Brotherhood saw the band further exploring their mix of post-punk and electronic styles, with the track listing being conceptually divided into "disco and rock sides". Stephen Morris stated that the album "was kind of done in a schizophrenic mood that we were trying to do one side synthesizers and one side guitars", which he retrospectively stated "didn't quite work". In a 1987 interview with Option, Morris commented that the "mad ending" to "Every Little Counts" – which sounds like a vinyl record needle skipping the groove – is similar to the ending of The Beatles' "A Day in the Life". Morris said: "What we should have done is make the tape version sound like the tape getting chewed up. The CD could have the sticking sound."
Critical reception
Reviewing Brotherhood for the Los Angeles Times, Steve Hochman wrote that New Order "makes atmospheric grooves with more finesse than any contemporary computer-rocker". Robert Christgau of The Village Voice rated it a 'Pick Hit' and remarked: "The tempos are a touch less stately, the hooks a touch less subliminal. Bernard Sumner's vocals have taken on so much affect they're humane. And the joke closer softens up a skeptic like me to the pure, physically exalting sensation of the music." In a 1993 retrospective review, Q wrote that Brotherhood was too similar to Low-Life and "suffered from an absence of truly great songs, 'Bizarre Love Triangle' excepted." John Bush of AllMusic was more favourable, writing that "for better and worse, this was a New Order with nothing more to prove – witness the tossed-off lyrics and giggles on 'Every Little Counts' – aside from continuing to make great music." David Quantick of Uncut noted an "increased tension between the frequent beauty of the music and the band's Northern self-consciousness" and concluded: "This was New Order becoming New Order and if anyone was entitled to not be Joy Division, they certainly were." The A.V. Club Josh Modell called Brotherhood "an unsung great of the catalog that's dwarfed a bit by its massive single".
Track listing
Notes
Certain editions, including the original Factory Records CD, the 1993 London Records re-release and the 2008 Collector's Edition, feature the 12″ version of "State of the Nation" as a bonus track. It is identical to the version found on Substance. It runs for 6:32, making the album's new total running time approximately 43:39.
Notes
"True Faith" and "Blue Monday '88" are only incorrectly listed on the disc itself. The booklet included with all five re-issued 2008 Collector's Edition New Order Factory Records studio albums correctly identifies them.
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Brotherhood.
