Album Review: New Order - Lost Sirens

12 March 2013 | 2:07 pm | Dominique Wall

Hook may no longer be in the band, but this album gives fans one last chance to hear his trademark bass sound in a New Order setting.

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Those who had been hoping for the release of a new album since New Order's reformation have had to make do with what could best be described as a new old album. Tracks recorded around the time that Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris and Phil Cunningham were working on previous album, Waiting For The Siren's Call, fell by the wayside in the wake of the band's break-up. The songs were finally resurrected for Lost Sirens after the group got back together (minus Hook, but with a return to the fold for Gillian Gilbert). The title of this record alone indicates its connection to its predecessor.

As a whole, Lost Sirens is not breaking any new ground and in knowing that these songs were recorded almost ten years ago, you basically know what you're in for sound-wise. In the case of Sumner and co, this is not that bad a thing, especially when you have tracks such as Hellbent, Shake It Up and I'll Stay With You, which serves as an excellent opener and is very much a classic New Order track. I Told You So (Crazy World Mix) will be familiar to fans, as the original version appeared on Waiting For The Siren's Call. Recoil is noteworthy for, among other things, the change of pace it provides, with a beautiful piano-based sound.

While a couple of tracks could be better (see Sugarcane, Californian Grass and I've Got A Feeling), the main offender is Sumner's lyrics. There are moments where he runs into predictable – and slightly cringe-worthy – rhyming patterns, with Californian Grass bearing the brunt of this misfortune.

Hook may no longer be in the band, but this album gives fans one last chance to hear his trademark bass sound in a New Order setting.

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