Reviews (page 8 of 10)
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
There's probably some chance I've heard some of these songs before but I don't really remember it. Kind of sad to not see some of there more popular songs on here. Some of these sound a lot like Tears for Fears.
Jangly electronic rock. I went into this blind, knowing Blue Monday but very little else. It was fun, and I can see why this is an important album, but I wasn't in the right mood for it.
Average
Even though I did not know a single song on the album beforehand, it was a very pleasant listen. A nice balance between high energy (almost disco) vibes and ambient synth, this must be one of my favorite new wave albums.
Lepposaa menoa alusta loppuun.
3.5
Not gonna lie, actually liked this more than I thought I would
Dancey. I kind of preferred them when they had a more post-punk influence. Still, this is inoffensive and catchy. Favorite track: "The Perfect Kiss"
The first track is fine, Love Vigilantes, mostly because I think of the Iron and Wine cover which is better. The rest of the album the vocal is so off key it's genuinely hard to listen to.
This was better than the first album in that I didn’t skip through most of the songs…just some of them. The first song was the best, I thought maybe I had misremembered how bad the first album was. I was quickly corrected. This was just weird. It was like New England weather, if you don’t like the musical style, just wait a few minutes. Problem was it was like going from a downpour to a flood. A couple of ok songs but not great.
A poor man’s version of The Cure. Not impressed. What really blows my mind is that I was alive in the 80’s when band’s like this were supposedly blowing up because of critical acclaim, yet I never heard of most of them. Why is that?
Highlight: Sunrise, Love Vigilantes. In a nutshell: embrace the synth. The beats are great. Drums, bass, synth and keys, fantastic. It's the vocals that drag it down for me. There's something a bit harsh, a little off about their delivery. It's a departure record for New Order, for sure. Less post-punk sound, more synth but it keeps the rock parts and danceable beats we know them for. Overall: 4/10
Pas ouf
It wasn't someone you'll catch me ever really wanting to listen to. 80s synth, bad vocals, new wave in ways that I just didn't care for. However I can see how it was influential to certain artists. bleh...
didn’t feel much
Too alternative for my taste.
The songs are catchy and all. I would probably rate it a lot higher if the lyrics weren't so goddamn awful. They're SO on the nose and some of the rhymes are so forced. It's so bad that I can't understand why anyone would actually enjoy it. The best song was the instrumental one because again, musically it's fine. But I'm so completely puzzled about why it's on this list, let alone the fact the band is actually popular. It goes to show how many people don't give a shit about lyrics and I find that really sad.
I like New Order in principle, but not so much in reality. They have so many songs I really like, and yet this album was just hugely disappointing. Barney's voice is weak, the production isn't great and none of the songs really stick with me. I can't *hate* it, but I can't even bring myself to give a 3. No desire to listen again after three attempts.
Best songs: - Love Vigilante - Sunrise
album #129 musically, this is pretty cool but i just do not vibe with sumner's vocal performances. elegia, however, made me ascend! it was so beautiful!!! ಄ favourite track(s): elegia ಄ least favourite track(s): love vigilantes, the perfect kiss ಄ album rating: ★★☆☆☆ ಄ number of albums left to review: 960 ಄ number of albums i agree with being on the list: 57 ಄ albums from the list that i would consider for my list: 25 ಄ albums i would not include on my list: 104
4/10 Fun but not to memorable for me
legalzinho bem anos 80 não deu tanta vontade de escutar outra vez
Album was okay, just not my cup of tea, but it was alright I could see how someone would like it, no standouts
Kuulatav, aga pole märkimist väärt. Mitte ükski lugu siit ei jäänud meelde. Huvitav (samas veider produ) ning mõmisev briti vokaal on New Orderi tunnus ning mulle selle ajastu New Wave ei mõju väga hästi. 2.4/5
I liked a few songs on this album but nothing in the way of Joy Division. Unfortunately, most of the album is mediocre at best, if not downright banal or play-by -number pop trash. Not my favorite at all. It wasn't a complete disaster as I did enjoy Love Vigilantes, Sunrise, and Elegia. But the rest was just banal. I can't even get this to a 3: 2 "barely hanging by their nails" stars.
Yuck
To the untrained ear, all New Order albums basically sound the same. I have untrained ears.
Shitty British post punk. This reminds me a little of Tears for Fears but way worse. 1.5 stars
New Order is another New Wave band that, in hindsight, can only be described as overrated. Not quite as annoying as the B-52's, which I listened to yesterday, but by no means good. I'll spare you the long explanation and wrap this up with two stars.
..
British pop. Sometimes it makes for great music and sometimes it's just plain boring. This album is in the latter category.
Not sure about this, singing is really dodgy in places. Songs really aren't that strong.
Mostly passed me by except the first track.
Die 80er waren für mich einfach ein Jahrzehnt der Singles. Ein Song mit Synthies sorgt hier und dafür frohes Gemüt. Ein ganzes Album macht mich aggressiv.
I don't think there is very much to add to my comments about Technique. On Low-Life, as on the later record, New Order feel very lucky. Anything they hit upon - and there are certainly good moments - is good fortune rather than the result of consideration. Everything is up in the mix and going all at once, which is in keeping with the vision of them as kids exploring a new technology they didn't understand, but doesn't suggest much in terms of vision or discernment. In comparison to the other British synthpop groups we've listened to so far - PSB and Soft Cell; The Cure, although only Japanese Whispers is a genuine synth record and it's not on the list - there is no sense of perspective, as one gets with Neil Tennant, and no glimpse behind the curtain, as with Marc Almond. As with everything else in the discography, the words that fall out of Bernard Sumner's mouth do so almost by chance. They certainly seem to bear no relationship with the music - the effect, again, of the group losing a clear artistic force in lyricist and singer, Ian Curtis. The fact that New Order is able to make so much from such uncertainty is remarkable, really, and doesn't take away from the occasions when things - inexplicably - work. However, those occasional successes also offer an uncritical lifeline to other pieces that would fall apart if given proper scrutiny. Of Love Vigilantes, Sumner said: " I decided to write a redneck song. It was quite tongue-in-cheek. It was about Vietnam." In what way is that apparent or appropriate? In what way does it contribute to New Order as a serious artistic force? It only makes sense if we accept New Order as a bunch of Manchester chancers with an amazing streak of luck. 2 Another New Order album and another chance to reflect on just how much more than the sum of their parts are The Cure. What a trudge this was. The lyrics are inelegant and naive. Bernard Sumner’s dull, four-square melodies lumber on. He sings like he knows he’s singing shit. Why does no one else know it? How is it possible that anyone cares about this? I visited the Wikipedia page for the album in absolute bafflement. Neil Tennant thought it was very good, apparently. 1/5
Definitely have better albums
This always was at its best when they switched to instrumental parts. Not because the singing was bad, but because then interesting things started to happen, whereas the verses and choruses were a snoozefest. That's why I enjoyed the second half of "Sunrise" and the subsequent "Elegia" most. I don't think I'll revisit the rest of it. 2/5 - below average
boring 2/5
was not a fan at the start. 'Eligia' is my favorite of the album. Definitely something I'll be studying to. meh. 2,5
didn't have a favorite song. kinda boring.
The first half was fine but the second half was really hard to get through
There are some cool new wave moments, but this guy just can’t sing.
Love the first song but the rest was the usual synth pop
This was a broodier version of The Cure done in the style of bad karaoke.
not good not bad so i would give 2.5/5 if i could.
Love Vigilantes - 3.5/5 The Perfect Kiss - 3/5 This Time Of Night - 2.5/5 Sunrise - 2.5/5 Elegia - 4/5 Sooner Than You Think - 3/5 Sub-Culture - 3/5 Face Up - 3/5
I like a lot of new wave stuff… but not all new wave stuff.
Just alright. No standout songs and not really my jam.
It’s very much not my genre. I liked Love Vigilantes, but from there it’s just too synthy for me and the vocals just don’t do it for me. And I’m normally the first person to defend vocals that most people don’t like. I did quite like the way Elegia built up, but not enough that I’d want to listen to it again. Fav song: Love Vigilantes Least fav: Sub-culture
Vocally underwhelming. Think there's something beautiful about all the remaining members of Joy Division continuing to make music together after Ian Curtis died but choosing not to keep using the Joy Division name. But musically I'm not a big fan. Favourite song: Sooner Than You Think Least: The Perfect Kiss
Generally like New Order but the vocals on this album are almost hair-raisingly bad.
Alright
Bastante interesante, con vibra futurista y resaltan bastante los sintetizadores pero ninguna canción me atrapó por completo
Nothing I want to listen to again. Most of it was just on in the background, but the last few songs were really something I didn't like. 2.5 stars rounded down
van mja teveel new order op rij wordt een mens niet genereus van
Didn't irritate too much.
Good New Order album not the best but a lot to choose from
This is what my dad's nickname for me was
There was one pretty good song (it wasn't the one I recognised either).
not somwthing i would listen to
Is this guy related to the Hapsburgs? Why does he look like that on the cover? Ok, it's such a bummer that this could be AMAZING, but I absolutely despise this guy's vocals. It's taking me out of it completely. I think that's exactly why 'Elegia' is my favorite song on this album: a blissful instrumental and that's it. I honestly have such a hard time rating this. On one hand, I love the music; on the other, I hate the singing. 'This Time of Night' is fire, though. I don't get why he has to do that hUAaaUah every five seconds in each song. It ruins everything for me. I fucking hate myself for giving this a 2, but I just cannot bring myself to rate it any higher THANKS to the vocalist. Like, everything is on point, each instrument? Perfect. He sings fine, then out of nowhere, he just starts doing that stupid, annoying voice that's just slapping me in the face. Just for that, I can't do it any more justice, and it truly pains me. Change the vocalist or just teach him a better technique and this becomes a solid 5.
man... i just don't get new wave/ 80s synth. Love Vigilantes is a banger, but only because i know the iron and wine cover. It just sounds like a tin-can speaker on every song... but not in a fun way
If the knight rider and airwolf soundtrack's grandma. I rue the day synths were invented
I enjoy New Orders top hits but did not enjoy this album.
temas para ir caminando por londres
I finished listening to it 30 seconds ago and I already forget the entire album
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
Я заебался уже
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.
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".
More new wave poppy 80's crap. Yawn.
Like others have stated, the vocals ruined it!
Really not much to say. In one ear, out the other. Reviews were right, vocals kinda stink.
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.
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.
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.
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
New Order is pretty typical 80s sound, almost emblematically so.
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
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
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!!
Nah, no Blue Monday, not interested. 2.2/5
langweilig
Solid 2.5 Stars. Nothing amazing but not bad.
A dull band I have never got the fuss over.
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.
Half of the album was solid new wave and the other half was overproduced with cheap 80's synths layered throughout.
The voice is not the best and the lyrics didn't really convince me. The production and instrumental was nice though
alright, underwhelming
I lowk dont like it
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
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.
repetitive but inoffensive
The song with no vocals was the best.
Liked Songs: - Love Vigilantes - Sunrise - Elegia
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
not a fan tbh no lyrics bit disappointed but we move on yknow
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.
My high school girlfriend was a fan of New Order and this genre in general. Liked it way more than vs now.
I don’t mind the album. I recognize the opening track other songs sound familiar
Started ok but I kinda tapped out around the half-way mark.
Nice instrumental at times but vocalist annoys me
Bland, boring, and mildly unpleasant, this album is a great example of mediocrity.
not my favorite of theirs. still good tho
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.
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
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
Did not enjoy the singer. Apathetic and strangely out of tune.
need to relisten. lowkey the best song is the instrumental one
Not really my style but it’s ok
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 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.
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.
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’.
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.
The instrumentals were cool, but didn’t love the singing.
Too much synth for me
It's no Technique...