Joy Division - Closer
Joy Division is:
Bernard Sumner
Ian Curtis
Peter Hook
Stephen Morris
Track-By-Track Review
1. Atrocity Exhibition
This is quite an eccentric opening track. Stephen Morris puts out some of the oddest drumming I've heard, it sounds quite African inspired. Ian Curtis' voice gets rather repetitive and monotonous, as it does throughout the album. However, a strong point on the vocals, he definitely sets the mood for every song on the album; sort of emotionally bothered, strained.
2. Isolation
This little diddy, the shortest on the album, is quite eccentric sounding as well. Only instead of African-inspired rhythm, you turn with a sort of 80s synth pop groove. Ian Curtis throws the emotion into his voice and lyrics, again. Pete Hook's bass-ing is pretty well done and rolling and Bernard Sumner's guitar is, too.
3. Passover
Wow...this song is quite emotional. It also comes across as being sort of 80s synth pop, but really emotional, as opposed to something you'd hear from other groups around at the time of the album. Ian's voice shows a lot of emotion, a sort of...nervous, strained edge. The drumming ends the song quite well with the fading, slowing beat near the end. Possibly the best on the album.
4. Colony
Instruments are the breadwinners in this song, in my opinion, as that's what most of it is. Sumner's guitar-ing is rather eccentric, but in a good way. The bass-ing and drumming are also big points for the song. However, by now, you're going to find out that while emotional, Ian Curtis' singing is quite monotonous. And in the choruses, his voice kind of drags the instruments with it.
5. A Means to an End
This track is quite interesting. Instead of one real chorus, it has two. ("I always looked to you" and "I put my trust in you", both in separate sections of the song.) The song as a whole puts an ominous feeling to it. The bass and drums work together for a rather nice beat, while the guitar takes its own lines. The ending's quite nice, everything fading and slowing to an absolute nothing at the end.
6. Heart and Soul.
Another ominous song. The whole beat is quite nice. The lyrics are almost poetic ("Heart and soul/one will burn"). And Ian's voice isn't truly annoyingly monotonus (but it maintains monotony, but enough emotion in the lyrics puts it in the right direction.).
7. Twenty Four Hours
Another emotional song. The lyrics are very very nice. The instrumentation is, too. The beat sways from a sort of calm "verse", which has a very mild edge and suddenly turns into something quite quick paced and emotional. I'll put it in the words of a review I read of the song in my trek. "It's the tension between action and blankness, so often Joy Division's ace in the hole, that again serves them well - a truly gothic, melodramatic song with a deep, piercing strength."
8. Eternal
Probably the most emotional on the album here. It's very simply structured with a repetitive beat featuring a piano with the drums, bass and guitar behind the vocals. The vocals, for a rarity, are the real show in this song. They are very...very...very emotional and Ian Curtis' voice puts that into perspective. As the song winds down, it kind of gives off a freaky ominous vibe that just brings it all together.
9. Decades
This was, in a review I read "the album ender of all enders". Agreed. The polyrhythmic beats Morris gives off are quite intriguing. Sumner's guitaring is nice, and the bass bridges the two quite nicely. And it is...gasp...EMOTIONAL! ("Weary inside, now our heart's lost forever/Can't replace the fear, or the thrill of the chase/Each ritual showed up the door for our wanderings/Open then shut, then slammed in our face") The song has another rather simple structure. There's the first verse, which is followed by a sort of solo that starts with the synth giving off this sort of organic spacy feel, then the drums. Same for the second verse. The vibe changes throughout, though. The drums start it off with almost an industrial feel. Then there comes a synth and the bass. Then the vocals. This song isn't really too guitar-dominated, though. But that's not bad. Overall, I think that this is the best song on the album.
Overall...
I give this album an easy 4.5/5. Sumner, Hook, Morris, and Curtis all do a fine job. However, the one thing that really gets me is that once Curtis starts with a voice for a song, he sticks with that throughout. But that's it for bad points.
To buy or not to buy?: Buy it.
I would wish you "Happy listening", but that'd contradict the whole album, so I'll just say..."Enjoy."
