{"id":2047496,"date":"2025-09-24T22:19:52","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T22:19:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2047496"},"modified":"2025-09-24T22:19:52","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T22:19:52","slug":"saluting-new-orders-imperious-2015-album-music-complete-as-it-turns-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/saluting-new-orders-imperious-2015-album-music-complete-as-it-turns-10\/","title":{"rendered":"Saluting New Order\u2019s imperious 2015 album Music Complete as it turns 10"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p id=\"9de23c2c-4d80-4383-8602-ad3fe317a233\">New Order\u2019s career has been pockmarked with such dramatic highs, lows and happenings that it seemed a complete anathema to everything they\u2019d done and been through when it looked like they were petering out of exist as the 2000s were coming to an end.<\/p>\n<p>Musically, it was hardly a decade to write home about given what had gone before, with two middling records to show for their efforts (2000\u2019s guitar-heavy, Billy Corgan-featuring <em>Get Ready <\/em>and the equally rock-based 2005 follow-up <em>Waiting For The Sirens\u2019 Call<\/em>) but the main takeaway was age-old tensions coming to the fore. To that end, totemic bassist Peter Hook left in 2007. Soon after, he went on XFM to tell the world that New Order was no more.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" id=\"elk-seasonal\" href=\"\" data-url=\"\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\"\/><\/p>\n<aside data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"hawk-base\"\/>\n<p id=\"9de23c2c-4d80-4383-8602-ad3fe317a233-2\">Talk about an anti-climactic way to go. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.loudersound.com\/features\/the-top-10-best-joy-division-new-order-basslines-according-to-peter-hook\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.loudersound.com\/features\/the-top-10-best-joy-division-new-order-basslines-according-to-peter-hook\">New Order<\/a>, the band who had rallied themselves and formed out of the ashes of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.loudersound.com\/features\/the-day-joy-division-learned-ian-curtis-had-died\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.loudersound.com\/features\/the-day-joy-division-learned-ian-curtis-had-died\">Joy Division<\/a> after frontman Ian Curtis\u2019s suicide, who had navigated bankruptcy, illness, drug habits, drink habits, death and more death whilst writing some of the most trailblazing and euphoric music of their generation, a sound that melded synth-pop, pulsing rave beats, wiry post-punk, acid house exhilaration, alt-rock scope, wistful indie singalongs and, for one song only, a rap from John Barnes, were finished. And not only that, they were finished <em>via an interview on XFM.<\/em><\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-3 pb-4 mb-4 border-solid border-y border-neutral-300\">\n<span class=\"font-article-heading block pb-3 !text-base font-bold uppercase sm:text-sm text-[#333]\"><br \/>\nYou may like<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Except that\u2019s not what happened. Instead, buoyed by the both the return of keyboardist Gillian Gilbert, who had taken an extended break from the group to care for her and drummer Stephen Morris\u2019 ill daughter, and the success of a handful of 2011 gigs, New Order sans Peter Hook decided to write a batch of new songs. It should be added that an additional fuel was likely Hook\u2019s decision to tour Joy Division\u2019s <em>Unknown Pleasures<\/em> with his own band \u2013 suddenly the previously-held idea that New Order was not New Order without Hook no longer seemed to hold sway. \u201cWe thought, \u2018God, if he\u2019s got the audacity to do that, why aren\u2019t we doing New Order?\u2019,\u201d singer and guitarist Bernard Sumner told Q Magazine in 2015.<\/p>\n<p>What began as a clutch of live dates quickly blossomed into shows all over the globe, from South America to Australia to Miami, gigs that directly fed into what would become New Order\u2019s tenth album <em>Music Complete<\/em>, which turns 10 today. First off, they reasoned, if the band was going to properly get going again, they couldn\u2019t play a greatest hits set for the rest of their lives. \u201cWe were like, \u2018If we\u2019re going to carry on, we need something new\u2019,\u201d Gilbert recalled to The Quietus.<\/p>\n<p>Secondly, the shows had underlined to them just what an important part of New Order the dancier side of their sound was, an aspect of the band they had ever-so-slightly neglected for over a decade. \u201cPeople love <em>Regret<\/em> and <em>Ceremony<\/em> at the shows but they really go apeshit for the dance tracks,\u201d Sumner told Q. \u201cIn a lot of countries they think we\u2019re a dance act, so I wanted to revisit that sound.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor me, the electronic, synth direction was down to going to see bands like Factory Floor \u2013 new electronic bands using sequencers and synths in the way we used to when we started off in New Order in the early 80s,\u201d Morris explained to The Quietus. \u201cAnd I thought, \u2018We used to do that. Let\u2019s have another go at doing that.\u2019 So it became, \u2018Let\u2019s just make something that\u2019s a bit synthy and dancey.\u2019 And then the first song we wrote was a guitar song \u2013 which is just the way it goes! No matter what you say, you\u2019ll do the complete opposite at some point.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-5cZDHjHN9SB6q7dZBvHzU9\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-5cZDHjHN9SB6q7dZBvHzU9 slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\"\/>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">The latest news, features and interviews direct to your inbox, from the global home of alternative music.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Whilst there are a couple of crack guitar-led songs \u2013 the surging minor-chord uplifts of opener <em>Restless<\/em> and the chiming, hypnotic riff underpinning <em>Academic<\/em> &#8211; on there, <em>Music Complete<\/em> was the band\u2019s most electronic effort since 1989\u2019s masterful <em>Technique<\/em>. It was also a late-career classic, a record where the 2015 version of New Order \u2013 Sumner, Morris, Gilbert, guitarist Phil Cunningham and bass replacement Tom Chapman \u2013 reached into the past for sonic inspiration but emerged with a record that fizzed with the excitement of the here and now. There are future-funk disco boogies (<em>Tutti Frutti<\/em> and <em>People On The High Line<\/em>), driving contemplative pop epics (<em>Superheated<\/em>) and dance bangers (<em>Plastic<\/em>). At its best, <em>Music Complete<\/em> came across like a New Order best of made up of new songs.<\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube-video youtube-facade\" data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"koXE2TuQ1_c\">\n<div class=\"video-aspect-box\">\n<div class=\"watch-on-iframe-koXE2TuQ1_c\" data-yt-video-token=\"koXE2TuQ1_c\" title=\"New Order - Tutti Frutti (Official Video) - YouTube\">\n<span class=\"youtube-video-title\">New Order &#8211; Tutti Frutti (Official Video) &#8211; YouTube<\/span><br \/>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"play-button\" viewbox=\"0 0 234.67 165.33\"><path fill=\"red\" d=\"M229.763 25.817c-2.699-10.162-10.65-18.165-20.748-20.881C190.716 0 117.333 0 117.333 0S43.951 0 25.651 4.936C15.553 7.652 7.6 15.655 4.903 25.817 0 44.236 0 82.667 0 82.667s0 38.429 4.903 56.85C7.6 149.68 15.553 157.681 25.65 160.4c18.3 4.934 91.682 4.934 91.682 4.934s73.383 0 91.682-4.934c10.098-2.718 18.049-10.72 20.748-20.882 4.904-18.421 4.904-56.85 4.904-56.85s0-38.431-4.904-56.85\"\/><path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"m93.333 117.559 61.333-34.89-61.333-34.894z\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"watch-on-youtube-koXE2TuQ1_c\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/koXE2TuQ1_c\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/koXE2TuQ1_c\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\">Watch On <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"youtube-logo\" viewbox=\"0 0 507.9 113.39\"><g fill=\"#fff\"><path d=\"M64.792 80.99V32.396l42.082 24.297zm93.803-63.285a20.285 20.285 0 0 0-14.32-14.32C131.642 0 80.99 0 80.99 0S30.337 0 17.705 3.385a20.286 20.286 0 0 0-14.32 14.32C0 30.338 0 56.693 0 56.693S0 83.049 3.385 95.68A20.285 20.285 0 0 0 17.705 110c12.632 3.386 63.285 3.386 63.285 3.386s50.652 0 63.285-3.386a20.284 20.284 0 0 0 14.32-14.32c3.385-12.632 3.385-38.988 3.385-38.988s0-26.355-3.385-38.988m94.473 74.326c.887-2.314 1.332-6.098 1.332-11.35V58.556c0-5.097-.445-8.822-1.332-11.178-.888-2.355-2.452-3.533-4.69-3.533-2.163 0-3.69 1.178-4.577 3.533-.888 2.356-1.332 6.081-1.332 11.178V80.68c0 5.25.424 9.035 1.275 11.35.848 2.318 2.392 3.475 4.633 3.475 2.239 0 3.803-1.157 4.691-3.475zm-17.953 11.122c-3.207-2.16-5.486-5.52-6.835-10.079-1.352-4.554-2.027-10.617-2.027-18.185v-10.31c0-7.644.771-13.784 2.316-18.417 1.544-4.633 3.956-8.011 7.24-10.135 3.282-2.123 7.587-3.186 12.916-3.186 5.251 0 9.459 1.082 12.626 3.243 3.165 2.162 5.482 5.542 6.95 10.136 1.466 4.595 2.2 10.715 2.2 18.36v10.31c0 7.567-.714 13.65-2.142 18.243-1.43 4.595-3.747 7.955-6.951 10.077-3.205 2.124-7.548 3.186-13.03 3.186-5.64 0-10.06-1.082-13.263-3.243m248.053-57.981c-.81 1.005-1.352 2.646-1.621 4.923-.272 2.278-.404 5.734-.404 10.367v5.097h11.697V60.46c0-4.555-.155-8.011-.463-10.367-.309-2.355-.868-4.014-1.678-4.98-.812-.966-2.067-1.449-3.766-1.449-1.7 0-2.954.503-3.765 1.506zm-2.025 29.886v3.591c0 4.557.132 7.974.404 10.251.269 2.279.828 3.94 1.68 4.982.849 1.041 2.16 1.564 3.938 1.564 2.392 0 4.035-.927 4.923-2.781.887-1.853 1.37-4.942 1.447-9.268l13.785.812c.077.62.116 1.469.116 2.548 0 6.565-1.795 11.47-5.387 14.712-3.589 3.242-8.669 4.865-15.232 4.865-7.876 0-13.398-2.47-16.564-7.414-3.168-4.94-4.75-12.586-4.75-22.935V63.589c0-10.657 1.641-18.436 4.924-23.342 3.281-4.903 8.9-7.355 16.854-7.355 5.482 0 9.691 1.004 12.626 3.012 2.933 2.01 5 5.137 6.197 9.383 1.197 4.247 1.796 10.117 1.796 17.607v12.163h-26.757m-284.953-1.33-18.187-65.68h15.869l6.37 29.77c1.623 7.339 2.82 13.594 3.591 18.766h.464c.54-3.706 1.738-9.922 3.591-18.65l6.603-29.886h15.869l-18.417 65.68v31.51h-15.754v-31.51M322.115 34.23v71.007h-12.511l-1.39-8.688h-.347c-3.399 6.564-8.496 9.845-15.291 9.845-4.71 0-8.185-1.543-10.425-4.633-2.24-3.087-3.359-7.915-3.359-14.48V34.23h15.985v52.126c0 3.168.348 5.426 1.043 6.776.695 1.353 1.853 2.027 3.475 2.027 1.39 0 2.722-.423 3.996-1.275 1.274-.849 2.22-1.928 2.838-3.241V34.229h15.986m81.995.001v71.007h-12.511l-1.391-8.688h-.345c-3.402 6.564-8.498 9.845-15.292 9.845-4.711 0-8.186-1.543-10.426-4.633-2.24-3.087-3.358-7.915-3.358-14.48V34.23h15.985v52.126c0 3.168.347 5.426 1.041 6.776.696 1.353 1.855 2.027 3.476 2.027 1.391 0 2.723-.423 3.996-1.275 1.275-.849 2.22-1.928 2.839-3.241V34.229h15.985\"\/><path d=\"M365.552 20.908h-15.87v84.329h-15.637v-84.33h-15.869V8.05h47.376v12.858m76.811 53.636c0 5.174-.215 9.229-.639 12.162-.424 2.937-1.139 5.021-2.143 6.255-1.004 1.236-2.357 1.854-4.053 1.854a7.404 7.404 0 0 1-3.65-.927c-1.12-.618-2.026-1.544-2.722-2.78V50.796c.54-1.93 1.467-3.513 2.78-4.749 1.313-1.234 2.74-1.853 4.285-1.853 1.623 0 2.876.637 3.766 1.91.886 1.275 1.505 3.418 1.853 6.43.348 3.011.523 7.297.523 12.857zm14.652-28.964c-.967-4.478-2.531-7.721-4.692-9.73-2.163-2.007-5.136-3.011-8.919-3.011-2.935 0-5.676.83-8.224 2.49a16.926 16.926 0 0 0-5.908 6.545h-.117l.001-37.416h-15.405v100.777h13.204l1.622-6.717h.347c1.235 2.393 3.088 4.285 5.56 5.675 2.47 1.39 5.213 2.085 8.225 2.085 5.404 0 9.382-2.491 11.931-7.471 2.548-4.982 3.823-12.76 3.823-23.341V64.23c0-7.953-.484-14.17-1.448-18.65\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"52d736ba-18b1-42d8-a5c4-5b142498366c\">Although it was pre-dominantly produced by the band themselves at Morris and Gilbert\u2019s converted farmhouse studio on the outskirts of Macclesfield, New Order brought a dance music sensibility to Music Complete that meant its collaborators were intrinsic to its kaleidoscopic worldview. Two of the songs were produced by Tom Rowlands, one half of the Chemical Brothers, whilst electronic dynamo and pop wizard Stuart Price helped them to put together <em>Superheated<\/em>. Guest spots from an array of artists, meanwhile, dynamically broadened the record\u2019s horizons: La Roux appearing on <em>Tutti Frutti<\/em> and <em>People On The High Line<\/em>, Iggy Pop on <em>Stray Dog<\/em> and The Killers\u2019 Brandon Flowers on <em>Superheated<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Released on 25<sup>th<\/sup> September 2015, the record seemed like a fresh start for a newly-reconfigured New Order at the time but now increasingly resembles a fantastic, fitting send-off. Whilst the band have been involved in numerous projects in the intervening years, including reissue campaigns and a podcast, semi-regular tours and the release of a one-off new single in 2020, an 11<sup>th<\/sup> album has yet to materialise. <em>Music Complete<\/em>, then, could well be the definitive last word from one of the UK\u2019s most important and game-changing groups. Ten years on, it remains a heck of a record and, if it turns out that way, a heck of a sign-off.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.loudersound.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New Order\u2019s career has been pockmarked with such dramatic highs, lows and happenings that it seemed a complete anathema to everything they\u2019d done and been through when it looked like they were petering out of exist as the 2000s were coming to an end. Musically, it was hardly a decade to write home about given [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2047497,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2047496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Saluting-New-Orders-imperious-2015-album-Music-Complete-as-it.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2047496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2047496"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2047496\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2047497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2047496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2047496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2047496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}