New Order – Power, Corruption & Lies (1983/2016)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/96 kHz | Time – 42:30 minutes | 935 MB | Genre: Rock, New Wave
Studio Master, Official Digital Download – Source: HighResAudio | Front cover | © Warner Records 90
Recorded: 22 October-14 November 1982, Britannia Row, Islington
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.
Tracklist:
1 Age Of Consent 5:15
2 We All Stand 5:13
3 The Village 4:37
4 5-8-6 7:29
5 Your Silent Face 5:59
6 Ultraviolence 4:51
7 Ecstasy 4:25
8 Leave Me Alone 4:41
Personnel:
Bernard Sumner – vocals, guitars, melodica, synthesizers and programming
Peter Hook – 4- and 6-stringed bass, electronic percussion
Stephen Morris – drums, synthesizers and programming
Gillian Gilbert – synthesizers and programming, guitars
Download: