New Order
Technique

THE REVIEW

"REFLECTIONS IN THE NIGHTCLUB"

The innovative New Order, after following the dark wave trend with Joy Division and after producing several "post new wave" records, arrived in '89 at a mixed, contaminated work with influences from Techno-pop, Disco, New wave, Pop, and Industrial.

Thanks to the artwork of their trusted designer and producer Peter Saville, they immediately place this album among their best ever made alongside "Brotherhood" and "Low-Life". Tracks alternating between fast (with driving rhythms and '80s synthesizers) and slow and melodic ones (focused mainly on the dark tones of the bass and guitar). The first track "Fine Time" transports the listener into the world of New Order but immediately overturns it with the wonderful "All the Way" in which the group distances itself from the corrupt world by loudly proclaiming its intentions: "It don't take no Houdini to tell me what I am, parasites and literasites, they'd burn me if they can, but I don't give a damn about what those people say, they pick you up and kick you out, they hurt you every day!". "Round and Round", "Mr. Disco" & "Vanishing Point" remain similar to the first track in tempos, yet employ different compositional techniques that still make New Order unique today.

On the other hand, the other four tracks are solitary and reflect the complex personalities of the group members, strongly tied to their (now deceased) former leader Ian Curtis, who, at the time with Joy Division, composed some of the most self-destructive yet romantic songs ever created in the last 20 years. "Technique" remains a memorable CD even if not crucial to fully understand New Order's complex production machine. I also remind that New Order CDs are not digestible on the first listen like a Hilary Duff or Duncan James CD might be (no offense to the genre lovers), but they need to be listened to multiple times, stealing reflections and rhythms each time, thus gradually perceiving the true essence of the record and the message it wants to communicate.

Never take New Order too lightly, mistaking them for a pre-litteram Dance or House group, they are far from it and your hearing can confirm this after listening to "Movement" (debut album) and "Waiting for the Siren's call", one of the more recent works dated 2005! "The sound and the Fury!" (message printed on the shirt of the Joy Division singer at a concert)