New Order

New Order's highest charting album in the U.S. (No. 11) is also their weakest: they seem to be going through the motions much of the time. Thankfully, there are still some strong tracks here, including "Regret," "Ruined in a Day" and the anti-dance dance track "Special." Even the band thought something was missing -- they took an extended break after this LP.

Republic©' is something of a reunion album, New Order's first outing since 1989. It follows
the four individual members' side projects as Electronic (singer-guitarist Bernard Sumner),
Revenge (bassist Peter Hook) and the Other Two (keyboardist Gillian Gilbert and drummer
Stephen Morris). Yet the album's discreet dance style is pleasingly familiar, suggesting the
band members' resumed mutual sympathies rather than their newer enthusiasms... More >