Monday, September 03, 2001

New Order - Get Ready



Get Ready is full of change. New Order has taken the next step in evolution with their latest effort. This is the band's first album where they've recorded as New Order but included guests appearances. Whether the collaborations here fueled the creative process or not, there is a burgeoning energy coming from these songs. I'd personally love to see the songs they threw away.

The choice of former-Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan sharing vocals with New Order's Bernard Sumner on "Turn My Way" originally had me upset. I think I was more in shock that there was another voice other than Sumner's but after repeated listenings I realized that no other voice would do for the part. "Rock The Shack" (with Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie sharing the mic) holds to it's title well and is a great rock party song. The rest of the album is packed full of gems. The first single "Crystal" is simply the best song they have written in years. "60 Miles An Hour" drives with a heart-heavy lead foot. The amazing thing about songs like "Close Range," "Someone Like You," "Primitive Notion" and "Slow Jam" is that they have a distinct overall voice yet don't fall back on familiar ground.

Get Ready is the best track-for-track album of New Order's career and was well worth waiting through their 8-year sabbatical. I just hope we don't have to wait as long for a follow-up.