The Lost Sirens

Trumpeted in some circles as a New Order rarities collection, Lost Sirens doesn't really fit the bill as such, but it does offer a wealth of bonus tracks from circa 2005 -- call it the second disc of the deluxe edition that was never released for Waiting for the Sirens' Call. Their eighth album, it eventually appeared to be the band's swan song, given Peter Hook's eventual estrangement from the rest of the original lineup. Compared to that album's half-hearted songwriting and rote sound, Lost Sirens positively shines -- leading to the customary questions of why this material didn't replace several, if not many, songs on the original Sirens' Call. Most of the excitement is due to the lead-off track "I'll Stay with You," a solid rocker that sounds like it should've been their comeback single after 2001's energizing Get Ready. As on much of their work of the 2000s, guitar is forefront and synths are used only for texture, but with excellent results, led by the midtempo storm of "Hellbent" (the only previously unreleased track, which appeared on a 2005 hits collection). ~ John Bush|