It will surprise absolutely no one that I'm excited to see this track covered! It's a highlight of the record, but there are a few others as well.
Knowing that the making of Republic was the music equivalent of a couple staying together for the sake of the kids makes Regret even more poignant. Tons of external pressure, tons of internal strife.
FWIW, Hook's book is an incredible deep dive. It's not unbiased, but it's an exhaustive look at the band through his eyes.
Separately, They Judybats are well worth anybody's time. In an alternate universe, they would've made the jump from college rock darlings to pop stars.
I could have written two or three more articles about New Order and this album if I had the time. There's a lot to learn from this band and its evolution, and they influenced a lot of groups. They're fascinating in that way, so I appreciate your rabid fandom and hope I did this track justice.
I was really lukewarm on “Way Down Now” when it hit #1, but “Is It Like Today?” really took me by surprise. Like I said, I'm not sure if it's an homage to the ‘70s or a way-ahead-of-its-time indie classic, but it makes me want to dive into their catalog. Really terrific track.
I'm also glad you covered this track. It almost made my Top Ten that year. You pose a great question as to why New Order wasn't bigger on the charts. I think today they might be best remembered for the dance club hits they had in the 80s rather than what they did after that. I think during that earlier era radio was far more resistant to playing club hits even though they were everywhere! "Regret" definitely still sounds like a lot of the more radio friendly alternative tracks of the 90s which would explain why it was such a big Modern Rock hit. There's another song that they released late in 2012/early 2013 called "Sugarcane," well after it was recorded . (I'll be talking about that track when I cover 2013 in my Top Ten Memoir.) It's the kind of song that didn't quite fit into any of their previous eras but was such a joy to discover once they finally released it.
Also, that World Party track comes from what is one of my favorite albums of the 1990s, "Bang!" Every song is beautifully written and sung.
Appreciate the thoughtful comments and the restack!
New Order is an odd case of a band that feels like they were always a part of the '80s, but never on a mainstream level of consciousness. I get that a lot with "Bizarre Love Triangle," which is one of my favorites and feels like it was *always* being played in the '80s, but the chart data doesn't seem to back that up.
World Party was a surprise to me, and I need to give them a second chance because of "Is It Like Today." I just really did not like their MRT chart-topper "Way Down Now," but you and others on this platform have been stumping for World Party for awhile now, so I think it's time I revisit them and dive a little deeper into the catalog.
For sure. I think for many of us who lived through the 80s, New Order was everywhere - just not on the radio! Sad! Makes you wonder what people aren't being exposed to today that others will view as being everywhere in the 20s!
The best descriptor I've ever heard was that the band was a bit of a mass produced secret, where millions of people knew/loved them, but the next person over might never have heard of them.
I'm also glad you covered this track. It almost made my Top Ten that year. You pose a great question as to why New Order wasn't bigger on the charts. I think today they might be best remembered for the dance club hits they had in the 80s rather than what they did after that. I think during that earlier era radio was far more resistant to playing club hits even though they were everywhere! "Regret" definitely still sounds like a lot of the more radio friendly alternative tracks of the 90s which would explain why it was such a big Modern Rock hit. There's another song that they released late in 2012/early 2013 called "Sugarcane," well after it was recorded . (I'll be talking about that track when I cover 2013 in my Top Ten Memoir.) It's the kind of song that didn't quite fit into any of their previous eras but was such a joy to discover once they finally released it.
Also, that World Party track comes from what is one of my favorite albums of the 1990s, "Bang!" Every song is beautifully written and sung.
It will surprise absolutely no one that I'm excited to see this track covered! It's a highlight of the record, but there are a few others as well.
Knowing that the making of Republic was the music equivalent of a couple staying together for the sake of the kids makes Regret even more poignant. Tons of external pressure, tons of internal strife.
FWIW, Hook's book is an incredible deep dive. It's not unbiased, but it's an exhaustive look at the band through his eyes.
Separately, They Judybats are well worth anybody's time. In an alternate universe, they would've made the jump from college rock darlings to pop stars.
I could have written two or three more articles about New Order and this album if I had the time. There's a lot to learn from this band and its evolution, and they influenced a lot of groups. They're fascinating in that way, so I appreciate your rabid fandom and hope I did this track justice.
World Party is one of the most underrated and under appreciated bands of all time, in my opinion. Goodbye Jumbo was a killer album front to back.
I was really lukewarm on “Way Down Now” when it hit #1, but “Is It Like Today?” really took me by surprise. Like I said, I'm not sure if it's an homage to the ‘70s or a way-ahead-of-its-time indie classic, but it makes me want to dive into their catalog. Really terrific track.
I'm also glad you covered this track. It almost made my Top Ten that year. You pose a great question as to why New Order wasn't bigger on the charts. I think today they might be best remembered for the dance club hits they had in the 80s rather than what they did after that. I think during that earlier era radio was far more resistant to playing club hits even though they were everywhere! "Regret" definitely still sounds like a lot of the more radio friendly alternative tracks of the 90s which would explain why it was such a big Modern Rock hit. There's another song that they released late in 2012/early 2013 called "Sugarcane," well after it was recorded . (I'll be talking about that track when I cover 2013 in my Top Ten Memoir.) It's the kind of song that didn't quite fit into any of their previous eras but was such a joy to discover once they finally released it.
Also, that World Party track comes from what is one of my favorite albums of the 1990s, "Bang!" Every song is beautifully written and sung.
Appreciate the thoughtful comments and the restack!
New Order is an odd case of a band that feels like they were always a part of the '80s, but never on a mainstream level of consciousness. I get that a lot with "Bizarre Love Triangle," which is one of my favorites and feels like it was *always* being played in the '80s, but the chart data doesn't seem to back that up.
World Party was a surprise to me, and I need to give them a second chance because of "Is It Like Today." I just really did not like their MRT chart-topper "Way Down Now," but you and others on this platform have been stumping for World Party for awhile now, so I think it's time I revisit them and dive a little deeper into the catalog.
For sure. I think for many of us who lived through the 80s, New Order was everywhere - just not on the radio! Sad! Makes you wonder what people aren't being exposed to today that others will view as being everywhere in the 20s!
The best descriptor I've ever heard was that the band was a bit of a mass produced secret, where millions of people knew/loved them, but the next person over might never have heard of them.
I'm also glad you covered this track. It almost made my Top Ten that year. You pose a great question as to why New Order wasn't bigger on the charts. I think today they might be best remembered for the dance club hits they had in the 80s rather than what they did after that. I think during that earlier era radio was far more resistant to playing club hits even though they were everywhere! "Regret" definitely still sounds like a lot of the more radio friendly alternative tracks of the 90s which would explain why it was such a big Modern Rock hit. There's another song that they released late in 2012/early 2013 called "Sugarcane," well after it was recorded . (I'll be talking about that track when I cover 2013 in my Top Ten Memoir.) It's the kind of song that didn't quite fit into any of their previous eras but was such a joy to discover once they finally released it.
Also, that World Party track comes from what is one of my favorite albums of the 1990s, "Bang!" Every song is beautifully written and sung.
Sugarcane! Yes! That's a great (and very overlooked) track.