New Order - Technique (1989)

Dan:

I took some time to warm up to New Order, beginning with Low Life. I sampled the early albums via the useful compilation, Substance, but disliked much of what I heard from the earlier albums. The later albums were less dense and one song in particular, "True Faith," was irresistible. Steve's younger sister loved that song and so did I. She wondered how I could like it since I didn't have much in the way of dance / beat / synth music in my collection. At the time, I didn't really have an answer, but now I do. Amy, this post is for you!

The follow up to Low Life, Brotherhood, was an admitted disaster due to conflicts withing the band. Thankfully, Technique arrived near the end of the decade with a more coherent sound. It appeared that the band had resolved their stylistic differences and settled on synth-based songs with catchy hooks and unique lyrics. Technique charted to the top in the UK, thus reinforcing the stylistic choice for their next major album, Republic (1993). 

The song titles on Technique and other New Order albums don't offer many clues about the lyrics. Although I can remember each song on the album, I can never remember the titles. "Fine Time," "Run," and "Love Less" are typical examples. So I don't bother associating songs with titles; it makes no practical difference because I like all of the songs equally. I just listen and enjoy. 

The lyrics are memorable, and the melodies and rhythms are perfect for the band. None of them tell very deep stories, unlike some of the earlier songs (e.g., "1963," which was about a murder). There are undercurrents of self-deprecation and heartbreak but not enough to make Technique gloomy or morose. 

In terms of musicianship, this era of New Order was outstanding. They found a way to use electronic instruments, including "drums" to make actual music that supports the fine vocals. I don't know enough about the band to explain how they get around the limitations of synthesizers and drum machines; I just know that it works beautifully on the four New Order albums I have, among which Technique is the best.

Steve:

Although I had become a big fan of New Order with the Low Life album (reviewed elsewhere on this blog) and that interest had continued through Brotherhood, by the time of Technique I was in college and exploring other things (including a full immersion in classic prog). I never purchased a copy of Technique at the time, but Dan had. When I was home for a break from school, he played it, and track 1 ("Fine Time") scared me off at first - it was thoroughly electronic, and clearly in the "house music" genre which was anathema to me at the time. Although I listened to other tracks besides "Fine Time," it colored my feelings about the album for a long time, and it was many years before I finally bought my own copy.

As I've learned since, the majority of Technique continues in the same vein as Low Life and Brotherhood, and even improves upon it in terms of the easy flow of melodies and the band's full command of their instrumental arsenal. I'm even able to look past my earlier fear of electronic dance music (that's what "Blue Monday" was, after all) and appreciate the melodies and infectious songcraft that the band had developed by this time in their career.

The band's history since Technique has been riddled with stops and starts, as well as intra-band disagreements and eventually the departure of bassist Peter Hook. Hook took to touring on his own, bringing the classic sounds of both Joy Division and New Order to the stage. Technique sounds today like the last time the full band was on the same page, collaborating creatively, and having a Fine Time with it.