Power Corruption and Lies by New Order
by Lana Fleischli
Picture it: 1983, drums were out (kind of) and synths were in (for some)! New Order took a surfboard and rode that synth pop/rock wave all the way to now basically. I feel like when I think of synth music, I think of how sort of cheesy it can be. You know what I mean? I think of dudes with rectangular shades and oversized white coats with big shoulder pads poking a keyboard and bobbing his head to the beat. That’s what I think of, but while New Order was very synthy, their music isn’t cheesy and “synthy” in the way I generally picture it. New Order’s music represents the idea of 1980’s music: deep voices, synthesizers, and danceable, and it works. In Power Corruption and Lies, they completely lean into it.
The band plays with what they have and use it all to their advantage. They have fun with it. At the end of “5 8 6,” the upbeat rhythm slows down and it reminds me of a robot being turned off and its voice becomes s l o w e r and it’s like they are m e l t i n g…
The way that New Order plays with their sounds and technology shows how creative the artists are. It also makes it so that a song can go from really fast to slow and it keeps the audience engaged. I DJ and I’ve DJed “Age Of Consent” before and what’s amazing is that it’s a song that has so many layers to it. The rhythm is very fast, but the melody is pretty slow, and it totally works. It’s a song that gets people on their feet.
Another very notable thing about Power Corruption and Lies, and basically all of New Order’s music is that it is at its core: dance music, but it’s also incredibly deep and the lyrics can be heartbreaking even though, in my opinion, it’s not sad music. The music makes me happy. However, let’s look at the lyrics for “Ultraviolence” for a second, shall we? “Who felt those cold hands? Touch my skin. Deep within. Burn my soul. Fell to the ground where I was found. All those years ago.” I mean… that’s intense! Their music is kind of an oxymoron. It’s happy, but it’s sad. It reminds me about how people put up a front, acting like they are happy, but in reality, they are depressed. I’ve been listening to New Order for years and only recently did I realize how depressing the lyrics are.
New Order’s Power Corruption and Lies takes full advantage of the music of the time and gives us in the modern day, a taste of the 80’s. Their music is special because it has the power to brighten one person’s day, while devastating another. That’s some powerful stuff!