New Order

"Bizarre Love Triangle" aside, the majority of New Order's 1986 record is mostly a return to their stark, guitar pop roots. "Weirdo" is one of New Order's finest pop moments, as is the Electro-inspired "All Day Long." The tell-tale basslines and guitar work are in top form, as are Bernard Sumner's wonderfully broken vocals. One of their most cohesive records.

I never knew why their definitive electrodisco impressed me more than it moved me, and now I don't know why it has me rocking out of my chair or grinning foolishly as I forage for dinner at the supermarket. The tempos are a touch less stately, the hooks a touch less subliminal. Bernard Albrecht's vocals have taken on so much affect they're humane. And the joke closer softens up a skeptic like me to the pure, physically exalting sensation of the music. (Grade - A)