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— The Analog Vault // Essential Listening —

It is not at all hyperbolic to say that this is the most important and influential post-punk record of all-time. Besides inspiring a whole new generation of bands with their serrated sound, Unknown Pleasures became a pop culture touchstone - spawning a multitude of books, documentaries and films - not to mention the far-reaching impact of its iconic radio waveform cover artwork. With a legacy so steeped in the mainstream consciousness, it may be tempting to describe Joy Division’s paradigmatic 1979 debut as overrated… except that all it takes is a single listen to realise that every song on this album is a genuine classic. From Ian Curtis’ dark, bluntly parsed lyricism and Peter Hook’s ominous basswork, to Bernard Sumner’s angular riffs and Stephen Morris' tribal, tom-driven drumming - Joy Division birthed a singularly alien brand of art rock that somehow resonated with the masses. And it all began here. — The Analog Vault

It even looks like something classic, beyond its time or place of origin even as it was a clear product of both -- one of Peter Saville's earliest and best designs, a transcription of a signal showing a star going nova, on a black embossed sleeve. If that were all Unknown Pleasures was, it wouldn't be discussed so much, but the ten songs inside, quite simply, are stone-cold landmarks, the whole album a monument to passion, energy, and cathartic despair. The quantum leap from the earliest thrashy singles to Unknown Pleasures can be heard through every note, with Martin Hannett's deservedly famous production -- emphasizing space in the most revelatory way since the dawn of dub -- as much a hallmark as the music itself. Songs fade in behind furtive noises of motion and activity, glass breaks with the force and clarity of doom, and minimal keyboard lines add to an air of looming disaster -- something, somehow, seems to wait or lurk beyond the edge of hearing. But even though this is Hannett's album as much as anyone's, the songs and performances are the true key. 

Bernard Sumner redefined heavy metal sludge as chilling feedback fear and explosive energy, Peter Hook's instantly recognizable bass work was at once warm and forbidding, and Stephen Morris' drumming smacked through the speakers above all else. Ian Curtis synthesizes and purifies every last impulse, his voice shot through with the desire first and foremost to connect, only connect -- as "Candidate" plaintively states, "I tried to get to you/You treat me like this." Pick any song: the nervous death dance of "She's Lost Control"; the harrowing call for release "New Dawn Fades," all four members in perfect sync; the romance in hell of "Shadowplay"; "Insight" and its nervous drive toward some sort of apocalypse. All visceral, all emotional, all theatrical, all perfect -- one of the best albums ever. — (via AllMusic)

Joy Division (and Martin Hannett) re-define post-industrial popular music.

The duochrome Peter Saville cover of this first Joy Division album speaks volumes. Its white on black lines reflect a pulse of power, a surge of bass, and raw angst. If the cover doesn’t draw you in, the music will.

Following the first kick of drums and bass come the vocals: "I’ve been waiting for a guy to come and take me by the hand". This young band was the ‘guy’ to take post punk music by the hand and lead it to 80s electronica. Joy Division were unlike anything that came before them and anything that has ever come after them.

The album is at times aggressive: "And all God’s angels beware. And all you judges beware, sons of chance take good care. For all the people out there, I’m not afraid anymore," Ian Curtis intones on Insight, lapsing, at times, into despondency. Unknown Pleasures is always brooding and always intense.

Joy Division were four boys from 1970s Salford. They took their name from the literary prostitution wing of a Nazi concentration camp and they took their inspiration from the familiar atmosphere of run-down, post-industrial estates. Deep heaving baritones come out of a man so small he’d be blown away by the gust of his own voice. Together Curtis, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris created something approaching pure energy.

On Shadowplay the guitars launch into a dimension reminiscent of the sonic dimensions that Bowie and Eno dwelt in, in the late 70s. The band’s sound is echo-y, cavernous, but thanks to Factory Records producer, Martin Hannett, never empty. By adding sound effects such as breaking glass, deep breaths, and footsteps he brings the music out of the mental torture of the lead singer and into the real world. It’s these details that keep you with it and make it feel more measured than their manic live performances. For this he was initially resented by the band.

The classic She’s Lost Control builds intensity as threatening growling is replaced with manic crescendo. It’s simple, it’s terse. Day of the Lords feels like it should accompany an Edgar Allen Poe tale, as pulsing drums and howling guitars penetrate the air towards an unknown conclusion.

Unknown Pleasures borders on nihilism, but is pregnant with expectation. And like Bowie’s Low, once heard it's never forgotten. It’s like going to the doctor and having your ears syringed. This is a sound that’s ready to explode. And it still feels personal. — (via BBC)

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Label: Factory, Rhino Records
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered, 180 Gram, Textured Sleeve
Reissued: 2015 / Original Release: 1979
Genre: Rock, Electronic
Style: New Wave, Post-Punk

File under: School Of Rock
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