Low-Life

Couple of good tracks

B- Love Vigilantes 3 The Perfect Kiss 3 This Time of Night 3 Sunrise 3 Elegia 3 Sooner Than You Think 3 Sub-culture 4 Face Up 3 This was good. I'm burnt out with these reviews man.

Some good things on the album, but it tends to be boring listening to the whole piece.

Enjoyed it

I’m still new to knowing that I like any New Order after discovering that Blue Monday is by them. I had higher hopes for this one because of that. I do like them probably more than any other 80s synth pop band, but I have some caveats. This is good overall. Not great. Not one I’ll put on again, knowingly. Wouldn’t mind hearing a song or two. Elegia was great! Otherwise I found the vocals lacking, and at certain points just bad. I can deal with some imperfect singing, but from time to time it sounded like drunken karaoke. This gets a 3 because I honestly don’t hate it, but I’ll probably rate other New Order higher. Looking forward to Substance

Amazing the journey from Joy Division to this. That New Order sound is atmospheric and compelling. No crazy hooks here, solid.

80s classics nothing that stood out except the first song, could be missing something here

2.75 per track.

Lots of the same sounding. Not bad, but not my favourite.

Not too bad.

Not a huge fan of the genre, but came away enjoying this album.

- ich hab dem Album beim ersten mal 2/5 Punkten gegeben - beim zweiten hören hat sich an dem Gesamteindruck nicht wirklich viel geändert. ich muss aber gestehen, dass ich manche riffs und melodien doch ziemlich cool finde. - mir gefällt leider der gesamte vibe nicht so gut und der leicht schiefe Gesang, der in vielen anderen Beispielen Stilmittel oder interessant sein kann wirkt hier auf mich leider nur daneben. 2,75/5

Some times I really enjoyed it. Some times, though, all I could think was "dated". Usually that means I need a couple more listens to get past it. It feels like they both lost and gained something important after Joy Division, anyway. I'll listen again. Also, that CHIN. whoa.

I might revisit this some other time.

I really enjoyed the sound of this album. 80s pop punk that delivers on just that. Synth and consistent bass lines with moody lyrics

Needs a deeper dive

Nothing that really stuck out, but no skips or songs I hated

Dark and ominous. This certainly isn’t New Orders final form but it is one that is well produced and right catchy! I cannot be mad at this one at all. The one, glaring, flaw is quite big and that is that most of the songs drone on just the same.

3.7 - I like a lot of this record, and I dislike some of it. Likes: elegant synth lines blended with post-punk sounding guitars; wide arrangements that especially dominate the mid-range; splashy percussions that add nice white noise in the background. Dislikes: flat vocal delivery; meandering lyrics especially on "Sooner Than You Think." Ultimately, I had really high hopes but this record fell short. Standouts: "Love Vigilantes", "The Perfect Kiss", "Sunrise."

The song Elegia made me think of Stranger Things, which speaks to how much their music shaped the sound of the 80’s. Yet, I think I prefer Joy Division. 3.0

Not bad. Vocals are little tough though. Decent musically, but some songs are super dated. 3.4

Fine. Cool songs. Bad singer.

New wave, I would say. Electronic-ey rock with echoey percussion

Good tune, guy was a bad singer

An album of two halves - the first half being much better than the second

Hmm, it's just okay.

Okay album but the vocals are pretty punk-inspired which I just don't like for personal reasons. Too monotone. The synth vibes were good though!

First saw the albums year, “oh great another 80’s album” This album gave me man coked up hovering over the newest synthboard saying, THIS IS GONNA FKIN HIT” and it actually kinda did.

Pretty solid, gave me images of classic 80s lasers and chromo coloring while people dance the shoo rag

Nice album m80

Quality post Joy Division band, but no standouts

best tracks: love vigilantes/sub-culture/face up worst track: this time of night overall: 6/10 or 3/5. good.

Upbeat music. Good for listening to at work.

ok, don't actually like the voice of the dude. music ok.

Mid but understandable I guess

Normally, I'd say the 80s were my least favorite decade of music. I hate the overuse of synth and how pop music sounded like in general. There are a few silver linings though, and I'd say this album is one of them. The lyrics feel personal and not overly generalized for the radio, so I'd say that's the album's biggest strength. Still, overall it still has that 80s feel that I'm not very big on, but I'd listen to this again sometime.

(cred că) Primul album cu sunet 80s pe care l-am ascultat. Good grooves, catchy leads

Good album. Definitely starts to suffer in the second one half with subpar vocals but the instrumentals really carry the album. Solid 80s vibes. 3.5/5.

meh

Not my vibe but respect the innovation at the time

Good instrumentation and decent songwriting in places. Poor vocals

I don't know much about 80's music, it was a generation of music that I never really got into. There was something about the sound that I never really enjoyed, and I know I can't dump all albums into a single thought, so obviously I need to try to make more of an effort. I do prefer New Order to Joy Division and I don't know why. This album didn't have much I was familiar with but it was still enjoyable. The incorporation of synthesisers and samplers was surprisingly good, I think The Perfect Kiss might be one of the best new wave/synthpop songs out there. This was a very catchy album and that feels like an interesting juxtaposition to the lyrics. Standouts: Love Vigilantes, The Perfect Kiss, Elegia

Surprisingly good but not entirely my cup of tee

It played on repeat like 2 and a half times before I realized? It was fine, with some moments.

I definitely listened to this album in its entirety yesterday morning but I could not tell you a single thing about it. 3/5 by default because if it had left a good or a bad impression I'd remember it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

not my favorite new order but it was nice to spend some time with them regardless!

Forest Hills accepted our application.

it's alright init

Some gooduns some 80s workout video music

It’s very New Order, even though this is New Order trying to find their New Order sound. I don’t mind it. But it hasn’t persuaded me to explore any further than their hits.

Blind album and artist. Know them, never listened. Nothing much really to say, I guess it's also cause I am not a huge fan of joy division either... See the appeal, it's okay to me.

As much as I like Joy Division, I still can't get into New Order :(

This was a fun pop rock album. The second half of the album really made me feel like I was at the roller rink in the 80s. I especially enjoyed the bass. That being said there weren't any elements that really stood out to me as particularly impressive. Kind of reminds me of a filler episode in a long running TV show. All of the pieces of a good pop album are there but the end result came out kind of bland.

It was good! Nothing special, but it's not bad

It was a fun one, I could see myself listening to this again.

Man, I don’t know. Feels like I should like this album, but only one or two songs stood out. A bit mediocre, if you ask me.

A record that clearly holds promise, but too many songs sound alike and run into each other. Sunrise and Elegia are superb (probably because they sound more like Cure and Joy Division tracks, respectively), but the rest of the record does little to distinguish itself, while trending just above average. I'd happily listen to this again in the background, but am unlikely to put it on through choice. A mid to high 3.

det får bli en stark trea. vissa låtar är fina, framförallt öppningen av albumet men ibland är det för mycket konstig synth

Nothing that stands out about this album but also nothing bad as well. The Electronica is good in some parts. Pretty much your standard 80's punk/electronica album. I don't plan to relisten. 3 out of 5.

I feel bad demoting it a star for not liking the vocals because I feel like this is how I sound when I sing too. Still pretty solid.

Synth pop. Weird that their song titles don't match their lyrics. Their songs all kinda sound the same to me but if that's the sound you like then it's a good thing. Favorite songs were Love Vigilantes and Elegia

Ik vind het veel weg hebben van the cure qua sound. Cool album, heb hem een hartje gegeven op spotify, denk dat het leuk is op een chille avond met vrienden als achtergrond

Liked Elegia and sub-culture

Didn't vibe with it that much, but couldn't listen to all of it.

3,5

I was surprised to not enjoy this as much as I expected, considering how much I like Blue Monday. It was ok, though.

Yeah. It wasn't bad. A new Peter Saville /Steven Morris project, CP1919, featuring an extract of the voice of Ian Curtis is getting its preview on 6 Music as I type. ###

I actually enjoyed this UK band, didn’t sound overplayed but had a familiar feel.

I know we've had one other from New Order so far, and I also know they've got hits that still haven't shown up. That makes this inclusion a little frustrating, but it's alright. The first track really hooked me, but there wasn't much after that to maintain the hold. Not bad by any means, it's New Order, I like their style. But we could do better. Favorite tracks: Love Vigilantes, Face Up. Album art: A shadowy man's face looking down from an odd angle. Band name is written in a confusing way on the right side of the frame. This one's weird, but it's striking and pretty memorable. 3/5

chill electronic piece to put on and turn your brain off. I enjoyed it

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Love the darker-sounding songs. Will probably play again at some point. Solid 3.5 stars.

Now the earliest New Order album I've heard. The sound is predictably less refined than Substance or Republic, but perhaps more sincere. I think that sincerity that comes through has been their appeal to me, and why I liked this one immediately, despite the greater-than-typical strained vocals and weak lyrical phrasing. As with The Cure and Slayer, I'm willing to look past some things because I like them. New Order music has that sense of having always been there, as though it acts as the form of a certain type of music.

Music for dancing under the influence of the 80s. How did joy division become this??? not their best album

Such a unique sound, there's no mistaking who this is. Favorite: Love Vigilantes

I don't like the mix. Vocals are too much in the background for some of the songs, not making it personal/intimate. Bit of a waste, as some songs seem pretty good.

de unaaa 7/10

Nothing crazy, very 80s new wave

My thing with New Wave is that i really dig the new wave tunes that sound less like new wave. so this one is right on the fringe for me. there's a few tracks that harken back to the punk(ish) roots of this band and their previous incarnation, Joy Division(vastly superior, IMO), and then the dancy, drum machined "new wavey" remainder gets lost on me, for the most part.

Hate to say it, but it does not sound like anything too special. I read the Wikipedia article and that did not mention anything about the album that was revolutionary, or an unexpected turn by the band. Did learn that New Order has people from Joy Division. I think I should treat the album for what it is, and appreciate the calm 80's sounds that it brings. Eight tracks that are quite busy instrumentally but still bring calmth. The instrumental tracks build a serene yet intense mood. With only eight tracks, this album brings eight solid pieces and does not need filler or clutter.

Fantastic album and not one I’ve given any time to previously. It felt rough in a good way. I’d absolutely come back to this. It’s good to hear the building bricks of what came next for New Order and so many other artists too.

I’d never ‘got’ New Order first time round even though they are my era. Never got past the feeble vocals. Listening to this tonight though, while cooking, at one point round about track 4/5 I could see the appeal of the warbling synth angst.

mildly annoying generic 80s music

First half is better

3 stars

Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: Yes I enjoyed this one, first time hearing this one and just shows their stuff stood the test of time! Favourite song: Track 2 - The Perfect Kiss

Jag tycker det är ganska bra cool stil

Väldigt synligt, som om Edwin Falkstrand komponerat musiken. Sen tyckte jag albumet var rätt så bra ändå. Konstigt omslagsbild Favorit: Elegia, Sunrise

2nd New Order album I've gotten. I think I liked the other album (Technique) better, but this is still fun, that electronic 80s pop sound. My favorite track was Sub-Culture.

4/5 start, 2/5 end, solid 3/5

5/10 solid, good songwriting, but not my fav sound design - sometimes sounds like they put midi into a blender fav song: sunrise

Enjoyable album, however, in my opinion, it has a very weak b-side. After Elegia, things start to fall apart, resulting in an incoherent mess of an ending.

it’s not bad i guess.

I don’t get it. Seems like a watered down version of The Cure.

This was one of those albums that feels like it was probably groundbreaking at the time and only sounds generic now because of how many bands aped its sound, but coming to it decades later it just sounded like good-but-basic 80s music to me.

They’re still coming together here.

It was good but not my taste

Good

Eeeeh this was okay. I think I'm in a shit mood though.

Better than I was expecting

En ple moment dolç per la banda, editen un àlbum que continua elaborant el so tan propi i original que els va fer diferents. Synth pop allunyat de la resta de bandes del génere, amb una identitat molt marcada. No hi ha singles clars, però tot el disc flueix i t'arrossega amb les seves capes d'efectes, sintes, i més presència de guitarres que els seus discos anteriors

Synth pop SUURET FÄÄRIT.. Mahdollisia.. Paska synth pop... voi esittää parempaa.. helposti.. vingahtaa... samalla tavalla silti.. Paskuus märkyys ja Ruskean skaala... Objektia.. 3 tähteä.. 85 vuosi.. obj.. vuosi.. merkittävä... sounds like 1987.. Holy hell.. its 85...

Overall an enjoyable new wave sort of record, but also didn't feel like anything that I hadn't already heard before. Could be really fun if you're in the mood for it, but I didn't really have that connection. The backtracks seemed pretty well thought out, but the vocals tended to take me out of it

Bit confused by this album. I’m not a fan of the band and I don’t like vocal style, it sounds weak and out of tune. I never usually notice lyrics but from the first track they stuck out as quite bad to me. The style varied quite a lot, the first few songs seem to have a kraftwerk influence but the 4th track Sunrise sounds like the Cure. I did really enjoy Elegia which was moody and cinematic sounding. It’s an instrumental and I could imagine Ian Curtis’s voice over it which made me feel quite sad. I think I will always see New Order as Ian’s backing band. I preferred the second half but it has the same flaws, the vocals and lyrics grate on me, e.g. Sub Culture starts well but it loses me when Sumner comes in with “I like walking in the park”.

7/10

Quintessential 80s sadboy music

A handful of their songs are classics, and Peter Hook is a great lead bassist, but damn, Bernard's voice is like nails on a chalkboard to me.

Pushing a 4.

Likeable if you're into this genre. I don't know if I'll return to this album, but I can totally see how Low-Life:Gen X/Boomers:: the xx : millennials

I really like the bleepy bloop synths and bops Bernard's voice 😖 otherwise might have been a 4

I like New Order better than Joy Division, but both bands suffer badly from being more mood setters than tune makers — you know it’s them playing but apart from a few singles you couldn’t pin down the song. Despite the dance pop pretensions, this album isn’t exactly exuberant, either. Between Bernard’s demoish warble and all the minor key synths, it's an ugly comedown at the factory.

very good post punk album

I generally really like New Order and like Joy Division even more but this album felt like kind of a snooze to me. I would add some of the standout tracks to a mix but wouldn't go back to this album as a whole. A lot of the non-standout tracks felt similar to me and just kind of blended together. I'm actually kind of surprised how universally praised this album is for New Order, who I just think has stronger music elsewhere. Standout Tracks: Love Vigilantes, Sunrise, Face Up

This didn't really do it for me, but it's certainly better than a ton of albums I've given 2-star ratings, so I'll give it a 3.

Some of the synths are really good. And I have a lot of respect for the direction that this album pushed music in. That being said the main vocalist is so wildly off key that the album is tough to listen to. It makes you wish auto tune was invented earlier to prop this album up.

Liked that instrumental one.

A couple great songs - Love Vigilantes, Sunrise - surrounded by mostly average to decent 80's synth pop. I've heard better new wave.

The instrumental song was the best one.

Decently enjoyable.

This was a perfectly fine listen. Wouldn't skip any of the songs, maybe would seek a couple out? Solidly average all around.

Such strong Cure vibes on “Sunrise”! Interesting thing: as I listened I just kept thinking of what other great bands they sounded like. That means they were epically influential or they were riding a wave. Not sure which, but ultimately I like the bands they remind me of more than them.

Can't get into this 80s sound

Enjoyed this more than the previous NO album on here

Not bad, not great IMO. Might have to go back and listen to this again with a more mature ear.

Listened Before? Y Ah yes, New Order. Kings of noisy, frantic new wave. I really like this album, it's less hectic than some of their others. No big hits here, but a bunch of quality new wave songs. Thoroughly enjoyed. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Love Vigilantes

When it sounds like Italo, i love it. When it sounds like New Order, i don't

English rock, surprisingly the best song had no words. 3/5 wasn’t sure how to place it but it warrants another look down the line

Dit zijn nou echt nummers met een 80's vibe, ook al haat ik die term. Kende het album en de nummers niet (New Order zelf natuurlijk wel), werd blij verrast door elegia.

Not bad, not terrible, just average I'd say. Makes me wonder if there are actually 1,001 albums I really need to hear before I die. The use of croaking frogs in one of the songs was interesting. Not a big fan of the fake sounding drums and hand claps. Best track: Love Vigilantes

This feels like generic 80's pop music. Synths are nice and the (what I assume are 808s) are pretty good. Not bad, not particularly great. The instrumentation is good, but not a fan of the singing. This is an album that would get sampled in modern music solely for the backing track. Probably a 3/5

Good for the genre, but not my favorite genre.

What if the Cure played dance music? I liked this more than I expected. Not everything from the '80s is bad. I don't think anyone would think this was from any other decade, but unlike a lot of '80s music, it still holds up pretty well. 7/10

not my fave New Order, but still enjoyed it

Ágætis plata. Mjög sterk tengsl úr sumum af þessum lögum í t.d. seinni tíma projectið Electronic.

Released in 1985, New Order's third album finds them grasping ever more boldly for the light switch, while riding the wave of synth-pop and dance-rock through the decade. On first listen, it may seem difficult to identify any of the gloomy post-punk Joy Division were celebrated for. But even though the synths are perkier, the tonality brighter, the tempos quicker, "Low-Life" is still a dark record, tinged with sorrow and despair. It makes for an engaging listen, without reaching the heights of their best work (sadly, no "Age of Consent" here). The cynicism and grief is dragged out screaming in the opening track, "Love Vigilantes." While the soaring melodica and three major-chord progression suggest an unabashed optimism, dig a little deeper and we're chronicling the tale of a trigger-happy war patriot who gallantly fights for his country and then returns home to find his wife laying dead, tears frozen in her eyes, a telegram in her hand telling of his death. The narrative approach really helps to sell the song, kicking off "Low-Life" on a promising note. "The Perfect Kiss" conjures up a wistful, nostalgic sentiment. It's full of thunderous tom fills, sweeping synths with thousand-yard stares, Bernard Sumner's frayed, ailing vocals. Samples of frogs and sheep add an air of novelty which, mercifully, isn't too distracting. The climax of "Sunrise" is perhaps the high point of the record, where the frantic rhythm guitars are dialled up into a maelstrom. Elsewhere, "Elegia" is an expansive instrumental, and a welcome opportunity for the band to envelope the listener in atmosphere alone. And "Face Up" is a wonderful pop-leaning closer, from the opening arpeggiator and booming drums to the cathartic final run of the chorus. The vocals are decidedly flawed, and the songwriting isn't always gripping ("This Time of Night" and "Sub-culture" in particular both come across as hurried filler). But the sheer sound of New Order is surely their greatest asset: a winning interplay between bang-on-trend synthesisers, programmed drums, and Peter Hook's iconic shimmering basslines.

Underwhelming. I can appreciate the music and the synth pop feel but I'm not a huge fan.

Completely fine. Could tell it was NO right away. No surprises really. Liked one song I had never heard before. Made me want to listen to their hits.

For all of the brit-pop cluttering this list, some actual good british albums can get lost in the crowd, but this one stands out to me as one of the true gems. Still, 80s brit-pop as a genre was never my favorite, but I gotta hand it to them, they made an original album album that was, not only bearable, but downright enjoyable at parts. Not too many complaints, vocals aren’t very strong and almost got repetitive, but it hung in there. 3/5

Not my favorite New Order work. Still a good album that I enjoyed. Just nothing too special for me.

Leuk

Pop tranquilo y sosegado con algún toque electrónico. Sin grandes estridencias, buena voz.

Nice to listen to this on vinyl! Although this album doesn't include really any of their major hits, I do appreciate the 80s vibes and boppy beats, it's a good time and is apparently considered their best work by many. Especially love the full 80s synth on Sub-culture. There is something very trashy about the low-effort vocals haha but I kind of don't mind it and it does give the music something unique and interesting about it. I did get kind of bored and lose interest in this album and had to listen twice to check. Glad I did because on second listen I loved half the tracks and found half of them were boring.

New Order aren't really my kind of thing apart from the hits which are banging. I didn't mind this but it's just not something I fancy listening to much

Bright spots

Not the best but good

Less pop-y than a lot of the other 80's stuff on the list, and that uniqueness is what makes it less forgettable. Good effort from the lads.

kewl

The music is not bad but fuck those 80’s synths.

It's not their best (Technique) but is still not bad. (But still not something that's worthy for the 1001) One of those albums I don't listen too regularly but when I do I end up thinking I should listen to it more often. Happy memories of being in band and sitting around teaching ourselves how to play Love Vigilantes.

Mmmmheeeee? Some good hits but some reaaallly speciale singing in some of theem

Sunrise👍 Elegia, sounds like a movie soundtrack.

the beginnings of a great band, but not a great album

3.5 A few really good songs, more if you include the extended 2CD version. Love the additional songs and instrumentals. Standouts: "Love Vigilantes", "The Perfect Kiss", "Shellshock", "Sub-culture" The rest is really great. Enjoyable.

Un album au cours duquel New order passera son temps à essayer de nous convaincre qu'un nouvel ordre mondial est en marche. L'artiste passera en revue toutes ses théories complotistes de la plus vraisemblable à la plus absurde et finit contre toute attente par nous convaincre. Une belle découverte.

it's okay, but I want to listen again with more attention

I fully understand, why someone would fall completely in love with New Order. Their sound is haunting, desperate and still quite danceable at times - a feat. This is the album, where New Order emerges as a complete band after Joy Division. I find myself fully emerged in the sound and I’m almost lulled into a trance. Then it’s all over. And I have a hard time pinpointing standout tracks. It’s all just kind of there. When I’m in the mood this is easily a 4. But in general I think this grading is more true to my gut feeling.

strong start! Love the strummed guitar and drum tambre. Starting to be over this raw vocals trend. I could use some polish. After listening to the whole album, the voice really turns me off. The first and last songs save it from a two star rating

This list leans pretty hard on this post-punk to new wave transitional era in British rock, though so guess I can see the argument for its importance on the non-hip hop side of pop music. Though by 1985 I’m not sure this is bringing all that much new to the table. Some interesting things going on lyrically here, at least at times, but the vocals are very much the weakest link.

Meh it was ok for what it was

6/10 catchy but the lyrics made it quite hard to listen to

Favourite song: The Perfect Kiss

I give this one a 3, balancing action-packed and diverse tracks against a bit of all-over-the-placeness. Nice listening.

Low-Life is the third album by English rock band New Order, and it's considered their best work. This synth-pop album was well-received by critics, and its release was propped up by the single "The Perfect Kiss". I enjoyed this album more than I thought I would going into it. It's a wonderful 80's dance-pop album.

Vocals are bad but still work for the most part, beats are fun and high energy

7/10 parte muy bien las primeras canciones pero dsp se ponia medio monotono. igual mgto caleta

It really was acceptable in the 80s

Some very new-wavey new-wave

meh ok

3/5

3.5/5

Much better than our previous New Order album, but still doesn't massively grab me. Didn't know any of the songs, but the hook on Love Vigilantes is somehow familiar. It's a nice listen, but there's not a lot there that I'll remember. 3/5.

This is okay. I really like the song Love Vigilantes, but I really dislike the bouncy, synth-based rhythms that underlie most of the other songs. That prototypical 80's new wave synth rhythms - not sure how else to describe it. It just sounds so inorganic and tiresome after the 100th time hearing that sound. Overall the songs are decent, just not a fan of that sound. 3 stars.

Love Vigilantes and Face-Up are the gems here. Can’t give half stars but this is a solid 3.5

7/10

This synth-pop is punctured with punchy, punky guitar, loosely strewn. I like it well enough, but the songs don't really stick.

Generally good

Enjoyed it, but probably wouldn't listen to it again. I liked most songs but felt that the singing was kind of weak at times.

Meh, not my bag. Singer is pretty awful, tone wise. Never been much of a new wave fan. Didn't hate it though.

Not the best vocals, but still manages to be pretty good.

Excellent. Liked the synth sound. Closer to 4 than 2.

Klassischer 80s Sound. Stellenweise sehr gut, größten Teils aber mittelmäßig.

It was OK. His voice was a lot worse than I remember

Music is excellent but can’t get past the vocals. This would be so much better if he could actually sing.

O pós punk mais interessante que escutei.

New order definitely make music but they are also completely uninteresting.

Good 80s dance-synth-pop. The benefit to New Order with Low-Life is this is their album that turned them into the New Order they are known as. This is their inspirational album that leads off a new genre. 3.5/5.

A little too much New order at once, got a little samesie

A very hit and miss album. A couple of songs in the middle, particularly Sunrise and Elegia, were great. The opening song had such an awful mix though, each part was so weirdly independent it just sounded like it was recorded over Skype, and the vocals were awful on the last two songs

This does little for me. Probably an important step between… boring 80s postpunk and boring 80s dance but that doesn’t interest me much. Is he out of tune half the time?

Classic brit pop, really good stuff from them

It’s surprising that most of these band members were from joy division. I think that shows how much one person can impact a band. New Order’s music is much different and not nearly as good. They are heavy on the synth pop sound which was big in the 80s but doesn’t hold well over time. This album wasn’t bad but it felt dated. 5.6/10

Some really good songs but also some not. The singer’s voice isn’t always up to the task.

Quand meme bon meme si c'est saturé de drum machine. Ca va avec l'epoque j'imagine. 3.15

3/5 80er Pop Mid Sehr Leicht experimentell Kate bush vibes Letzter Song the Cure vibes

OK. Unmemorable, but unoffensive.

Only good tracks were track 1 and the instrumentals. Didn't hurt my ears!

I love love an album with none of the filler dance tracks

I really dig the 80's sound. Makes me think of Depeche Mode work. That being said, I'm not really fan of the vocals. Don't really know why but it feels like a good match with the music. It's good that there are a couple of instrumental song kmon tbebalbhn

It’s fine. Nothing grabs me on this one.

It’s tragic I didn’t really care for this, because theoretically I should love it. I love 80s new wave synth music and yet I never engaged meaningfully with this album. I’m open to giving it another chance but I found it boring on the first listen.

Not really my style of music

17/08/2022 New Order – Low Life 2.5/5 80’s sound, good instrumentation, and punk and rock inspiration. New Order uses the synths well, with interesting and danceable tunes. Not something I will listen to constantly, but I’m happy of having discovered the band beyond Blue Monday and Elegia. The worst, vocal performance. How the vocalist sings is one of the most important things I value in a song, and Bernard Summer doesn’t have the best voice in the word. Their punk background is also stands out and is not a style I like. These two things make it something I would probalby not listen in the future. Love Vigilantes – 3/5 Doesn’t sound bad at all, could be in the soundtrack of any movie of the time (or some nostalgic current movie). But you could tell me that the song is played by any other 80’s band and I would not differ. The Perfect Kiss – 2.5/5 Similar to Love Vigilantes, but something is missing. Worse vocal arrangement (or production/editing). It has an interesting solo (a frog interlude), so not that bad. This Time of Night – 1.5/5 Awful vocals. The instrumentation becomes kind of linear and repetitive in this song too. Sunrise – 3.5/5 This song is a context where Bernard Summer vocals fit better, a “rockier” song. It is actually a highlight in the album. Elegia – 5/5 The only song I knew before listening to the whole album. A great instrumental song mixing guitar and synths masterfully creating a very magical atmosphere. And in memory of the singer of Joy Division, their previous band. Sooner Than You Think – 2.5/5 Other song I would probably like more if it weren’t because of the vocals. Sub-culture – 1.5/5 Worst vocal performance, and worst song of the album, in my opinion. Face Up – 3.5/5 Really like the sound of this song: its first minute, and the great little bass riff. Then Bernard start singing. Its quite original anyway.

Most of it was a bad Depeche Mode impression, but there was also one instrumental that was rich and lush and amazing, which was really confusing. I thought Spotify had messed up and started playing a different album. Best track: Elegia

Wauw. Dit is wel lekkere 80s popmuziek. Ik houd wel van die typische synthesizer popmuziek. ***

Literally none of these tracks are the stand-out New Order tracks. It's a decent enough listen, but New Order did so much betterer.

Don’t know these songs, but I always like their sound.

some good, some outdated

Mid 80s new wave, post punk, synthesizers, and drum machines.

Although this album is a bit more synth-heavy and techno than most of the music I enjoyed in the 80s, I do remember liking their work very much and listening to it fairly often. They add a bit more texture and drive to their songs than music I typically associate with techno and synthesizer-focused, and I like a lot of their composition and performance. It caught be by surprise back then because I usually had a strong negative response to anything I might have characterized as "dance music" (silly, I know -- so many things I closed off in my vain attempts to be cool). Listening to this album again for the first time in a few decades, I find it holds up nicely and although I doubt I'll make a regular habit of listening to this album or other New Order music, I think it's fun.

Not offensive, not great.

It feels wrong to get this album before Power, Corruption & Lies, but my thoughts on that album will be saved for another day. New Order's contributions to synthpop cannot be understated. Taking the styles and compositions of Joy Division and expanding on them through the synths and dance rhythms established by Kraftwerk in the prior decade. Admittedly, I am not a huge fan of New Order. This comes from carryover grievances with Joy Division in which I find them the overall product to be somewhat lackluster, but still worth talking about. I like New Order more as a concept in music history than the actual songs, but that doesn't extinguish their recognized quality on this album.

à la recherche des tubes de new order dans le top 1000 albums ↻↻↻

Like my Joy Division reviews, I found this also to be quite mediocre. Very bland, middle of the road and safe. It's not terrible music but it never goes beyond a certain point when it could.

Love this about the cover art from Wikipedia "The album's artwork is the only New Order release to feature photographs of the band members on its cover. The CD comes packaged with drummer/keyboardist Stephen Morris on the front cover, while inside the case are four photographs and a semi-transparent piece of paper with the band's name, allowing the owners to choose which band member is seen through the sleeve." I like New Order well enough, but have never listened to Low-Life straight through. Starts bare and sparse with Love Vigilantes. The reviewer that said the song could be The Alarm or Big Country was onto something with that observation. Then we move into the sound I'm expecting with The Perfect Kiss, a fantastic track. Most of these tracks are all quite good. Easier to pick out my least favorite, This Time of Night. That said, even though the songs are all individually good and the album hangs together well, it is just missing some magic ingredient to make me love it. Happy to listen if it is on, probably won't seek it out for repeated listening.

Not my favourite NO album. Vocals are thin. Missing Curtis more than ever.

Not as dark and gloomy as other New Order

Some good poppy stuff on here, offsets the proto-electronic stuff that I'm not a big fan of.

i wasn't into this album until i heard "elegia." that's the standout of this album. deep, beautiful, eerie. a nice tribute in their friend's memory. i like this album, and it's very of the time! synth eighties. it's a good listen, but i don't think it stands as i thought it would. it can be a little forgettable, but some of the instrumentation is top notch. "sunrise" and of course "elegia" stand out in that regard.

The first track is really good, then it devolves into 80's synth cheese.

Je suis très ambivalent sur ce groupe! Boîte à rythmes énergiques, riffs accrocheurs, bonnes tounes... mais un chanteur qui cherche sa note, quelques facilités...

It's new wave. I've heard worse, and I've heard better. I liked that doing from Stanger Things tho, Elegia.

interesting but not enough to rush out and buy it

Pretty unremarkable but not bad. Know some other New Order stuff but this was all new to me I think. 3.5

it's ok, 3/5

This got better as it went on, standout track was Elegia for me, possibly due to a lack of awful vocals.

Love Vigilantes sounds like a cover that I'm more familiar with. Maybe they did a harder version of this(?) I listened to the remastered version, so I suppose there's some alt versions out there. I'm not a fan of the electric piano and synthesizer doinks on songs like The Perfect Kiss and Face Up, but I really love the low flung guitar that eases in on Sunrise. Elegia is really Cure-ish instrumental, it's ethereal yet impending that builds over time. New Order fits into the category of Pet Shop Boys (not a fan), Depeche Mode (really not a fan) and the Cure (sometimes a fan). To describe the genre in 90's terms, this would be indy college rock. Definitely not mainstream but really cool and new music if you appreciated an alternative scene. In today's standards, it's decent, not Depeche Mode and not The Cure.

This is 4 star music paired with a 2 star voice. The lead singer’s voice sounds very thin. Love Vigilantes and Sunrise are my favorite songs.

👍

Decent but far from their best

Decent enough life

Elegia was so good it forced a second listen

New Order are great. Their use of synth combined with great bass playing defined an era. Sadly, they aren't great songwriters or singers. This album has some real highlights, but let down by some drab songwriting

Was okay

moody, synthy, like a disco but drugs

Lots of 80’s mood. Didn’t do a ton for me but I wasn’t bummed by it.

Nothing really great here. First two songs are very good the rest did little to make me want to hear this album again. It's a good album but doesn't have anything to make irise to greatness. 3.5 🌟

Jammer dat ze in de jaren 80 nog niet over de technologie beschikte om deze zanger goed te laten zingen. Dan was het nog wat toffer geweest.

Dit vond ik best wel aardig, op de zang na.

Beter dan die vorige van New Order die we laatst hadden.

Fine and funky.

Propa synth chunes yeah

Volim ih općenito i taj njihov sythpop zvuk je iconic ali ovaj album mi nije bio nešto. Zadnje dve pjesme su mi dosta lose, pogotovo subculture di su mu vokali ko zvuk iz samog pakla.

Inače mi dost dobar New Order, just not feelin it today.

Nice - very The Cure like and finally a full album by new order that I warmed up to fully

This was ok, but nothing stood out to me in it. 3

I like New Order, and this is New Order. Most of it seems kinda gothic and synthy, which is fine. Face Up is happier, even poppy. I think I kinda prefer the 1983 album before this, and the 1987 one after it, but this is fine.

This is fine. Tolerable. But if I were dating someone and they said this is their favorite album, I'd probably break up with them because we wouldn't understand each other emotionally. This album isn't bad but I find it uninspiring.

Pretty good, holds up and something I'd always been meaning to seek out.

Wyspiarze i lata 80, to iscie niebianskie polaczenie jak pokazuja staty zarowno dekadowe jak i gatunkowe, bo twardym orzechem do zgryzienia jest segregacja gatunkowa tej plyty, po pierwszym traku bylem mile zaskoczony, ze uslysze cos z prawdziwymi instrumentami i liryka glebsza niz na potancowke, bo otwierajacy love vigilantes sprawia wlasnie takie wrazenie, ten gitarkowy riff nie daje mi spokoju, bo skads go powinienem znac, ale nie moge skojarzyc, warta uwagi jest takze praca jaka robi na basie pan Peter Hook, a na gitarce frontmen zespolu Bernard Sumner, caly sklad skladal sie z 4 czlonkow w czasie nagrywania tej plyty, bedacej trzecim w ich dyskografii, dodatkowymi czlonkami sa Stephen Morris od perkusyjnych instrumentow i synthow oraz Gillian Gilbert dodatkowa gitara i wspacie synthowe, wiec jak nie trudno sie domyslic kolejne kawalki juz troche tego synthowego brzmienia beda przemycaly przez co podchodzi tutaj bardziej synth popem typowo tanecznym, wiec album ma swoje chwile, ale czasami jest zbyt syntetyczny jak na moje uszaki, jestem pozytywnie zaskoczony panem wokalista, ktory sprawia wrazenie charyzmatycznego wokalisty, a o zespole slysze pierwszy raz, moze bedzie kiedys okazja sprawdzic reszte dyskografii, jesli maja wiecej takich gemow jak trak otwierajacy czy sub-culture, ktore leca na plejke, ktos moglby powiedziec, ze te traki brzmia troche banalnie, ale jestem fanem takich prostych, a jednoczesnie autentycznych tekstow

Pretty decent album. Really love one song.

Whistled a wicked air guitar solo to the breakdown in Sunrise, felt great. Anyone else do that thing of improvising little lead lines by whistling? I don't really know what sort of music this is - new wave, maybe? I feel like if I say 'oh cool it's like if vaporwave had lyrics and pop song structures' but I feel like that's ass-backwards.

I recognized one song. It is definitely an 80s album. I doubt I will listen to it again.

Yeah, I was not really big into this style: New Order, The Cure, Joy Division... I do like a lot of punk. A good deal of it. This is not the kind I enjoy it. It's very flat for me,I don't know. It just doesn't hit me emotionally. I mean, it's well-crafted, but just... not for me.

It’s definitely of it’s time

I never got too into New Order, despite them being hugely influential to many bands that I love and I wouldn't ever discount the importance they and Joy Division had on music on a broad scale.. So, this album might land better with me, if I had a history and nostalgia attached to it? The first track Love Vigilantes hits like a ton of bricks and is fantastic, but after that it's just meh, for me. Not terrible but nothing I feel I'd need to revisit often.

I honestly have mostly forgot what I thought of this.

Pretty neat time for this album to come up actually. I listened to a podcast recently on Joy Division. (no dogs in space. they do a good write up and touched on New order a bit.) But man I am a big Joy division and while I really miss Ian. New order just meshes this melancholy feeling with a real need to dance. It's so fucking good man.

Only familiar with work from the nineties. Liked this album, but probably won't seek it out

Chill, smooth, poppy and slick.

Not bad. Definitely has a solid synth trend throughout the album. Feels very much what I think of as 80’s New Age music.

It was fine. I kinda prefer when synth pop leans more into the synths, but this is not bad. Just didn’t leave a huge impression.

A lot of songs sound like generic 80s songs. It's like "Just like heaven" from The Cure looped for an hour. Only exception: Sunrise (electric guitar progression in the middle) and Elegia has also a nice Once Upon a Time in the West feel to it.

Face Up is my favorite

6/10 Pouco medíocre, legal

Liked it - early electronica

Never given New Order a listen, but always loved Joy Division so high hopes. UPDATE: Elegia fucking rocks! It's like a cut from the Halloween soundtrack!

Rating: 5/10

Good stuff. Not my typical preference but can see how this was probably influential and inspiring for early alternative and electronic scene.

3

Love Vigilantes Simple melodies. Similar to Arctic Monkeys.

Sehr unspeziefisch, aber gut genug/spezifisch genug um beim radfahren in Tunnel zukommen. Macht gute laune

Not really different from most other songs 3/5

Not the New Order album I wanted or needed sadly. Some of the songs were kind of catchy, but overall I just wanted to listen to the classics off their other albums. The lyrics seemed challenged. I would have liked this album more if it was just instrumental like, Elegia, probably my favorite track. I like the later half of the album more than the beginning. I had heard Love Vigilantes a lot in the past and always thought it was an okay staple. The last song on the album, Face Up, reminded me too much of Temptation, a far better song.

Very New Order

Beats have substance.

it's uh, pretty good

Really enjoyed this one.

My expectations for this we're not very high. However I enjoyed it more than not. Some really nice guitar sounds in there.

Besser als befürchtet 80 live

I never realised before this list how hit and miss new order can be. I always thought I was a fan, but it turns out I'm a bit of a greatest hits kinda guy. Anyway some good some turd. It's aged better than the super 90s stuff.

Some singing was really off-putting, but enjoyed most of the instrumentals

Net iets meer dan 3*. Wel leuk

Like bottled essence of the '80s, which can be good or bad depending on one's mood.

I fall asleep and dream an endless 1980's karate movie montage. John Hughes is my dad and Molly Ringwald is doing that thing with her nose. Five Stars.

I liked this album and I don’t care what any of you say.

Not bad, but New Order has better albums.

Había oído canciones sueltas pero no todo el album seguido. Me ha gustado por las partes que me suenan más a Joy Division. Y lo cierto es que se nota su influencia en muchos grupos posteriores.

Nothing I haven’t heard from the 80s before. I need to hear their earlier albums to give it more value than what I heard today from this album.

Whereas Technique felt like something refreshing and new, this album is just "What if we were The Cure?" I love The Cure, so I didn't hate this. But The Cure does it better.

This is a fun listening! I doubt that I will remember a single song after listening (maybe some of the rhythms) but it's nonetheless a joyful ride with this album. 3/5, would recommend and listen to it again, although not very memorable, yet!

Tecno pop.

Surprisingly relaxing, I think this a good background music album. I might start listening to this as my "I need to work and focus" music!

Fun but forgettable 80s vibey record

nideso dricho

This feels pure 80's. It's a good album, very pop-rock, slightly punk. A near danceable album that makes me think of what the 80's must have felt like to those who lived through it. Not necessarily something I'll be coming back to, but a good listen regardless. True feeling: 2.8/5

I enjoyed it.

Yeah, pretty cool.

Heard a few of the tracks before "Love Vigilantes" and "Elegia". Beyond those two, doesn't do a ton for me. Not bad though.

Too many instrumentals, not enough hits. I do like new wave though.

Great album. Reminded me of high school

Not as polished as their other albums but still very solid