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Power Corruption & Lies (2 CD Collector's Edition)

by New Order

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Power, Corruption & Lies established New Order's identity separate from its previous incarnation as Joy Division. Containing "Blue Monday," one of the most sacredly important dance songs of all time, this album truly stands not only as New Order's most defining moment but perhaps as the most standard-setting moment in alternative dance. Yet as definitive as they may be, New Order have outsmarted any copycats. Owing in substantial part to Peter Hook's prominent and melodic bass lines, New Order's songs have always aspired to a complexity that maintains the band's timelessness. Rarely formulaic, New Order's songs are seldom overwhelmed by a four-on-the-floor throb. But interesting rhythms are just one facet of this musical diamond. Their foreboding, grim, and often just plain heartbreaking lyrics present a contradiction to most dance-pop songs, whose lyrics are almost always uplifting or even evangelical. With this album, New Order cut a path for themselves that was rarely, if ever, explored by other artists. --Beth Bessmer