Then in the next millennium, they decided to come back together and show the world how it's done, on a lark. And the result is Get Ready, a very sparsely presented album (there are practically no liner notes, and aside from the spine of the CD case, the album and band names appear only once in the entire package, on the disc itself) and the appropriate reaction to it is "How did we ever get by without these guys for eight years?" For while Get Ready is not a world-changing, deeply moving album like those of their Joy Division days, it is the best record of 2001 by far, and a great rock record period. In fact, it's their most straightforwardly rock record since their early years. There's no extensive keyboard noodling here; Sumner's guitar is up close and personal, and I happen to like it that way. Sumner is, after all, the man responsible for much of Joy Division's sound; he practically single-handedly invented a whole new style of guitar playing. And he is complemented perfectly by Gillian Gilbert's keyboards (which are reduced to backup, but do their job admirably), Stephen Morris's drumming (the man really is unmatched; just listen to the drums on "Primitive Notion"), and the inimitable bass of Peter Hook, the man with the most apt last name in history.

So yeah, musically speaking there's really no criticism possible. By now, New Order are masters. And they retain their mastership by not deliberately trying to be "hip" or do anything that they don't have their heart in. Now, a common criticism of this album is Bernard Sumner's lyrics, which often are quite daft. To which I say: this is New Order, guys. Where have you been? They've always been that way. Remember "Age of Consent"? The lyrics to that were just as inane. Expecting the poetry of Ian Curtis from Sumner is completely futile, and misses the point completely. The thing is, Sumner delivers even his most cringe-worthy lines with such unabashed enthusiasm and warmth that you can't help but sing along to them. It's just irresistible.

Out of all the tracks on this CD, there's only one misfire - "Rock the Shack." The production is very un-New-Orderly, Bobby Gillespie's guest presence doesn't help, the chorus is plain awful, and while the rowdy, dirty guitar licks might sound good for someone else, they don't for New Order, and sound completely out of place given the rest of the album. I really wish they had saved this one for a B-side or something - doing so would have made the okay-but-not-too-stunning tracks, like "Slow Jam" or "Vicious Streak," seem better. The other guest collaboration - "Turn My Way" - isn't great, but isn't bad either. Thankfully, Billy Corgan doesn't botch it, but it's not quite the album's best point. _However,_ the album boasts six other tracks. On side A we've got "Crystal" (one of their best singles ever, period, with an immediacy that reminds you at once just how much New Order were missed), "60 Miles An Hour" (great rocker, certainly; not the album's best track, but very good nonetheless), and "Primitive Notion." The last of these is really amazing, featuring a stellar guitar line and a beautiful chorus (for along with the daft, Sumner's lyrics often feature the emotionally resonant; it's this duality that makes them endearing).

But lest you think that this is one of those albums that is front-loaded with its strongest material then gets weak towards the end, the last three tracks are excellent as well. "Someone Like You" is relatively subdued (especially compared to "Rock the Shack," which precedes it) and very pretty. Perhaps the most keyboard oriented song on the album, it reminds you that no one does dance better than New Order. That's followed up with "Close Range," one of Sumner's most moving and urgent songs (does anyone else love that "remember in the park where we used to play, the grass looked ten foot high?" couplet as much as I do?), and "Run Wild," the last track. This last one is a very slow, fragile acoustic strum with some lovely strings - possibly the most atypical New Order track ever, showing that they're far from rehashing some old formula. And while the song wears its heart on its sleeve, Sumner's earnest delivery makes it another winner.