Album of the Day

Five years after their debut as Electronic, New Order’s Bernard Sumner and The Smiths’ Johnny Marr returned to stores with RAISE THE PRESSURE. This time, the Manchester music greats are joined by Kraftwerk keyboardist Karl Bartos (and rejoined by vocalist Denise Johnson), and the result shows the influence of then-current Brit-pop as well as the dance/house orientation of the group’s first LP. With highlights including “Forbidden City,” “For You,” “Second Nature” and “Dark Angel,” the self-produced 1996 collection combines guitar- and synth-driven tracks to excellent effect. A Top 10 hit in the U.K., RAISE THE PRESSURE raised the ante for Electronic.