Rising from the ashes of the legendary British post-punk unit Joy Division, the enigmatic New Order triumphed over tragedy to emerge as one of the most influential and acclaimed bands of the 1980s; embracing the electronic textures and disco rhythms of the underground club culture many years in advance of its contemporaries, the group's pioneering fusion of new wave aesthetics and dance music successfully bridged the gap between the two worlds, creating a distinctively thoughtful and oblique brand of synth pop appealing equally to the mind, body, and soul.
Movement is New Order's debut album, released in November 1981 on Factory Records. At the time of its release, the album wasn't particularly well received by critics or consumers, only peaking at #30 on the UK album charts. Closer, an album the band had released just over a year before as Joy Division, reached #6. Over the years the album has built a strong fanbase for its emotional and musical link to Joy Division, as well as its natural evolution on the other hand. The album was once again produced by Martin Hannett, who had worked with them as Joy Division; however, Hannett was in a legal dispute with Factory Records and suffering from substance and alcohol abuse, it would be the last time he'd work with New Order.
Musically, Movement is a transitional album between the group's previous work as Joy Division and their "mature" sound, witnessed from "Blue Monday" and "Power, Corruption and Lies" onwards. References to Ian Curtis are almost inevitable, appearing on "I.C.B." (`Ian Curtis Buried') and "The Him." However, "Dreams Never End" is a surprisingly upbeat track and "Senses" flirts with guitar motifs funkier than anything before it, while the expansion of the sonic palette with synths on all but the opening track, electronic percussion and Hook's bass taking on a melodic role while Gilbert's drums provides the low end.The staple of many later New Order works, the sequencer, is not present however, the first track to incorporate them--"Everything's Gone Green"--was written at the same time but released separately as a single.
01 - Dreams Never End (3:13)
02 - Truth (4:37)
03 - Senses (4:45)
04 - Chosen Time (4:07)
05 - ICB (4:33)
06 - The Him (5:29)
07 - Doubts Even Here (4:16)
08 - Denial (4:20)
Xs
09 - Ceremony (4:23)
10 - Everything's Gone Green (5:30)
11 - Temptation (7:00)
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