Music Complete

[Jay Vaughan (ibisum)]

So since I’m just a huge New Order fan, I’ve had this bloody album on my head for hours now, and I figure  I’d keep some music- in the -bar and try to dump my thoughts on subsequent listening of their new album, Music Complete.  Its just one of those things I’m gonna do for you.

Like .. I suspect .. a few of you guys, I spent my teen lunch money on New Order 12”’s and albums when they were released, as soon as possible .. I remember golden days heading to the city and coming home with 2 or 3 new things I’d not yet boosted into the collection .. I can still remember clearly buying Perfect Kiss, Temptation, PowerCorruption&Lies, &etc., avidly, upon their release and arrival in those southern lands I used to dwell.  It was such a massive kick for me as a kid and set me on a path of music love and appreciation of, 31+ years, now.

I dig the hooks, I love listening for the ‘part in the song that kicks ass’, I finally grow on the lyrics and they become repeated and repeatable.  The New Order sound has always just rubbed the right corpuscles and noodle bits to keep me plugging in.

When I got Music Complete on for the first time, I have to admit there was a bit of trepidation.  What if they sucked?  What if I’d just gotten over them.  What if they changed all the things I didn’t used to not like, or more?  Getting on in my age, these sorts of peril are a jaded form of narcissistic indulgence to be sure, but then so is pretty much every New Order track ever.  How could it not be so?

Well, Singularity: bloody hell, they’ve got the formula nailed.  Its nearly the same ol’ band, the same ol’ feeling.. undeniably huge synth stabs, a hook destined to be chewed up and spit out by whatever new big fish remixers are pissing in todays music puddles.

Plastic, Nothing But a Fool, The Game .. more formula, of the ‘get over your mid-life crisis and just put the teeth in the jar’ variety.  Nutritious, processed, easy to consume.  Get away from it for a day or so, and you may well realize you woke up with the words in your head.  Just like the good old days.  And those synth hooks, so easy to brush off, but the more you do .. the more they stick.  And again, one wonders if there are going to be remixes, which is usually a good sign imho.

Actually, its so good to skip a few tracks ahead, and see just how bloody clever these larrikins are, with their mathematical orders of things.  On the one hand, at first glance everything seems a bit samey.  On the other hand, you know there’s a band behind it, and they’re all doing their best to not get in each others way. Why does it work so well?  I know one thing, I usually hate New Order tracks until I know the lyrics, and then I just fucking love them.  Over and over again.

Its the romance.  The temptation.  The desire to sing along with Barnie.  It works, I do, and again .. 3 days later .. I still hear the tracks in my head.  Thank you New Order, and welcome home.  Sorry, I’ll dust it off a bit and serve you some tea.  Are you comfy inside my head, just like the good old days?

And getting to the end, past the cheese, the trite glib drum patterns that you just didn’t realize could be so funky, actually, well .. it all sort of goes so well with Barnie, with whom you’re still singing along.  Hang on - did Giorgio Moroder just join the tea-party?  Seems like a recurring visitor, and Tutti Frutti’s just giving it away, basically.  Like some cheap lick, ultimately amazing, from a slut you know shouldn’t be there in the back of the room.

Academic; are New Order actually taking the piss and trying to close the circle on pretty much every guitar riff they’ve ever played?  I’ve heard it before, but .. ah .. you know .. it still works.  At this point they’re just writing tracks that are a bit of a blur, and I begin to wonder if maybe I should just put People on the High Line on repeat for a few times and forget that I’m listening to New Order, easy to do on that track .. but then it isn’t.

Color me happy - I think I actually *am* one of those “People On the High Line” now .. I’m having New Order love/hate just like the good old days, and its feeling good.  Kind of miss Mr. Hook, though, it has to be said .. maybe he was the weird one that kept things from listening like a bit of gospal drunkenness, after all.  One wonders.  Gonna go see what he’s been up to in the meantime, now .. bloody hell, is it the 80’s again?  Coz that’d actually be good right about now.

;
--
Jay Vaughan
ibisum at gmail.com




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