Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Bad Lieutenant
Never Cry Another Tear (Universal Motown)
For hardcore fans of
New Order and Joy Division, the wait is over—somewhat. Even though the erupting
Icelandic volcano postponed Bad Lieutenant’s U.S. tour, the band’s music remains
intact. Former New Order lead singer Bernard Sumner stands at the helm, and
drummer Stephen Morris plays on a number of the tracks as well. Blur bassist
Alex James fills in for the missing Peter Hook (he left New Order in early
2007) while guitarist Jake Evans shares vocals with Sumner. Guitarist Phil
Cunningham—who toured with New Order on their final stateside appearance in
2005—completes the musical corps.
The results? This excellent debut album showcases Sumner doing what he attempted to do on the final two New Order albums—break out into straightforward guitar rock (three guitars here) with shimmering melodies and ethereal backing vocals. While some songs have an eerily familiar New Order sound (the catchy first two tracks “Sink or Swim, “Twist of Fate”), the sound shifts and catches the listener pleasantly by surprise as Evans jumps in on “Summer Days” and “This Is Home”—a welcome musical departure that pairs his full-bodied vocals with Sumner’s deadpan tenor. The remaining tracks deserve repeated listens on an album that is one of the best of 2010.
I had a chance to listen to this cd and it is very good. If you like great guitar playing, synths and great melodies you will love this. There is not one bad song on this album, from start to finish this cd rocks, with great New Order style moments in it. Bernard Sumner is a musical genius who has worked with New Order, Electronic and Joy division. If you like this cd Please give New order and Electronic a listen and you will love it, also listen to the first Album By a band called MONACO called Music for Pleasure which is also very good (New Order side project). It is very sad that New Order broke up, let's hope they patch up their differences and make another album. Give the Bad Lieutenant a chance and you will love it.