Tastes and sounds were changing quickly in the late '80s, which prompted
New Order's most startling transformation yet -- from moody dance-rockers to, well, moody acid-house mavens. After the band booked a studio on the island hotspot of Ibiza, apparently not knowing that it was the center of the burgeoning house music craze,
New Order's sure instincts for blending rock and contemporary dance resulted in another confident, superb LP.
Technique was the group's most striking production job, with the single
"Fine Time" proving a close runner-up to
"Blue Monday" as the most extroverted dance track in the band's catalog. Opening the record, it was a portrait of a group unrecognizable from its origins, delivering lascivious and extroverted come-ons amid pounding beats. It appeared that dance had fully taken over from rock, with the guitars and bass only brought in for a quick solo or bridge. But while pure dance was the case for the singles
"Fine Time" and
"Round & Round," elsewhere
New Order were still delivering some of the best alternative pop around, plaintive and affecting songs like
"Run" (the third single),
"Love Less," and
"Dream Attack." Placed in the perfect position to deliver the definitive alternative take on house music, the band produced another classic record. ~ John Bush
