New Order’s 'Music Complete' is respectable addition to illustrious catalog

English outfit New Order is a legend in the synth-rock genre; it successfully combined post-punk and synthesized dance music to create one of the more iconic sounds in rock history in the '80s. The group was formed from the remaining members of Joy Division after the group’s lead-singer Ian Curtis’ suicide in 1980. It was well publicized that Curtis suffered from depression and epilepsy.

New Order’s “Blue Monday” (1983) is arguably the most important rock song of the '80s: It remains, to this day, the biggest-selling 12-inch single of all time, and its influence on '90s and more recent post-rock is immeasurable. Escaping the shadow of Joy Division, which had more of a heavy, punk-rock sound, was challenging at first, but the music landscape of the early '80s -- especially the growing club scene in New York City -- influenced New Order to incorporate dance music into its sound.

Released on Sept. 25, “Music Complete” is the group’s 10th studio album, and its first without long-serving bassist Peter Hook. Three of New Order’s original four members -- Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert -- are featured on “Music Complete,” as well as newer members Phil Cunningham and Tom Chapman, who makes his first appearance on a New Order full-length project with this album.

In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine published on Sept. 23, Morris -- who plays percussion and keyboard on “Music Complete” -- explained the reasoning behind the album’s name.

"We weren't thinking people would think, 'It's your last record, isn't it?'" Morris said. "We didn't think it meant that. It also doesn't mean, 'Oh, bloody New Order has got a new compilation.' We just thought it fits, because it's like a few different styles of music."

Sumner -- on vocals and guitar -- added his own explanation of the title.

"I think the title was the last thing we did," Sumner said in the same interview. "We were completing the album, music complete. It just felt right."

“Music Complete” is some of New Order’s most danceable material. Its sound is typical of New Order, but it also has a polished, modern feel to it. The album begins with the single “Restless,” which covers familiar territory as New Order sings about the band's personal struggles. “Restless” is more synth-pop than synth-rock and is New Order at its most accessible. “Plastic,” the second single and third track on “Music Complete,” is one of the group’s strongest songs in decades, combining vocals from guest Elly Jackson with tottering synthesizers and repeating guitar chords. “Tutti Frutti,” dripping with '80s-synth-rock sounds, is a caricature of a pop-rock track, and its distorted vocals and groovy bass chords lend it a unique texture. There are a few redundant tracks on “Music Complete” -- some are repetitive and boring, others flowing with over-the-top chords and cliché vocals -- but the majority of the album is a nice return to form for New Order. “Superheated” closes out “Music Complete” on a high point; it’s a more mature-sounding New Order, lacking the dark, jarring, angsty sound present in some of the band's earlier work but bringing new, accessible music for old fans and newer listeners alike. Many tracks on “Music Complete” still have the ability to throttle skulls and pluck groovy riffs to make for a captivating ride.

New Order is, somewhat famously, still awaiting admission into Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, though that’s not stopping it from continuing to produce new music. “Music Complete” is another solid addition to New Order’s strong, influential catalog, and fans can only hope it won't be its last.