I began listening to Joy Division in mid November 2022.
Unknown Pleasures (1979): B+
Closer (1980): B
Unknown Pleasures (1979):
Like so many British punk bands, Joy Division was formed after its members saw a Sex Pistols concert. Though that's the energy they pulled from in the beginning of their career (and on their debut EP An Ideal for Living), producer Martin Hannett takes advantage of this clueless band and crosses their punk inclinations with the studio wizardry of Pink Floyd for their debut album. I would have liked to see how this turned out as a conventional punk album. As much I'm impressed with this strange intersection from a musical standpoint, the direction brings extra emphasis to Ian Curtis's dejected lyrics about a lack of human connection. To add insult to injury, the slow grooves and ominous backing more or less force a portentous tone from Ian, which too closely implies a glorification of his depression. B+
Closer (1980):
Even after enjoying more than half the songs on this album and fully appreciating the droning guitars of "Passover" or the high-pitched synthesizers of "Isolation," I can pretty easily shrug off this album once it ends. For all the interesting grooves they come up with, their intentional aversion to straightforward melody proves to be fatal. Once again, there's a few issues with Ian Curtis too. This time, his deadpan lacks eccentricity, fear, sadness, menace, anything really. B
