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THE REVIEW
Reviewing Unknown Pleasures is both exciting and terrifying at the same time. Rivers of words have been written about this album, everything that had to be said has been said, perhaps too much, because works like this deserve fewer comments (often superfluous) and more listening. Or rather, they deserve to be listened to by more people. For this reason, reviewing Unknown Pleasures is difficult, because it's hard to say things, even valid ones, that haven't already been said over and over. My goal at this point is simply to help discover the great skills of the four to those (hopefully few) who, for one reason or another, are not yet familiar with it (unfortunately).
Let's start from a very precise reference point: what I am analyzing is not just a simple lp, but a school of thought and music conception (good music) that influenced much of the music of the eighties and nineties.
"Disorder", the track that kicks off the album is a summary of Joy's music: fast electronic drum breaks, a wave bass that pulses without taking a moment's rest, a brilliant guitar riff, and Ian Curtis' utterly sick voice. Many definitions have been given to Curtis' voice, but they all turn out to be superfluous. Curtis' voice is Curtis' voice. Period. No one had his tone. Period. "Day Of the Lords" and "New Down Fades" are, in my opinion, the two gems of the album, the two fires around which the entire work revolves.
"She's Lost Control" and "Insight" are two tracks where more than others emerge the brilliance of bassist Peter Hook. We're talking about dark atmospheres, hanging on nothing, of vivid dramaticity. Well, in these two pieces, so dark and unsettling, Hook manages to interject with bass lines played on the first string of his Rickenbacker, the G string (the highest of the four bass strings), achieving an effect of great harmony in the whole. This too is the genius of the Joy Division, the ability to never be banal while being essential, sparse, deliberately empty in sound, not rich or captivating at all.
The record continues without style drops, which is exceptional, considering it's a New Wave album, as I believe many albums from the eighties somewhat suffer from these drops. Unknown Pleasures changes the place where it is played, and in many cases, it has also changed the people who have listened to it. It is simply fundamental.
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Summary by Bot
This review highlights the enduring significance of Joy Division's 'Unknown Pleasures' as a foundational New Wave album. It emphasizes Ian Curtis's unique voice, Peter Hook's innovative bass work, and the album's dark, essential sound. The reviewer considers it a masterpiece that continues to influence music and listeners decades later.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English post-punk band formed in the late 1970s (Ian Curtis, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris). They released two studio albums, Unknown Pleasures (1979) and Closer (1980). After the suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis in May 1980 the remaining members later formed New Order.43 Reviews
Other reviews
By emily
Ian Curtis almost doesn’t sing, he 'is', he screams, he declares himself and his clear torment in a desperate and raw way.
A masterpiece album, the first effort of a band that became legend, and that pervades inside and digs like few others.
By Sgt Pepper
"Unknown Pleasures talks about this, and it introduces us to what can be considered the true testament of Ian Curtis."
"You remain surrounded by darkness, by the ghosts that cloud Curtis' depressed mind. Ghosts that could not have been described more candidly."
By darkfall
I lost myself in a whirlwind of dark thoughts, playing a Shadowplay...
I can hear the Disorder... I can hear the Lords; I’m waiting for the Day Of The Lords...
By lovetojour
Joy Division answered us by imploding a star in a room. Ours.
The scream is cautionary, the hope is INSIDE.
By Daedal
"Unknown Pleasures is the transformation of the four from a rough and dirty group to a magnificent conjurer of atmospheres."
"A seminal manifesto of the gothic season that was to come, unifying spectral and black music with the disturbing and magnificent poetry of that sad genius, Ian Curtis."
