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The previous Get Ready marked a return to the rock sounds of a band that had made electronics, and more precisely techno-pop, their key to success, reconnecting with their significant origins: Ian Curtis and Joy Division. A great album, played heavily on impact and guitar-synth dynamics. After a couple of years, having passed the "re-generation" phase, the ex-darkwavers return with Waiting For The Sirens' Call, produced by John Leckie (Radiohead, Muse) and Stephen Street (Blur).
In the first four tracks, the New Order, as happened in "60 Miles An Hour", the second single from "Get Ready", categorically move away from electronics, embracing brighter sounds and more rock arrangements, where an excellent mix manages to converge atmospheric synths placed in the background compared to guitar interlocks. Peter Hook as usual is superb; his unmistakable bass tone is an audible guarantee for the New Order style, as well as the sharp guitars and the voice of Bernard Summer. The openings with "Who's Joe" (which quotes Hendrix's "Hey Joe" with a splendid ending), and "Hey Now What You Doing" (high-class British pop-rock à la REM and Smiths), are perfect for the moods previously described. The Cure are also among their influences, as demonstrated in the single "Krafty" with its melancholic but not sappy melodies and in the title track. What happens next? Suddenly New Order remembers electronics and continues the album with synths at the forefront, diving and redoubling into the '80s: Synthesized bass lines like in Material Girl in "Morning Night And Day", and modernized techno-pop ("Guilt Is A Useless"). Very anonymous tracks that distract from the qualities of the first part of the album, with comebacks like "Turn", and the surprising Jet-like conclusion of "Working Overtime", a well-crafted garage rock.
An album without praise or blame, high-finish pop-rock, with great production. The new order has done its duty, nothing more. Recommended for long journeys.
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