A great leap forward from their funereal debut album,
Power, Corruption & Lies cemented
New Order's place as the most exciting dance-rock hybrid in music (and it didn't even include the massive "Blue Monday" single, released earlier that year). Confident and invigorating where
Movement had sounded disconsolate and lost, the record simply pops with energy from the beginning "Age of Consent," an alternative pop song with only a smattering of synthesizers overlaying an assured
Bernard Sumner, who took his best vocal turn yet. Unlike the hordes of synth pop acts then active,
New Order experimented heavily with their synthesizers and sequencers. What's more, while most synth pop acts kept an eye on the charts when writing and recording, if
New Order were looking anywhere (aside from within), it was the clubs -- "The Village" and "586" had most of the technological firepower of the mighty "Blue Monday." But whenever the electronics threatened to take over,
Peter Hook's grubby basslines,
Bernard Sumner's plaintive vocals, and
Stephen Morris' point-perfect drum fills reintroduced the human element. Granted, they still had the will for moodiness; the second track was "We All Stand," over five minutes of dubbed-out melancholia. Aside from all the bright dance music and production on display,
Power, Corruption & Lies also portrayed
New Order's growing penchant for beauty: "Your Silent Face" is a sublime piece of electronic balladry. ~ John Bush