10 Near Perfect New Wave Albums With One Bad Song
9. Movement - New Order (1981)
This was the transitional stepping stone between the dulcet tones of Joy Division's last record and the synth-pop masterpiece, Power, Corruption & Lies.
After the death of Ian Curtis the remaining members of Joy Division made the decision to keep making music. Robbed of a frontman, Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook both contributed lead vocals, with Sumner ultimately being elected as the primary vocalist.
Movement, retained many similarities to the group's previous endeavours with Ian Curtis. The ominous driving bass lines, staccato style guitars, and monotone vocals were all prevalent. Coming in at just over 30 minutes, there isn't much fat to trim on this album. But, it was still clinging to the past, while striving to move forward, and for that reason, the sound is, at times, muddled.
Slap bang in the middle of the album, rests ICB. It's a number that has its merits, but feels a little scattered. Out of all of the songs, it hints at the new sound the band was experimenting with the most. But, it feels out of place. The drums are a little too prominent in the mix, swallowing the vocals; and there's all these bizarre space age synth noises, breaking up the momentum. It's as if the group got hold of the Doctor Who soundboard and went Time Lord on the mix. It served to help push the group in a new direction, but within the confines of the album, it doesn't jive.