NEW Order without bass player Peter Hook, a seminal figure in the band for so many decades, is like fish without chips or Manchester without rain.

I miss his unmistakable riffs, and the group doesn't fill the void in their latest album, Music Complete.

While the release doesn't scale the musical heights of past releases like Technique, for me their finest hour in a recording studio, this mixed bag isn't a lost cause.

I liked Restless in particular, the opening track, but I wasn't overwhelmed with the urge to play it all again. An urge I've previously had whenever Manchester's finest have previously released a record.

Are New Order a spent force musically? No, but they need to entice Hooky, one of pop music's great characters and a very gifted guitarist to boot, back into the fold.

Whether that will ever happen is another matter. Good, rather than inspirational.

* Star rating - ***