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New Order Story is a documentary about former surviving Joy Division members transitioning into a cult 80's new wave band. I really enjoy watching this. I'd just bought it again after not having it for 10 years. The narration can be on the heavy pretentious side and annoy me to death at times but the film itself is enlightening. Clearly this is all staged for humor, and these guys aren't shying away from tooting their own horns. I doubt their impact is as intense as this picture would have you believe. Maybe it is?
As a band I like New Order. They have a very unique style of composing and their instrumentation is very uncommon. The guitar serves as a plaid-like curtain and occassional pencil-like apparatus barking out a melody. The drums are usually 4 to the floor syncopated with busy 16th or more note hi hat work, closely backed by a programmed rhythm track of synth bass. The keyboards are split between the drummer and his wife/keyboardist Gillian. The most unusual member is bassist Peter Hook - who uses his bass as more a lead instrument, seldom occupying lower registers and instead hogging up the higher scales with slinky and simpleton lead melody notes that guitar would usually play. His remedial playing is seemingly simple but his old school osmotic thinking would have him play notes and combinations of strings (sometimes open drone) to get a truly unique sound (often accompanied by heavy chorus effect, sans amp distortion, and a tough leather jacket). The man is a lumbering cock rocker.
The film shows me that they have an interesting design and business sense, and are selective with how they portray themselves for public accessibility, but as far as being a genius band with genius musical chops? Probably not. Good timing because of years playing with sequencers, but nothing Led Zeppelin would lose any sleep over.
New Order Story (1993) - released 2005 on home video
New Order Story is a documentary about former surviving Joy Division members transitioning into a cult 80's new wave band. I really enjoy watching this. I'd just bought it again after not having it for 10 years. The narration can be on the heavy pretentious side and annoy me to death at times but the film itself is enlightening. Clearly this is all staged for humor, and these guys aren't shying away from tooting their own horns. I doubt their impact is as intense as this picture would have you believe. Maybe it is?
As a band I like New Order. They have a very unique style of composing and their instrumentation is very uncommon. The guitar serves as a plaid-like curtain and occassional pencil-like apparatus barking out a melody. The drums are usually 4 to the floor syncopated with busy 16th or more note hi hat work, closely backed by a programmed rhythm track of synth bass. The keyboards are split between the drummer and his wife/keyboardist Gillian. The most unusual member is bassist Peter Hook - who uses his bass as more a lead instrument, seldom occupying lower registers and instead hogging up the higher scales with slinky and simpleton lead melody notes that guitar would usually play. His remedial playing is seemingly simple but his old school osmotic thinking would have him play notes and combinations of strings (sometimes open drone) to get a truly unique sound (often accompanied by heavy chorus effect, sans amp distortion, and a tough leather jacket). The man is a lumbering cock rocker.
The film shows me that they have an interesting design and business sense, and are selective with how they portray themselves for public accessibility, but as far as being a genius band with genius musical chops? Probably not. Good timing because of years playing with sequencers, but nothing Led Zeppelin would lose any sleep over.