It’s easy to look at New Order as a singles band - the singles are massive, domineering things (I’m sitting here at my desk trying NOT to chair-dance to “State Of The Nation” as I type this) - but ignoring the twists and turns of the often-brilliant studio albums would paint an incomplete picture. For a band that openly embraced ambiguity and seemed to take pride in depersonalization (they rarely did interviews in the ’80s, and their Peter Saville-designed album artwork was often unlabelled), Hook’s bass provided the single loudest “voice” in the band: driving and immediately recognizable, consistently moody but expressive. And Peter Hook’s bass playing is something all its own. Bernard Sumner’s laconic guitar playing became even sparser than before, often conceding the melodic role to Peter Hook’s bass, operating as more of a rhythm instrument. Where Joy Division records were occasionally sloppy and frequently noisy, New Order presented a polished package every time. Even at their most electronic, the songs feel organic. Post-punk, synth-pop, and dance music were nothing new at the time: New Order broke the mold by combining all three, striking a balance between sequenced compositions and those of an actual band playing actual instruments. Incorporating new sounds and new ideas, New Order embraced the technology of the times - drum machines, samplers, sequencers, synths, and arpeggiators - and took cues from the burgeoning world of electronic dance before gradually learning to write pop songs. Despite an obvious surface similarity in sound, New Order were quick to step away from Joy Division’s abrasive minimalism. ![]() Only two months later, surviving bandmates Bernard Sumner (guitar), Peter Hook (bass), and Stephen Morris (drums) reconvened on stage at Manchester’s Beach Club. Upon his death in 1980, it made a certain kind of sense to lay Joy Division to rest as well, despite the fact the band was ending as their (hugely influential, impossibly important) second album was set for release, literally on the eve of their first American tour. ![]() Three members of the quintessential post-punk band choose to carry on after the suicide of their lead singer and bandleader only to become dancefloor innovators, stumbling into exponentially greater fame and success, finding their way to arenas, FIFA theme songs, and everywhere in between. Looking back it’s almost hard to believe.
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