Having survived the relentless pace of first year in the
MBA program, I was afforded the opportunity to rediscover
the simple pleasure of music during the summer
months. Below is a personal evaluation of two premier
albums released during those months:
New Order - Power, Corruption and Lies
New Order's latest record attempts to forever bury the
ghost of the band's grim past. This is the first time since lead
singer Ian Curtis hanged himself three years ago that the
survivors of Joy Division (the name refers to the prostitute's
area in Nazi concentration camps) have been able to transcend
the gloomy music that was a hallmark of the first band.
This album is a major shift in musical direction, and on the
surface it appears to be a very upbeat dance record. The
band's emphasis on a pumping drum pattern has created a
sound that is conducive for exhilarating dance songs like
"Age of Consent" and "586" (not to mention their twelve-inch
dance single "Blue Monday"). This synth-pop band is
as strong as, if not stronger than, any coming out of Britain
lately and is highly recommended for M.B.A. parties!
Heaven 17 - The Luxury Gap
The success of the first album Penthouse and Pavement
proved that these former members of the Human League
could survive on their own. The second album reaffirms the
band's position as a major British electro-pop band. The
band's success is due to a concentrated effort to humanize
the passionless sound that characterizes most synthesizer
music. This is accomplished by employing inspired vocals
and a wider range of instrumentation. As well, the group
possesses and acute political awareness that is uncommon for
most British synth-pop bands.
The album contains the singles "Let Me Go" and "Temptation",
and an up-beat dance track "We Live So Fast" that
has become a personal theme song for my second year in the
M.B.A. program ("We live so fast/Motion, motion/No time
to waste/Use it. use itl...Move out of my way it's time to
make it happen").
John Minicucci (Business School Monthly, Dec 1983).
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