It’s an anniversary to celebrate with this sixth album review. A brief summary of Power, Corruption & Lies by New Order.
Review Number: 6
Review Date: 29 May 2023
Album: Power, Corruption & Lies
Artist: New Order
Country: England
Release Date: 1983
Genres: Synth-Pop, New Wave
“When a new life turns towards you, and the night becomes a day.”
There is no happiness in being a prisoner of the past. When a person has the courage and intelligence to break free from history, they will probably discover something fresh and exciting.
New Order wisely – and fortuitously – turned away from the sounds of their debut album Movement (1981) and fully embraced a true new order.
Don’t get me wrong, Movement was brilliant, but it had its roots firmly in the world of Joy Division, New Order’s former incarnation.
Released 40 years ago this month, Power, Corruption & Lies is an energetic triumph. The Mancunian band’s second album hits the sweet spot, melding synthesizers with the human touch. The drummer is not replaced by a drum machine, and the bass and guitar are not overshadowed by machines. Technology complements the band, rather than absorb them like a dystopian SF movie or novel.
The opening track “Age of Consent” is the best with its exuberant and catchy hook. A New Order fan in the early 1980s would have gone from Movement to that song in a couple of years. One big step for a band, one giant leap for ‘fankind’.
The track “5 8 6” is very much in the mould of “Blue Monday”, New Order’s fantastic single released in March 1983. The latter is still the best-selling 12-inch single of all time.
“Life goes on and on in this real life fantasy.”
Elsewhere, tracks like “The Village”, “Ultraviolence” and “Ecstasy” keep the good sounds rolling. Power, Corruption & Lies is only eight tracks and 42 minutes long. But the brevity is welcome and I’d class the album as the band’s finest hour.
“Your Silent Face” is a neat tribute to Kraftwerk, the German band that had a profound influence on New Order.
But while Kraftwerk were intentionally robotic, New Order’s use of bass and guitar kept them human and arguably edged them ahead of the competition in the 1980s.
There were a lot of superb British rivals in that decade. Think of ABC, Depeche Mode, The Cure, The Smiths, Pet Shop Boys, The Human League, Echo & the Bunnymen, Ultravox, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and The Cocteau Twins.
The last track “”Leave Me Alone” ends the album on a melancholic note.
But few people left the band alone. The 1980s were a golden age for British indie music and particularly New Order. I remember the music papers of the time very well – NME, Melody Maker and Sounds. The band were a constant presence. Their deliberately awkward interviews and enigmatic album/single covers generated a lot of interest and adoration. Playing it cool, and letting the music speak for itself, was a tactic that paid off for them.
“Every time, you get these words wrong, I just smile.”