Written by Alyssa Lindamood
My album review is on the 1989 release of Technique by New Order. This album is an essential for new wave lovers and techy sound, in which, the set of songs in Technique encapsulates very well. I have always loved this album, with it being one of my favorites of New Order, however, upon this review, I listened to it through and through. This album was made for a lot of settings and I think that is something very unique about it. Although it was the club effect, it plays well in a car, while getting ready, while hearing it at a party, the scenes to play Technique in are wide-ranged.
The essence of this album captures the late 80s club culture, such as the electric blend of the Balearic beat in Ibiza, while also upkeep the New Order alternative rock sound. When listening to the songs one after another, I can only imagine a high-energy seductive crowd that’s dancing amongst an 80s club. While most of New Order’s albums have similar beats and tone, I feel that Technique sets apart from the others because while it is identifiable of New Order, it has a dark nuanced composition, yet still allows for that upbeat enthusiasm that you confide in when listening to New Order. There is much liveliness which I think New Order wanted to create for Technique and make it more attainable to past-listeners and approachable to new-listeners. I’ve appreciated this album for that reason, it really just has a fashionable taste within it.
Technique has a sound that takes on a dancing-oriented approach, with electronic beats, synths, and a wide soundscape, which I think actually matches very well to Technique’s album cover, with the negative portrait filter of a statue with purples and greens. While having a new approach in the creation of this album there are classic New Order elements throughout, with melodic basslines, emotionally ambiguous lyrics, and Bernard Sumner’s light vocals.
There seems like there was a lot of experimenting amongst the band for Technique, in embracing various types of instrumental sounding like keyboard sampling, sequencers, synth, etc. Although, in songs from Technique like Love Less and Run, they keep their more post-punk roots. In songs like Fine Time, which is the first song of the album, and Vanishing Point were the new innovations of New Order’s reputation. They hold a lot more seductive vibrancy that pulls listeners in and I think are great additions to the happier vibe from the other songs.
This album transforms time, in making you feel like you’ve traveled to the end of the 80s synth era, but you listen to songs from Technique once more and appreciate what the new wave really meant. The only thing I really wished that was different in the creation of this album was that there were more elements like in Fine Time and Vanishing Point distributed throughout the rest of the songs. The vibe from each of those feels powerful and eccentric, wish is what I especially love about those songs.