It's been a long time since we've heard from New Order, hasn't it? A full eight years have elapsed since Republic dropped in 1993, and, listening back, the band's six albums hold up pretty well to modern ears. The band's members haven't exactly been slacking off, either, all remaining visible in the interim with various projects, including Electronic, the Other Two, and Monaco. Get Ready, the band's seventh album, finds them as able as ever, playing as though they'd never been gone, and offering their most organic album in ages.

More so than on Republic, Get Ready's ten songs emphasize the songwriterly aspects of the band's sound-- the ones that made theirs some of the most transcendent dance music of the last two decades. The surprising thing about much of this album, though, is how much it rocks. Bernard Sumner's guitar is prominent and gritty, thrashing through songs like "Crystal" (the opening track and first single) with a driving, almost garage-y tone. Drummer/programmer Stephen Morris sticks to the traps more often than usual, always complementing his programmed beats with live playing.

"Crystal" is a fantastic song, possibly one of New Order's best singles. Unfortunately, between an extended intro and repetitive, over-long outro, the album version loses some of the punch that the single edit offers. Nonetheless, it's hard to deny Peter Hook's amazing bass leads and the song's hook-laden chorus. New Order keep the tempo high for most of the album, and strike gold more often than not, especially on the excellent "Primitive Notion." Gillian Gilbert's textured synth patches wash over the song in waves, while Morris' drumming and programming propel it with busy, frantic rhythms. Sumner's voice, which is sounding decidedly less strained these days, ably carries a deft melody, while his guitar playing subtly fills in the rhythmic gaps left by Hook's melodic basslines.

The aptly titled "Slow Jam" follows, pulling back the reigns a little and leaving the programmed beats at home for a full-on anthem, replete with multi-tracked vocals and a slow, soaring melody. The band's new focus on songwriting occasionally reveals their limitations in unflattering ways, though, such as the cringe-worthy opening lyrics of "Rock the Shack," which features backing vocals from Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie and Andrew Innes. "I've been accused of everything/ From Timbuktu to old Berlin/ I need some armor for my flesh/ I need to stop and take a rest," sings Sumner over a torrent of dirty guitar reminiscent of the most straight-forward moments on Primal Scream's Exterminator. Gillespie's backing vocals actually detract somewhat from the song, which is otherwise an energizing rave-up.

Surprisingly better is the cameo from ex-Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan on "Turn My Way." He turns in backing vocals near the end of the song, though it's easy to miss unless you're really paying attention. Shockingly, Corgan restrains his nasal delivery to the point where he almost sounds like Sumner. With the possible exception of Innes, though, the most well-utilized guest is vocalist Dawn Zee, whose backing parts on "Crystal" and the ultra-danceable "Someone Like You" offer needed color to the sound. "Someone Like You," with its wordless vocal hooks and relentless beat, makes a good candidate for a second single, capable of moving even the most sedentary posteriors.

The album closes with the string-laden ballad "Run Wild," a surprisingly tender and straight-forward acoustic love song graced by a simple harmonica part and lyrics that display an honest devotion to a lover. Gilbert's keyboard mixes brilliantly with the string arrangement for a stirring bridge that leads into the uncharacteristically joyful refrain of "good times around the corner," which hints at an optimism for the future that has rarely surfaced in New Order's songs. Sumner caps it off with the simple sentiment, "I'm gonna live 'til I die/ I'm gonna live to get high."

All told, Get Ready is a pretty solid effort from a veteran band that really has nothing left to prove. They've managed to bring together a consistently rewarding set of songs and added yet another great album to their already impressive canon. Unfortunately, the songwriting at times reveals scattered holes, and the songs can draw on for too long. But if nothing else, Get Ready proves that New Order are still capable of putting out an enjoyable album. Let's just hope they don't stay away for eight more years before they give us the next one.

-Joe Tangari, November 19th, 2001