Album of the Day

By the mid-1980s, Manchester quartet New Order had emerged from the shadow of Joy Division, the pioneering post-punk group in which singer-guitarist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris got their start. While Hook's melodic fretwork was a link to that previous group, newcomer Gillian Gilbert's synth playing gave New Order's music a brighter feel, as the effervescent “Bizarre Love Triangle” makes clear. That hit single is but one of the highlights of the band's 4th album, BROTHERHOOD, which neatly balances dance club techno with rock-edged songs like “Weirdo.” The 1986 U.K. indie chart-topper is filled with confident singing, vibrant instrumental work and mature songwriting, and we’ll cue it up now to wish Hook a happy birthday.