New Order
Get Ready
[Reprise; 2001]
Rating: 7.6
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