way shape or form. Just no.

This is a bit of me this. Love the bass and synth driving the songs. Like the Cure esq vocals. Like the vibe of wearing Sergio Tacchini and Fila on the dance floor. A fun and at times anthemic listen. I like it more than Unknown Pleasures I'd go as far to say.

Not a big fan. I feel like I can try and understand what was trying to be done in this album but it just wasn’t received well. The vocals were lackluster and the music never really pulled me in. The lyrics were spotty and forgettable. Meh

I respect new order much more than I like hearing them (Peter Hook especially is incredible). There’s good songs in there but the production just sounds ugly. I can’t give a band with such influence lower than a three though.

New Order is pretty typical 80s sound, almost emblematically so.

Their third album. Post Punk / New Wave. Musically I love this album. It sounds fantastic. Unfortunately, like many others, I can't get past Bernard's vocals. He's off key enough to take me out of the album. There is a moment on each track where I wince. A decent album but could have been much more.

This mostly felt like generic 80s synth pop on autopilot. The production is glossy, the drum machines are stiff, and the keyboards dominate everything to the point where it starts to feel sterile. There’s barely any grit or urgency. A lot of the tracks blur together, and by the midpoint it feels like you’ve already heard everything the album has to offer. It’s not bold, it’s not risky, it just kind of exists. For a band that gets as much praise as New Order does, this was pretty underwhelming. The only redeeming moments were the last two songs, which finally showed some life and atmosphere. If the rest of the album had that energy, it might’ve been a different story.

Disappointed

I felt sooo james sparder

I like this band but I don't like this album

Of all the new order albums to choose to include.

Liked Love Vigilantes a lot and also Elegia and Sunrise were good. 3 of the 8 tracks were god awful

If this is New Order I'd hate to hear the Old Order. This album is the sound of rain ruining a picnic. It is completely uninteresting to me.

Groupe connu de nom uniquement. J'ai plutôt apprécié les 2 albums de Joy Division proposés (notés tous deux 3/5). Là l'accompagnement me semble moins recherché (harmonies plus simples), et le son est trop électronique à mon gout (trop de synthé, boite à rythme pas top). Le chant n'est pas terrible non plus. Les morceaux avec moins d'électronique ('Sunrise', avec basse / guitare plus en avant) ou sans chant ('Elegia' instrumental) sont plus intéressants, mais sont minoritaires. Bref je suis plutôt déçu ! Pas de seconde écoute envisagée. =>2/5

It was okay. I think I knew some of these songs from advertising.

Aww man. Dang it! I really thought I had found my next 5 star album. I just wrapped listening to the last two songs before writing this, and while they were fine, I didn't love them as much as the rest of the album before it. And considering there's only 8 tracks, that has to just SLIGHTLY bring this down to 4.5 stars. Still, REALLY enjoyed this listen, had only heard of New Order from the Blue Monday song, and they have some good stuff! Kind of sounds like The Cure meets a happier version of early Nine Inch Nails.

7.5/10 - Good album. Reminds me of The Cure in a few songs which is high praise. Hard to believe this band came out of Joy Division.

There isn't a bad song on here but it's less emotionally charged than some of their other work. Good vibes and good grooves. 8/10

Dope

So good from start to finish!! If you could capture the essence of 1985 in a bottle, then this album would be the resulting elixir. A beautifully crafted new wave classic. Moody and melodic synth-pop at its finest. Some great guitar. Can’t list a favorite song because they all hit my nostalgia sweet spot.

Sunrise most underrated New Order song??? Sunrise amazing??? listen to Sunrise again???

I always thought the two versions of Joy Division/New Order were distinct but even in the third album of the second iteration you can still hear the angst of the former, but with synths. Let’s be honest Sumners vocals are not a patch on Curtis , but this band would not exist if Ian had not died.

I’m a sucker for synths, pretty melodies and lush arrangements and this album is flush with them. It’s very dated, but still slaps.

Great album - solid

Nice mixture of their early stuff with dance vibes.

New Order has a unique sound I've always enjoyed and this is no exception. Personally the vocals really appeal to me and complete the effect. There are some outstanding songs on this and a few slightly weaker ones, but overall this is great.

That singer's so pitchy he should've gone into baseball

It’s ight

The thing is, it might be good, but Bernard Sumner can't sing for shit so it's unlistenable. I mean, Ian Curtis couldn't either, but still. Just get a fucking proper singer!!

Surprised this is here. Not their best, for me, even if it is a really good album. Among their best artwork, though, if you get the original vinyl.

4⭐️/5 02.08.2026

Caveat to this one is that New Order is one of my favorite bands and this is probably my favorite album by them. I've listened to in many, many times. It's the album where they transitioned from being a mostly post punk band to more of a dance rock band. The sound on this album is the sound that made me start to love New Order. I think all of the songs on it are amazing and it made me happy to spend an hour on my Saturday morning listening to it!

Many songs are really catchy and it’s a good example of a post-punk, poppy album. But it’s nothing I would listen to on a daily base. Maybe I’ll start listening to this genre more, thanks to this album.

Nah, no Blue Monday, not interested. 2.2/5

Autism be damned, these cats can shred

langweilig

Solid 2.5 Stars. Nothing amazing but not bad.

A dull band I have never got the fuss over.

super cool production. awesome synths and melodies. the guys voice? ehhhh. sounded like he recorded the songs acapella at the end of the day because he wanted to go home. kinda took me out of a few songs. after a while i got used to it but something about this album just made him sing not the best. 6/10

7/10

I love New Order, but this is not a good album.

really good variety

THIS WAS SO FIRE I liked sm songs off it they ate also first album from the 80s

Holy shit this guy can't sing at all.

Found this to be rather repetitive – and what I’m hearing isn’t always that overly interesting even without being repeated. I’m really unsure about the singing here, sounds strained a lot and just not pleasing. Some of the sounds aren’t bad but not my cup of tea. There are better songs for me such as Sunrise – feels there’s a lot more energy here and some cool lead guitar which adds a nice touch to the sound. The drums are going off doing their own thing whilst maintaining that driving beat throughout. It’s really difficult to move past the vocals for most of this record – it sounds so off key and the actual singing is just not good. It’s just annoying mostly especially the last track. This has its odd moments but overall just not my thing. 2/5.

this album takes a little bit of something from everyone who was around on the ‘80s—Clash, Cure, Erasure, you name it—and somehow manages to makes it sound so generic, it hurts

Depesche Mode auf Wisch bestellt

I can’t fully explain why this didn’t work to me when other albums from new order and other stuff from this genre/time period do. It all strayed a bit too far into that weird artificial midi sound space.

I tend to think of New Order as a singles band but this holds up. Still not sure I’d choose it over Substance but enjoyed it.

Half of the album was solid new wave and the other half was overproduced with cheap 80's synths layered throughout.

Pretty good, but not my favourite New Order album I would say. Some standout tracks mixed with some mixed synth-post punk styles. I prefer it when they fully embrace one or the other. Still a great time though. 03/0226

Dreadful out of tune sounding singing combined with twangy non interesting tracks. What happens when the frontman loves the sound of his own voice.

I thought was quite good

The only band to have one foot on electropop and the other on rock'n'roll. No other band from this era is as musically rich. "Love Vigilantes" has to be taken without prejudice. "Perfect Kiss" is the electro equivalent of prog.

Great record! I usually don't listen to new wave or whatnot, but this album has just the right amount of diverse and rich tracks. 'Love Vigilantes' is one hell of an opening. I will definetely return to this one.

Elegia me gustó, por las demás no están mal.

Well well well. I know *about* this crew. I know the origin story. And I found that famous album from their previous iteration to be an absolute chore to even finish. I was not enthusiastic about this record & was not expecting much. And I found those expectations to be completely unfounded. This was not bad at all & in fact was pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good. That geedee 80s synth sheen is such a turn off & drags the whole thing down. But not so much as to ruin the experience. Low-Life, good times. Tres estrellas

I ended up listening to this three times and still not really feeling like I got much from it.

Love vigilantes I knew already, one of my favourite tracks fron the 80s 10/10!). The rest was not consistent enough for 5 stars overall, but a few more glimpses of brilliance (Sunrise!)

The voice is not the best and the lyrics didn't really convince me. The production and instrumental was nice though

alright, underwhelming

Never heard this before. Very jangly and lofi, but quite good.

8/10. Love the instrumentals... but not a huge fan of the vocal delivery. A solid album though!

Enjoyed this with Sunrise and Elegia being the standouts. The bass always the highlight or New Order, the vocals especially when he really tries to strain and sing is pretty rough though.

I listened to the album first with vocals, and thought it's a shocking mix of some of the worst singing and best instrumental I've ever heard. Then I listened to it without vocals, and it's truly a masterpiece.

Not really my thing. The 2 songs they played on the radio I did not even know the names of. OK I guess.

The synth was kind of nice, but somewhat forgettable to me.

Good

I lowk dont like it

New Order always sounds like New Order

its ok

Electronic dance music with dark lyrics. I liked it! Torn between a 3 and a 4.

They love their double clap on 4. Why does the belting on the last song sound out of key?

fave songs: Sunrise, Love Vigilantes, Sooner Than You Think SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD. i did not know that new order had game like this... i am not a huge joy division fan so i think that put me off of new order but maybe i need to put myself back on because this album was fire, so cohesive, the 80s continues to be the best decade for music probably ever

Didn't know anything about New Order, still probably don't tbh, didn't have any standouts for me sadly! Listened to the whole thing though, wasn't unpleasant lol

I think that New Order work better as a singles band as their other material doesn’t quite hit and their sound is a bit dated. It’s at its best when Hooky’s bass is to the fore and this works well with the synths, as well as providing the strongest link to Joy Division. I have never been sure about Bernard Sumner’s vocals and there are various points here where it is does grate a bit. Not bad but not amazing.

I’ll forgive Sumners vocal performance as, for obvious reasons, he never really expected to be a lead singer. This had some decent moments (‘sunrise’) but doesn’t have the same killer songs like ‘substance’ does. I do like Hooks bass style and that combined with the synths used make it sound distinctively ‘new order’ but it’s unlikely to be an album of theirs I’ll revisit any time soon.

loooove this! i loved the intensity of the instrumentals on top of the creative flow of lyrics. new order, to me, are one of the rulers of synthesizers. i'm so glad that joy division continued to evolve favorites: the perfect kiss; sunrise; sooner than you think

chill nothing insane

Substance is so great that I’m not sure I ever listened to a New Order album: my mistake.

Elegia was cool but the album was pretty average otherwise

Idk if I've gotten too many indie/rock white guy bands in a row on this website lately, but I'm getting a little tired of this sound lol. This album is...fine? Easy enough to listen to. My favorite track is the instrumental Elegia. Still, and idk, maybe I'm being too harsh because I'm craving a little more variety, but I'm a little unclear on why this album made the list. 1.5/5.

[shruggie emoji]

I had never heard of this band or album before, but I can see how their influence rippled forward for bands like LCD Soundsystem. It wasn't all for me, but I really enjoyed parts and it may just be a gateway for me to get into New Order and contemporaries like The Smiths. 7/10

Really good - no obvious stand out tracks, but all decent - think will be even better after a few more listens

3.3/3.4 it was good but eh

I LIKED SOME OF THE SYNTH STUFF

Okay, it felt a bit played out and cringe by the end

Extremely forgetable 80's synth album.

Okay, so I'm much more familiar with Joy Division than New Order, and I still think I enjoy Joy Division more, but this was really good. Sunrise stood out.

Me gustaría puntuarlo más alto pero está difícil. Le falta punch

really really really good. No skips.

Loved it!

Dig this, have always liked New Order when they come up. Elegia and Sub-Culture highlights

repetitive but inoffensive

No. 349/1001 Love Vigilantes 3/5 The Perfect Kiss 4/5 This Time of Night 3/5 Sunrise 2/5 Elegia 4/5 Sooner Than You Think 3/5 Sub-culture 3/5 Face Up 3/5 Average: 3,13 Elegia was a really cool track. Aside from that some songs i liked, some I didn't really like. But overall better than expected.

The song with no vocals was the best.

Decent album! Not my top choice but liked it a lot more than I thought I would

Very 80s very vibes

I really enjoyed this even on first listen. I think Newwave could be good for me.

About halfway through this album on initial listen I thought "is this The Cure?" and checked the year of release. Same year as Head on the Door which may very well be my favourite Cure album of not top 3. This sounds massively similar, which means I love it. I am very familiar with New Order, as are most due to Blue Monday but it is strange rating this before any Joy Division. Having heard their other work this album was a surprise in the best of fashions, and is incredibly coherent and cohesive in structure, and while there are no definitive catchy bangers like on many other New Order albums I actually prefer that. There's no massive high to compare to, and that makes listening to the full album in a single session pretty easy. I didn't even clock it was 40 minutes, which is fairly standard but I did double check expecting to see a low 30 runtime, which is just further expression that this is a fantastically consistent. I am tempted to give this a 5 based on pure bias but I am trying to be more intensive about what does and doesn't cross that threshold. I adore the sound but I think the writing isn't quite up to snuff, but again if you're a fan of the Cure especially in that mid 80s era this is a definitive recommendation. It's getting a very high push up the list because I am just that much of a fan of this sonically. Best songs: Sunrise / Elegia Worst songs: N/A Rank compared to everything else so far: 19/53 (below Nevermind the Bollocks, above The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady)

Yeah this was a good listen. I liked the vocals up until the last song. He's a lot better at singing nowadays. Got a lot of feel and oomph from just a guitar and a few synths. Good stuff.

Liked Songs: - Love Vigilantes - Sunrise - Elegia

I knew the first few songs from 1st Wave. Superb, I loved every track (except maybe the final one but I still liked it). There definitely is something with New Order's sound that leaves me mesmerized

the perfect kiss? the perfect song more like

I’ve listened to New Order before of course, think I even have a vinyl of theirs somewhere. But this ain’t my bag. I almost liked Elegia but it just felt like it didn’t go anywhere? I’m not here for middle of the road non-committal weekend-dad Rock. In the end, I could manage with sub-culture and Face Up but this won’t be an album I reach for again, and certainly wouldn’t be in my personal list of must-be-heards!

bang average imo

Shite.

Used to listen to New Order all the time min 80s. Brings back memories but does now not excite as it used to.

A reliably fun album from New Order, if one that lacks the heights of the band's best albums. The album starts and ends really well. "Love Vigilantes" has a cool synth that kind of sounds like a harmonica, and "The Perfect Kiss" is a lovely tribute to Ian Curtis. The closer has a fun bouncy synth that really pops. But the middle of the album drags, sticking too closely to similar sounds and lacking memorable riffs or highlights. It's also very loud; with the exception of "Elegia," which doesn't go anywhere and feels like an interlude, it's one big beat after another. A slower or more subdued track would potentially help make the middle seem less anonymous. The lyrics don't add much and are a bit clumsy, as is typical for the band, with the lowlight being the laughable "pleasure zone" line. A good album, but the band has a couple better ones.

This rocks. I love those synths. Just good songwriting all around here. Not the best thing ive listened to on here but easily in the top half. Saved a bunch of tracks and will be happy when they come up. It feels like another goth rock type album but less depressing than the usual of that genre. Had alot of somber moments but just ad many joyful moments as well. I appreciate having that vibe from this type of music. Good stuff all around

Mostly mid (mid-1980's at least!), but the B1 instrumental track is awesome, and sounds 10 years ahead of the rest of the tracks

Good background music. I like the sound. Retro/Nostalgia for sure! Hello 80s. dance clubs and the art scene in college.

New Order is one of those bands that I just haven’t spent enough time with. I know they’re bigger in the UK than the US (where I’m from), and my perception is that in the US they’re a bit overshadowed, at least critically and in the music snob circles, by Joy Division. I’ve listened to both Unknown Pleasures and Closer several times, and while they may not be my personal favorites I definitely appreciate them. New Order in a way has the same misfortune as Foo Fighters in that no matter how successful or artistically accomplished they are they’ll always be compared to the former band, maybe even moreso for New Order since it’s basically the whole band minus Ian Curtis. One thing that I think sticks out about Low-Life is that while it certainly explores some darker themes, I come away with optimistic vibes from it. You certainly don’t get that with Joy Division… those are bleak records written by an immensely talented and deeply disturbed individual. New Order’s songs celebrate life here: Love Vigilantes is an amazing song. Album closer Face Up is the other highlight song, and while its lyrics are a little dark and angry it also is brimming with life. My ears hear a masterpiece here. I think it’s more like a high end 4 for me with a couple of listens but I’m giving it an anticipatory 5.

The music is so good, really made me wanna forget everything and just dance and dance and dance The vocals are questionable though Probably won’t listen again (sober)

I wasn't expecting to like this, and I didn't. I can say there were a few tracks where I saw an upside, and I can totally see why this record would be on this list. I'm glad I heard the whole thing through, just to be absolutely sure I'm not missing out. I'm not a fan of the excessive use of synthesizers, or the vocals... I gave it a second listen at the end of the day. I think it got worse. 1.7/5

46/1089 4.4672* New order is one of my All time favorite bands so this was an easy 5 and I was glad to get another 5 star album (just 3 out of 46 so far). Bernard could start his car and I'd go listen to it. I recommend everyone just pick an early NO album and listen to it, you'll probably like it. Hits...lv, egelia, subculture, tpk

Not my bag

Quite suprised this made it on, over Power Corruption and Lies and Brotherhood, given both of them are stronger albums and have more recognisable singles. Nevertheless, it's a strong continuation of New Order's 80s hot streak, with the Perfect Kiss being a top ten New Order song.

Great stuff. Really liked the first song. There’s a simplicity to New Order’s lyrics that sits really well with me.

Man, what a great band. Love Vigilantes and Face Up were my favorite tracks, but really this whole album put me in a good mood.

amo new order

not a fan tbh no lyrics bit disappointed but we move on yknow

As 'Lost Vigilantes' starts, you'd swear you'd heard that from some early Beatles record ('Love Me Do,' or is it 'I Want to Hold You Hand'?), but the lyrics, which are a tongue-in-cheek analysis of a vet returning home from Nam, are almost mockingly American, placing you in some weird meeting-ground for Bruce Springsteen (Born in the U.S.A.) and The Kinks (Arthur). The rest of the record, which is very good, but not as stunning as the first track ('Elegia' is a beautiful but meaningless instrumental), is an alloy of the tormented accents of Robert Smith and Blondie's ironic-not-so-ironic take on dance-rock. Not as grand as Power, Corruption, and Lies, which boasts the perfect 'Age of Consent,' Low-Life is nonetheless a classic of its time.

Top class

3.5

I hate this singer so much, but the background tracks are pretty funky, I actually really loved Elegia and thats really only because he doesnt sing in this one. Solid 2 just for Elegia being vibey.

Pretty good. Enjoyable listening

Absolutely fantastic album, but just a few weak tracks in the middle. Overall loving this new discovery though, never knew about this group before this project.

5/10

My high school girlfriend was a fan of New Order and this genre in general. Liked it way more than vs now.

Glad I gave this one a fair chance. It didn’t grab me on the first listen, but after a few spins, I grew to really like it. 4/5 Highlights: Love Vigilantes Elegia

It’s fun, pop-tinged new wave that doesn’t sound like a dirge for a change. It’s also quite overrated, and can we please acknowledge that Bernard Sumner is always slightly off-key, driving me slightly batty?

8.5/10 Best songs: The Perfect Kiss, This Time of Night, Sunrise, Elegia Kind of like a less-depressing and more synth-heavy Depeche Mode. I am VERY into the music - but man, the singer's voice is... not the best. I think the first half of the album (through Elegia) is genius, more than deserving of 5 stars, but I was thinking the last few songs are a bit weak. Overall a great discovery and a band I'll revisit in the future, but not a perfect album.

I don’t mind the album. I recognize the opening track other songs sound familiar

Love this album. British new wave, at its best.

A distinctive sound but not one that has' aged terribly well. Vocals particularly poor really. That single - not on this album - Blue Monday is fabulous. But this album doesn't deliver that level of quality unfortunately.

New Order strikes a delicate balance between danceability and darkness with this album. All tracks are solid but brought down significantly by pretty poor vocals. Elegia steals the show as a beautiful tribute to Ian Curtis. With Curtis on my mind, I can't help but think that although New Order is good, Joy Division edges them out by a significant margin.

Had no complaints, but no song on this album popped out to me.

Weirdly doesn’t feel like a five star album, but I don’t dislike any song. Listens to it twice & liked them more the second time as well.

Started ok but I kinda tapped out around the half-way mark.

Perfect background music, by which I mean it loses my interest quickly but it's good enough to keep going while I focus on other things. Elegia is top notch though.

Infectious 80s earworm pop with a bit a danger to it, not much, but it's there. Love Vigilante is one of those road weary laments that I tend to dread but it seemed very authentic in him missing his family. They have a nice groove. Face Up was good song some nice motivational lyrics. This is just kind of there though. Neither good nor bad. Just there. 3 I don't like the overlay of New over Order on the cover. I find it to off putting. Ordheeiw is the name of the band apparently.

Nice instrumental at times but vocalist annoys me

It's solid but doesn't really stand out to me.

Not listened to much New Order previously - much as I imagined. Good balance of synth and rock with some nice instrumentals too but not as anthemic as I tend to like.

Bland, boring, and mildly unpleasant, this album is a great example of mediocrity.

Sunrise goes so fucking hard.

so good, re-listened immediately afterwards

not my favorite of theirs. still good tho

Upbeat synth dance rock for sad bois? It's tight, it's bright, got some great hooks while feeling a little detached and emotionally bruised - I think I dig it! 3/5 that could grow into a 4. "Grower not a shower", if you will

fun back-and-forth at the beginning of track 2. not a major fan of the vocals in general (off key?). the haunted simplicity of Elegia caught my attention every time.

i've never really listened to new wave much before so this was a nice introduction to the genre! i have to say i wasn't a massive fan of the first track (sorry!) but the rest of the album was really good and the use of synths was so catchy and upbeat that it kept me wanting more!

Overall very good, only a few songs where the instrumentation just didn’t sit right with me. But definitely will listen to again.

86/1001 First listen. I’ve heard two songs by New order before. They did not prepare me for this. The music was fine but my god that singing is awful. I got second hand embarrassment listening to what sounds like should have been a private moment. Good on ya if you suck at something and do it anyway and then succeed! People calling this a masterpiece. Ick. 3/10

Un album cu un sound interesant si captivant pentru perioada lui,chiar dacă vocea si instrumentalul sunt putin spre britanicul clasic am rama placut surprins. Piesa elegia ā fost un soc pentru mine deoarece nu ma asteptam sa fie un instrumental in mijlocul albumului. Iar efectele disco combinate cu riffurile de chitara si beaturile rnb spre disco fac tot albumu sa aiba un sound unic si super fun to hear it

I was so excited to get this one because I had heard a lot about this band and was really happy to get into them. After listening I didn’t love it. I think I prefer Joy Division but I suppose we shall see

One of their best. Peter Hook rocks

SOOOOO GOOD, so bouncy and dancey and happy and sad and fun and devastating

Did not enjoy the singer. Apathetic and strangely out of tune.

esta bueno, me recuerda a the cure jejeje

need to relisten. lowkey the best song is the instrumental one

Pretty alright. Probably won't listen again and it all kinda bled together but it wasn't bad.

New Order is a major blind spot for me (I basically only know 1986’s Brotherhood) so it was really interesting to dig into these 8 lengthy and forward thinking tracks which I found to be very atmospheric. Will require repeat listening to really wrap my head around the song structures.

Not really my style but it’s ok

good album, a bit 80s goofy at times but some of the songs were really standout. Specifically sunrise and elgia.

pretty generic British pop. nothing really to write home about here. Some of the songs are composed well, but the lackadaisical lyrics bring it down.

Boring British sad boy music. The echoey guitars were dope but that’s about it

Really good. Not my style but I definitely see why it's so popular.

typical 80s

Really mediocre British 80's pop rock. Sooner Than You Think stands out amongst the rest for having some pretty delicious synth and a nice guitar solo. It's a shame that the greatest appeal of this band is supposedly the vocalist's poor singing.

enjoyed it a lot!! v joy division/the smiths estque

Excellent

It was chill but not my type of music

Never heard this album before, never been a fan of the band. I'm giving it a go but not holding out a lot of hope to be honest. Update - listened to the whole album, quite listenable, but not really for me.

6/10 the first half of the album was cool but the last two songs were a rough listen

Never heard this one before. Decent

Never listened to this one beyond the singles before. Always preferred their gloomy post-Joy Division period but really enjoyed this

Elegia is a stunning standout

I love new order but this album isn't my favourite. 3.5 Edit: I got technique and this mixed up. This is unreal.

Better than I expected

Pretty different to the other stuff I’ve heard from New Order, not for me tbh. I quite liked the first song though. Fav song is ‘Love Vigilantes’.

Not for me

New Order has been making good to great to excellent albums for over 40 years.

This is a genre and time period of music I'm not at all familiar with. It sounds very low-budget and computerized to me. Didn't care for the lead singers voice or the lyrics, and overall just didn't love this album.

I loved “Elegia”; the rest, not so much.

I’ve always been a casual fan of New Order but I don’t know something really clicked with me on this one. Danceable but still quite dark and full of great basslines

Not my favorite from New Order, but clearly one that deserves its place here!

Completely blown away by that one. It's melancholic and dark, yet super energetic, eclectic and uplifting. I loved it from the beginning to the end.

The instrumentals were cool, but didn’t love the singing.