New Order

New Order said goodbye to the 1980s, and to musical innovation, with this graceful acceptance of their status as alt-pop deities. The individual tracks don't stand out as much as before (though "All the Way" and "Loveless" could be on the guitar side of their underrated Brotherhood), but the whole album flows very well and off-kilter ideas are still present.

New Order has regularly searched out trendy dance-music styles. Most recently, the
quartet explored the musical scene of Europe's current hot spot, Ibiza, the Spanish island
where Technique was partially recorded. Although it stays within the limits of New Order's
basic sound, the album incorporates traces of "the Balearic beat," a purported
Mediterranean-derived successor to the now passé (in Britain, at least) acid-hou... More >

The catchy Anglodisco gloom fans have complained about ever since the band lightened up finally arrives, and it's a lot franker and happier (hence smarter) than Depeche Mode. But now that Bernard is a full-fledged human being, we find out he's a slightly boring human being. Is this why he was always in the dumps? (Grade - B+)