Rhino
If we’re to believe the NME then Lost Sirens is comprised of tracks originally scrapped from New Order’s last album 2005’s bland Waiting for the Sirens’ Call because they “sounded too much like The Killers.” Despite how much that might please the music editor of Fast Forward Weekly it’s a pretty massive turnoff for any long-standing fans of New Order.
Originally scheduled for release as a companion mini-album to Waiting Lost Sirens is basically what the NME claims it to be. But unlike a Killers album where there are usually one or two compelling hits this menu only offers cold leftovers. “Sugarcane” is embarrassingly disco the piano-heavy “Recoil” is tedious AOR and “Hellbent” mimics the beefy riffage of that second Stone Roses album. Only when New Order recycle Technique ’s rave-y vibes with skittering beats and Peter Hook’s punchy bass on “Shake It Up” do they throw us a bone.
With the band’s future hanging in the balance as always this could be the last thing we ever get from New Order — it’s definitely the last to feature co-founder/pain-in-the-ass Hook. Knowing that collectors will find Lost Sirens hard to pass up. But just know this: not one of these songs made it on to any of the set lists from New Order’s North American tour last fall. Likely because even they know these songs stink.
