JOY DIVISION | UNKNOWN PLEASURES
The only album released during Ian Curtis lifetime, Unknown Pleasures would go on to become one of the most influenctial post-punk albums of all time.
Much of the album’s flavour comes from Martin Hannett’s production techniques as he directed the band into a more spacious and atmospheric sound than the aggression they delivered on stage. The mood all over the album is glared in dark and gloomy tones which wasn’t entirely what the band was initially after, though they later came to appreciate the production afterward.
The album’s artwork is nothing short of iconic. It is an image created by a radio astronomer Harold Craft that depicts radio emissions given out by a pulsar. Its white on black lines reflect pulsing power and raw angst and feels as stark and minimalist as the music within. It’s mysterious and engaging.
The album unfolds in a raw urgency of melodrama, eerie and otherworldly. It’s spookiness is sincere and its intensity a direct byproduct of Curtis’ staccato transmissions, Peter Hook’s signature high string bass picking, Stephen Morris’ chilly drum sound, and Bernard Sumner’s melodic riffing. From the first chords of “Disorder” we are introduced to the foreshadowing of the indie rock template that is still strongly infused in everything we hear in the genre today. “Day Of The Lords” is brooding goth drama worth of an Edgar Allan Poe kinship, while tracks like “Candidate” display Curtis’ wide range of influences from Lou Reed, Bowie, and Jim Morrison.
“She’s Lost Control” is essential listening, tense and wound tightly. The lyrics loosely unravel the story of a woman Curtis know who was suffering from epilepsy and experiencing debilitating seizures, the same condition he would later lose control over himself. The nightmarish fear of his condition overtaking his life is splattered throughout the song’s energy. Shadowplay’s guitar line is like a prism of force that would later captivate all time greats like Bono and the Edge in their own work. Unknown Pleasures has created more impact in its legacy than it did at the time, and that remains its most special gift.
Spending time with the album as a whole can create an enclosed and cramped feeling in the ears and body, like being underwater. It’s a pervading relationship with anxiety and unease that only intensifies with Curtis’ crooning monotone. To think he would hang himself in his kitchen months after the release only furthers the chills.
The album offers a crisp picture of four very young men at the time who were exploring the origins of their sound and abilities in a new environment. There is an obvious reason so many still consider this output a shining example of immaculate music.
THE UNKNOWN PLEASURE
2.5 oz Hound’s black vodka
1/2 oz Sambuca
1/2 oz Blue Caracao
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
*Pour ingredients into a glass with ice and stir.