Power Corruption And Lies - New Order (1983)
Ideated from: Starting my second year of this blog with some famous second albums
If you don’t know the story, it’s well-documented: Joy Division were an exciting band from the late-70s Manchester scene who ended with the tragedy of singer Ian Curtis taking his own life. The remaining members reformed as New Order, and emerged as one of the biggest acts on the scene in the 80s. For more detail, there’s a pretty great film about Tony Wilson, Factory Records, and the Manchester music scene called 24 Hour Party People, which I’d highly recommend.
It’s easy to think of the first New Order record as being an extension of Joy Division. It’s dark and brooding, and everything from the drum sound to the vocal techniques show a group trying to get on with it after a great loss.
By this second one, however, they’d really come into their own as a group. Adding lots of sythesizers and more mechanical rhythms, but still with plenty of wiry guitar and early postpunk energy. It’s dancable in a way that Joy Division really wasn’t. It sounds a lot more like the 80s than their previous efforts.
Tracks I Liked
Age Of Consent - the best track here, although that’s only because Blue Monday was a single and not on this record.
The Village - a whimsical tune that gallops along at a great pace
Ultraviolence - The poppiest song you will ever hear named “ultraviolence” (OK, i searched and apparently didn’t know about the Lana Del Rey track. It’s close)
