Technique
New OrderSome good tunes, starting with "Fine Time" which immediately brings in some synth drums and keyboard sounds that feel very dated now, especially the drum sounds which evoke a very 80s and early 90s house vibe. "All the Way" has a much more conventional 80s rock sound, carrying the cheesy synth drums but with a feeling that reminds me of bands like The Eagles, The Smiths and even Smashing Pumpkins. Other notable tracks are "Round & Round" which sounds much better in the 12" mix, and "Guilty Partner" which has a catchy minor bass ostinato and plaintive vocals, probably my favourite on the album so far. The second half of the song includes a short guitar solo that has almost a Spanish guitar feel which really adds to the song. "Run" comes next with a nice beat, but the simplistic chord progression gets a bit stale (seems like a I-IV plagal cadence with an occasional V sus chord... so three chords: C, F and G major). "Mr. Disco" gives us a bit of 80s dance flavour, although again due to the sampled instruments and FM synths used, it sounds a bit like Beverley Hills Cop or some other buddy cop show from the time. Some cool panning and volume modulation effects are used in the latter part of the song which makes things more interesting. The album also includes "Best & Marsh" which includes some nicely arranged instrumentals that keep the tune moving. There's even a synth cowbell, probably from the Roland TR-808, so that's a thumbs up from me. Overall a great album, although it feels a little dated due to the aforementioned FM synths and synth drums that often sound like the kind of music you'd hear on an Amiga tracker module.