The Punishment of Luxury
Studio album by
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Released1 September 2017 (2017-09-01)
Studio
  • Bleepworks
  • Northern Electric
GenreSynth-pop
Length42:08
LabelWhite Noise, 100%
ProducerOMD
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark chronology
English Electric
(2013)		 The Punishment of Luxury
(2017)		 Bauhaus Staircase
(2023)
Singles from The Punishment of Luxury
  1. "Isotype"
    Released: 29 May 2017
  2. "The Punishment of Luxury"
    Released: 19 July 2017
  3. "What Have We Done"
    Released: 18 September 2017
  4. "One More Time"
    Released: 16 February 2018

The Punishment of Luxury is the thirteenth studio album by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), and the third since their 2006 reformation. Produced by OMD, it was released on 1 September 2017 by 100% Records in the UK and White Noise elsewhere.[1] In July of that year, the band commenced a tour of North America and Europe in support of the record.[2]

The Punishment of Luxury explores themes of consumerism and First World problems. The album met with favourable reviews, and was named as one of the best and most underrated of 2017. It debuted at number four on the UK Albums Chart with 9,894 copies sold in its first week,[3] making it the band's first album to reach the top 10 in their home country since 1991's Sugar Tax; the record topped the UK Independent Albums Chart. It reached the top 10 on various European charts, as well as on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums and Independent Albums charts in the United States.

Background

Toward completion of the gruelling recording sessions for English Electric (2013), there were internal doubts about the band's future. Morale had risen after several months of touring the album, however. Keyboardist Paul Humphreys said in August 2013: "We're already talking about what we should be doing next. We've got a great idea for a new album actually."[4] By the turn of 2015, writing of the album had "started in earnest", with song titles "The Punishment of Luxury" and "Evolution of Species" being announced[5] (the latter did not make the album, instead appearing on 2023 follow-up Bauhaus Staircase).[6]

The album was influenced by Giovanni Segantini's The Punishment of Lust (1891), also known as The Punishment of Luxury.

The Punishment of Luxury takes its name from a 1891 painting by Italian artist Giovanni Segantini.[1] In December 2016, OMD frontman Andy McCluskey expounded: "We've taken that idea and extrapolated it into sort of... a metaphor for modern life, really. First world problems. All of the shit we have to deal with is only a problem that's created for you by some suggestion that came from a marketing man or a PR job that's been done on you."[7]

Humphreys said of the album's musical direction: "We're still trying to maintain our connection with our roots, but we've tried to go a bit more, even more stripped-down than English Electric." McCluskey added: "There's a little bit more sort of crunchy industrial sound in a few things, a bit glitchy-er. But you know, the bottom line is that we have a sense of melody that we just can't throw off."[7] In May 2017, McCluskey noted the band's use of "noises and repetitive patterns".[1]

"Robot Man", a song about emotional honesty, is an homage to English musician and producer Daniel Miller. It was inspired by Miller's 1978 composition, "Warm Leatherette".[8]

The track "La Mitrailleuse" (French for "The Machinegun")[2] was released on 15 May;[1] its Henning M. Lederer-directed video is based on the 1915 painting by C. R. W. Nevinson after which the song is named.[2] The album's first official single, "Isotype", premiered on 29 May and was made available for digital download and streaming the day after. The album's title track was released as the second single on 19 July. "What Have We Done", the only track on the album to feature Humphreys on lead vocals, was released as the third single on 18 September, along with an extended version of the song.[9] A remixed version of "One More Time" followed on 16 February 2018.

The album's cover art was designed by Liverpool-based artist John Petch.[10]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic71/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
The A.V. ClubB+[13]
Classic Pop4/5[14]
God Is in the TV9/10[15]
Hampshire Chronicle[16]
The Irish Times[17]
L'Obs[18]
PopMatters[19]
The Press[20]
Uncut7/10[21]

The Punishment of Luxury received favourable reviews.[22] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album garnered an average score of 71, based on 10 reviews.[11] Tim Russell of God Is in the TV wrote, "OMD have made arguably the best album of 2017... It's brilliant. It's the first album since 1981's multi-million selling Architecture & Morality on which they've succeeded in perfectly balancing the creative tension between their experimental leanings and their ear for a pop tune to create a cohesive whole."[15] Irish Times critic Jennifer Gannon described the record as "synth-pop at its most charming and effortless",[17] while Tim Sendra of AllMusic called it "another strong showing from a band that could have packed it in years ago and become a nostalgia act, but have instead continued to make fine pop art".[12]

In PopMatters, John Bergstrom said the record's "less-than-fresh" anti-consumerism sentiment renders it a "good album rather than a great one", but noted that much of the material is "on par with the band's best".[19] The Hampshire Chronicle suggested that The Punishment of Luxury had been misinterpreted by some critics, writing, "This isn't some banal, [Bill] Hicks-esque "Get a soul!" nuke: it's a plaintive look at the brutal consumerist needle and the damage done. And a bloody terrific record to boot."[16] Particular praise was directed at the six-minute "Ghost Star", which multiple reviewers singled out as the highlight of the album.[13][15][16]

Journalists featured The Punishment of Luxury in lists of the best albums of 2017,[23] while the Hampshire Chronicle and Salon considered it to be one of the year's most underrated records.[16][24] God Is in the TV's Tim Russell later named it one of the 20 greatest albums of the 2010s;[25] in a poll of 3,200 Modern Synthpop readers, it was voted the eighth-best synth-pop album of the decade.[26] John Earls of Classic Pop wrote that "you won't get a better late-period synth-pop classic album" than The Punishment of Luxury.[27] Sirius XM DJ Richard Blade said, "I was stunned when I listened. The problem was not finding something to play but deciding which track to put on first. It was that good."[28] The Athens Voice declared OMD, on the strength of The Punishment of Luxury, to be "one of the few names of their generation who can still create music that inspires".[29]

Musician Craig "Space March" Simmons named The Punishment of Luxury the best synth-pop album of 2017.[30] In 2020, singer Boy George streamed a cover version of "The View from Here" via his Instagram channel, adding that he wished he had written the song.[31] Among the OMD fanbase, The Punishment of Luxury has come to be regarded as one of the band's greatest records.[32]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Paul Humphreys and Andy McCluskey. All tracks produced by OMD

No.TitleLength
1."The Punishment of Luxury"3:28
2."Isotype"6:10
3."Robot Man"3:00
4."What Have We Done"3:48
5."Precision & Decay"1:44
6."As We Open, So We Close"3:04
7."Art Eats Art"3:20
8."Kiss, Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang, Bang"3:00
9."One More Time"3:06
10."La Mitrailleuse"2:05
11."Ghost Star"6:18
12."The View from Here"3:05

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Punishment of Luxury.[33]

Charts

Chart (2017) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[34] 28
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[35] 40
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[36] 47
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[37] 60
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[38] 95
French Albums (SNEP)[39] 12
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[40] 9
Irish Albums (IRMA)[41] 28
Irish Independent Albums (IRMA)[42] 3
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[43] 40
Scottish Albums (OCC)[44] 4
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[45] 44
UK Albums (OCC)[46] 4
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[47] 1
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[48] 3
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[49] 7

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Slingerland, Calum (15 May 2017). "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Return with 'The Punishment of Luxury'". Exclaim!. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Kaye, Ben (16 May 2017). "OMD announce new album, The Punishment of Luxury, share video for 'La Mitrailleuse'". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  3. ↑ Jones, Alan (8 September 2017). "Official Charts Analysis: The Script debut at No.1 on albums chart". Music Week. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  4. ↑ Shin, Dennis (28 August 2013). "The Future Will Be Silent: An Interview with OMD". PopMatters. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  5. ↑ "2015 News". OMD.uk.com. 5 January 2015. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. ↑ Pearis, Bill (22 August 2023). "OMD announce new album 'Bauhaus Staircase,' share title track". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Rockies". Your Older Brother. 26 December 2016. Archived from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  8. ↑ OMD (2017). "Robot Man". The Punishment of Luxury (DVD). White Noise.
  9. ↑ "OMD 'Isotype' - classic sounding new single of The Punishment of Luxury". Slicing Up Eyeballs. 30 May 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  10. ↑ "The Punishment of Luxury (album) - Artwork Print". OMD. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  11. 1 2 "Critic reviews for The Punishment of Luxury". Metacritic. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  12. 1 2 Sendra, Tim. "The Punishment of Luxury - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  13. 1 2 Zaleski, Annie (31 August 2017). "OMD examines the complications of progress on the sparkling The Punishment Of Luxury". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  14. ↑ Wallace, Wyndham (October 2017). "OMD – The Punishment of Luxury album review". Classic Pop. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  15. 1 2 3 Russell, Tim (4 September 2017). "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – The Punishment of Luxury". God Is in the TV. Archived from the original on 5 September 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Pop Music". Hampshire Chronicle. Newsquest. 21 December 2017. pp. 4–5 (of Year in Review supplement).
  17. 1 2 Gannon, Jennifer (31 August 2017). "OMD review: Synth-pop at its most charming and effortless". The Irish Times. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  18. ↑ "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: The Punishment of Luxury". L'Obs. No. 2757. 7 September 2017. p. 111.
  19. 1 2 Bergstrom, John (6 September 2017). "OMD: The Punishment of Luxury". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 18 February 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  20. ↑ Hutchinson, Charles (14 September 2017). "OMD, The Punishment of Luxury". The Press. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  21. ↑ "The Punishment of Luxury". Uncut. Bauer Media Group. October 2017. p. 36. It's refreshing to hear Paul Humphreys and Andy McCluskey challenging themselves as OMD enjoy their Indian Summer—"La Mitrailleuse" blends gunfire and military drums—even if the results mostly end up as blue-eyed Kraftwerkian pop.
  22. ↑ Vito, Jo (23 August 2023). "OMD Announce New Album Bauhaus Staircase, Share Title Track". Consequence. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  23. ↑ Multiple sources:
  24. ↑ Zaleski, Annie (29 December 2017). "The 22 most underrated albums of 2017". Salon. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  25. ↑ Russell, Tim (11 November 2019). "Best of the Decade: Tim Russell's Top Twenty albums". God Is in the TV. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  26. ↑ "The top synthpop albums of the 2010s". Modern Synthpop. 12 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  27. ↑ Earls, John (February 2020). "OMD Interview: 'Stockhausen or ABBA? Can't We Be Both?'". Classic Pop. Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2021.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  28. ↑ Houghton, Richard (2019). OMD: Pretending to See the Future (expanded paperback ed.). This Day in Music Books. pp. 264–267. ISBN 978-1916115620.
  29. ↑ "Οι OMD έρχονται στο Release Athens X SNF Nostos". Athens Voice (in Greek). 27 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  30. ↑ Simmons, Craig (31 December 2017). "2017 in Review". Space March. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  31. ↑ "Instagram video by Boy George". Instagram. 10 December 2020. 81 minutes in. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  32. ↑ Harnell, Steve (November–December 2023). "Welcome". Classic Pop. No. 84. p. 3.
  33. ↑ The Punishment of Luxury (liner notes). Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. 100% Records. 2017. 100CD66.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  34. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – The Punishment of Luxury" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  35. ↑ "Ultratop.be – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – The Punishment of Luxury" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  36. ↑ "Ultratop.be – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – The Punishment of Luxury" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  37. ↑ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 39.Týden 2017 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  38. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – The Punishment of Luxury" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  39. ↑ "Lescharts.com – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – The Punishment of Luxury". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  40. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – The Punishment of Luxury" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  41. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark)". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  42. ↑ "Top 20 Independent – Week Ending 15 Sep 2017". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  43. ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  44. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  45. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – The Punishment of Luxury". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  46. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  47. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  48. ↑ "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  49. ↑ "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
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