deathly, dissonant, damn good.
other than being some really fun alliteration, i think that just about summarizes this album.
first: a brief overview of joy division. joy division were a post-punk rock band from salford, england (a part of manchester) formed in 1976 by lyricist/singer ian curtis, guitarist/keyboardist bernard sumner, bassist peter hook, and drummer stephen morris. don’t get misled by the name; joy division is named after brothels in nazi concentration camps which consisted of female inmates working against their will. ouch. joy division is known for their very dark, moody post-punk sound. closer is their second and final album released in 1980, after frontman ian curtis’ death (r.i.p.) by suicide.
closer carries the atmospheric and deathly elements of its predecessor, unknown pleasures, and takes it a step further. if joy division wasn’t provocative then, they are provocative now: the opener is the skull-crushing, bone-grinding “Atrocity Exhibition“, a track uncomfortable and wacky enough to turn people off on first listen.
i could write an entire article on “Atrocity Exhibition” because it’s the most daring, unique track on the album by far, and i’m biased towards noise rock. but this is what made me interested in the band to begin with. it’s the most unlikely opener, but it sets the thematic, grave tone for the rest of the album, even if all of the subsequent tracks are more melodic and even more accessible.
musically, closer is at the intersection of new wave, punk, experimental/noise rock, and of course, gothic rock. for the musical range it encompasses, it is grounded by hook and morris’ driving, loud rhythmic section, whether that’s playing underneath sumner’s layers of shrill keyboards, loud guitars, or melancholic piano. on top of that is ian curtis, who has his memorable monotone baritone vocals and depressing, poetic lyricism that carry much of the album’s emotion and themes. in songs like “Colony” and “A Means to an End“, he sounds almost ethereal, like he’s possessed by some kind of spiritual fervor. the album feels impersonal: in spite of the fact that ian curtis sings about his own personal struggles, his lyrics and his delivery are highly detached, as if he is observing humanity from the reaches of the grave. for as varied as this album is, curtis, hook, and morris hold the songs together thematically and musically as sumner experiments with abrasive sounds.
overall, closer matches up to, and in my opinion exceeds joy division’s debut. it’s unconventional yet coherent, artistic yet authentic, and it’s incredibly sad, especially once you reach the b-side. while the a-side is energetic, almost active, the b-side feels like slow, crawling desolation. there aren’t many weaknesses at all, except with “Heart and Soul“, which is in a bit of a strange spot between the straightforward post-punk of “A Means to an End” and the transitioning point of “Twenty Four Hours“.
the absolute highlights of this album, even though every song is very good, are probably “Atrocity Exhibition”, the screaming opener, “Isolation“, a groovy electronic song about alienation and rejection, “Colony”, a syncopated, bass-driven track, and “The Eternal“, a piano ballad describing a funeral. that’s nearly half of the songs, mind you.
great albums like this make me wonder what other boundaries joy division could have pushed if it weren’t for ian curtis’ tragic passing. like the smiths and the stone roses, joy division cements itself here as one of the best bands to ever beg the question of what could have been. there aren’t a lot of other bands that can capture such overwhelming melancholy without becoming melodramatic or inauthentic. a 10/10.
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