Review Summary: Haunting, Dark, Atmospheric and armed with lyrics about depression, epileptic fits and a crumbling relationship; Unknown Pleasures is one of those albums you will never forget once you've heard it.
I would like to kick off my review with a very bold statement: if i was forced to pick a favourite album of all time, Unknown Pleasures would be the one i choose. Why? Because the album is a tremendous achievement in Rock music and every second of it is hauntingly beautiful. Even if this 'cult' album isn't your thing there is no denying the chilling atmosphere and memorable impression it leaves you with. Put simply, its an album you never forget after hearing it. Weather it leaves you amazed, depressed, happy or scratching your head, the music and lyrics have a certain power and urgency that leave an unforgettable impression on you.
Unknown Pleasures hit the record stores without warning in the summer of 1979. The Alternative/New Wave movement had just emerged from the fury of Punk and many different bands were expanding Rock music in exciting new directions. With Unknown Pleasures, Joy Division established themselves as one of the leaders of the new movement and created a sound nobody had heard anything like before. The lyrics of Ian Curtis brought emotion of a new level to Rock music whist the stark minimalistic post punk instrumentation painted a dark image of late 70's Britain. Despite its commercial failure, Unknown Pleasures quickly became a cult favourite and became one of the most influential albums of its time, and of all time.
You have to listen to Unknown Pleasures all the way through as an album to feel it's power and beauty. From the opening drums of Disorder to the breaking glass at the end of I Remember Nothing, the album takes you on one hell of a dark journey and leaves you wanting more. The album feature's the classic Joy Division singles She's Lost Control and Shadowplay, but if you just listen to the individual songs you miss the point of the album completely. Unknown Pleasures is not a collection of songs, its a work of art in itself that can take you places few other albums can.
As iv mentioned before, the atmosphere on this album is one of the most beautiful things about it. In particular, the reverb on the Snare drum leaves a chilling atmosphere combined with Peter Hook's slow sinister Baselines on downbeat songs like Day Of The Lords, Candidate and Wilderness. In fact, the majority of the album is downbeat and this brings prominence to the chilling grey atmosphere the music paints. The vocals of Ian Curtis are extremely distinctive and dam right scary at times, just listen to Day Of The Lords and feel the dark atmosphere of his voice. And the simple Guitar lines are full of this overwhelming power and prominence that just grabs you. Unknown Pleasures is an album you can really 'feel' when listening to it. As chilling and dark as it is at times, it keeps you on the edge of your seat whilst a dark cloud engulfs you. The production really adds to the gloomy atmosphere on the album. As well as heavy use of reverb the album makes very effective use of sounds such as breaking glass, which on the tracks Insight and I Remember Nothing go straight down your spine. My only criticism about the production is that practically the same Drum Kit sound is used on all the songs and this can sound a little repetitive after several listens.
Unknown Pleasures is often said to be inferior to Closer, and amongst Joy Division fans and Critics its a never ending debate to which album is best. I actually prefer Unknown Pleasures, but Closer has a charm and personality all of its own. Both albums are very individual and respectively different musically, its all down to a matter of personal opinion. Both albums are amazing and should be listened to in full. I wont go into too much detail about the differences, but on Closer, Joy Division made more use of Synths and through some very clever production (listen to the end of Isolation and the Guitars on Atrocity Exhibition) expanded their musical pallet greatly. I highly recommend both these albums, you can't go wrong with either of them.
So what about the songs? Well, here is an Insight (pun intended) into the deliciously dark world that is Unknown Pleasures:
DISORDER - 10/10
The album opens on a more positive and optimistic note with one of Joy Divisions most upbeat songs. Disorder is a fantastic catchy number which features some frantic drumming and one of Hook's greatest and most infectious Baselines. There is a brief glimpse of hope as Ian sings "I'v been waiting for a guide to come and take me by the hand" but it goes out of the window after the song climaxes with him shouting "I'v got the spirit, but loose the feeling" and the dark song that follows begins.
DAY OF THE LORDS - 10/10
In a complete contrast to the previous song, the tempo slows right down and you are hit with some menacing Guitar work and a slow chilling Baseline. The chorus features a simple Synth hook and the lyrics "Where will it end". My favourite song on the album, and the one song that sums up the mood and atmosphere of the album.
CANDIDATE - 8/10
Another slow paced song but this time more minimal in instrumentation. The song revolves around a rather unsettling Baseline and features some nice call and response between the Vocals and Baseline. The occasional big Drum roll brings the song to life along with some very scary and disturbing Guitar effects.
INSIGHT - 10/10
A song that i can't stop listening to, in my opinion its one of the best Joy Division songs. The Baseline is so beautiful and sticks in your head, and the tempo comes back up to raise the mood and tension after 2 slower paced songs. The production on here is fantastic, the song opening with a scary atmosphere and what sounds like machinery or breaking glass. The middle section and ending of the song are really sinister and dark whilst the verses are in a major key, very powerful contrast. You get the frantic and disturbing sound of electronic 'zaps' bouncing all over the place, again brilliant use of production to create an unsettling atmosphere. Oh, and Ian sounds like he is scared to death on this one, some sort of studio effect is used on his voice to make him sound terrified. He certainly sounds very afraid when he sings "Im not afraid anymore". I could honestly go on all day about how great this song is. moving on...
SHE'S LOST CONTROL - 10/10
Peter Hook strikes again! The Baseline on this song sounds evil and unsettling, and is probably the most memorable of all Hook's Baselines. It is a classic melody and this song is a classic. Great drumming too on here too, we finally hear a different Drum kit sound and this immediately gets your attention. This is the song where Ian sings about a young girl he saw having an epileptic fit. "Confusion in her eyes that says it all, she's lost control".
SHADOWPLAY - 10/10
The other classic Joy Division song on the album and deservedly so. An upbeat number with very powerful Bass and Guitar work. Some classic Guitar melodies in the bridges between lyric sections. The Guitars have so much bite on this song, it demands your full attention and plenty of volume!
WILDERNESS - 8/10
A slower paced and more minimal song with an interesting rhythm. The whole song groves around the Baseline, which has some lovely slides in it, and the Guitar locks in unison at certain points with the Bass. A pretty loose feeling song and one with a chilling atmosphere. Very dark and interesting lyrics too: "What did you see there? The power of glory and sin, What did you see there? The blood of Christ on their skin".
INTERZONE - 7/10
A short Punk sounding song that gives one last short burst of energy before the dark cloud engulfs you on the next song. Nothing spectacular but some great use of pan on the Vocals, one line goes through one ear the next through just one (pretty creepy with headphones on). Very danceable but not very memorable.
I REMEMBER NOTHING - 10/10
Some people don't like this song and think it ends the album on a weak note, but its one of my favourites. The darkest song on the album and pretty dam scary. The atmosphere is unlike anything else, Ian's vocals are very emotional and clever production pans them so it sounds like a voice in your head. As well as some excellent vocal production, there are some really scary effects such as the sound of breaking glass, which is used prominently and catches you off guard. Even though Hook strums just one note of his Bass through most of the song, there are bursts of aggression in his playing and his Bass distorts, sending a chilling atmosphere straight at you. A definite grower, i wasn't keen at first but after several listens i got the point of the song, which is to end a darlk album on a sinister and scary note.
I can not recommend or say enough praise about Unknown Pleasures. In my opinion its one of the greatest albums ever recorded and is hugely influential on modern music. Thank you for reading my first album review, hope what i have said helps.
