With their three remaining founding members all approaching middle age, there's nothing very new about New Order any more. On only their second album in 12 years, however, their old dance-rock fusion formula seems to be working as sturdily as ever. Waiting for the Siren's Call is a real blast from the past - the riffs are still huge, the beats are as thumping as ever and Bernard Sumner's lyrics still sound as if he wrote them on the back of a cigarette packet on the way to the studio. Truth to tell, it's a desperately uneven album - there's plenty of highlights (most obviously Jetstream, featuring Scissor Sister Ana Matronic) but also far too many meandering tracks where the band seem to be going through the motions. For loyal fans only.
