Reviews (page 7 of 15)
Banger. One of my all time favorite albums. There isn't a bad song on here.
It's iconic for sure and moody for miles.
So bad.
I mean ... that album just hits every spot. It's just great. Ian Curtis' voice and lyrics really hits hard, knowing his tragic future. One of the lost influenced and influential bands of all time. And same for this album. 9/10 fav songs : Disorder & Day of the Lords & I remember Nothing
So nice to have this album on the list. I have tried to see "Peter Hook and the Light" in concert a few times, but something has always fallen through (concert cancelled, COVID, etc). Still hoping.
I had this album back in the day. So bleak and wonderful. Disorder and She's Lost Control are classic goth dance songs. Listening now it seems weird that they morphed into New Order. "It was me, waiting for me Hoping for something more Me, seeing me this time Hoping for something else"
A bit too dark and bleak for me...
It's qualla. The production is what really elevates it.
seeing the album art on so many shirts, came expecting something special. i can see how they might have influenced other bands that came after. but as a stand-alone, doesn't seem to hold up. i guess you had to be there.
I know it’s a classic, BUT don’t know why?
Return to this more than Closer. So it has to be their best for me
A bit miserable but it's goofs favorite.
10/10 Favorites: Disorder Day of the Lords Shadowplay New Dawn Fades She’s Lost Control
Just endless notes doing nothing, going nowhere. Who enjoys this endless drone of darkness.
i love what joy division became, but joy division itself i struggle with
Not my style
This is hands down one of my favorite albums of all time. I fell in love with Joy Division in highschool so this album was on heavy rotation for me. Curtis’s vocals are very haunting and distinct. It’s a dark and emotional experience but it’s a solid post-punk album through the use of drums, guitar, and heavy synth production. Curtis was a talented frontman that was gone too soon. Joy Division will always hold a special place in my heart.
Cure is better
I had not listened to this album before. Fascinating to listen to the entire album and try to make links to the new order that was to come all the New Order foundation is there less musicality. Enjoy the album.
Love will tear us apart
3.8/5 - wanted to like this more
Disorder is so good. I think the rest of the album has some bite but is often missing a bit of magic, though I get why people laud this one. 3.7/5
First 5 Star. Album cover would make a great T-shirt
3.5 stars, rounded up with caveats If a fourth-line winger scored 20 goals, you would rate his season an A+. If your $12 million first-line winger scored only 20 goals, you’d give him a C-. You have to grade on a curve. Joy Division have a $12 million winger reputation. When I saw the iconic Unknown Pleasures cover come up, I was sure it would be an easy 5. Then I remembered why I never listen to this album. Although it has a few unassailable, transcendent classic tracks, the other songs on this album don’t live up to the renown. There’s too big of a gulf between the best tracks and the rest of the album. Influential, important? Yes. But not a record I want to listen to on a daily basis. Is it the production? I’ve read articles and watched videos discussing how the producer imposed a stark, minimalist sound onto a band whose live shows were loud and scrappy. And it seems some of the band members weren’t happy about it. I don’t hate it though, it’s cool and really distinctive. But there’s an oppressively doomy atmosphere over the album that keeps me at a remove. If this had been produced differently, with a more visceral sound, maybe I would like it more. As it stands, I appreciate the unified aesthetic of Unknown Pleasures. It’s impressive for a new band to emerge with such a cohesive vibe on their first album. But admiration is not the same as love. I wonder if there are three types of Joy Division listeners: those who don’t like them at all, those who like them but prefer New Order, and those who think JD is the greatest band of all time. I’m in #2. It feels a bit sacrilege to give Unknown Pleasures a middling review, but here we are. To switch my hockey analogy over to salaries, there’s also the internal salary cap structure to consider. Your cap allocation should reflect the hierarchy of your players as closely as possible. I only have up to 5 stars to allocate. Giving Unknown Pleasures 3 stars throws off my internal rating system. It’s closer to the albums I’ve given 4 stars than the albums I’ve given 3 - so I’m rounding up. Bulletproof standouts: Disorder, She’s Lost Control, Shadowplay
I've been dreading this album since the day we started this challenge. I knew it would be here. I know how important it is. I love so many bands inspired by this album. I love songs from this band and from New Order and on this damn album. But I just don't love this album... and now I have to put that in writing. I want to like it. In theory I should. I remember listening to it for the first time thinking it was going to change my life ... and it just didn't. And that was baffling. This is Joy Division, the creators of post-punk, and this is their iconic album that inspired 10,000 imitators, the one with the artwork that everyone has on a t-shirt. So much hype... and it just doesn't live up to that for me. It's a solid post-punk album. But I prefer New Order. Revisiting it hasn't changed my feelings. I had a feeling it wouldn't. What I like about this album... Disorder is incredible. It's the song that basically created a genre. I don't think the album ever reaches the height of this track. I love this song so much. It has strong New Order energy, but with the sad baritone of Ian Curtis. It's an awesome combo. It's proto-Age of Consent. It's perfect, even with all of it's weird flubbed bass notes. I wish the rest of the album was more like this. In 1979, nothing sounded like this. Now you can't throw a stone without hitting a post-punk band that rips this thing off... and you have to respect that. New Dawn Fades is one of the few slow burns that really works. The interplay of the guitar and bass (especially that big heavy riff), the dramatic vocal performance. It's awesome. I never made this connection before, but it has real Black Sabbath energy. Reminds me of a slow song from the debut album. Shadowplay is the closest this album comes to matching the energy of Disorder. Love the solo. Great track. I wish there was more of this on the album. She's Lost Control is solid. I've never got the hype of it... but I still enjoy it. I like the ugliness of the sound pallet. The driving bleakness is cool. I like it Interzone. it has a weird Born to Be Wild roadtrip energy... but also it's still bleak post punk. it's cool. The way that the bass and guitar play off each other in strange ways is just iconic. I want to rip it off... just like everyone else has. In general they do experiment a lot within this sound they've just invented. It's very respectable. I feel like they could have just made 10 songs that sound the same in this new style and people still woulda lost their minds. But no, they experiment a lot on this thing. There's variety. Some of the experiments don't land for me, but I respect the risk taking. What I don't like.... The track order is awful. You start with this high energy, iconic song... and then you completely drain the momentum out of the record by following it up with two slow, bleak dirges that are probably the weakest tracks on the album. Candidate specifically sucks. Curtis seems lost on this thing, especially in the verses. It sounds like someone doing a bad Ian Curtis impression... it's ugly, low effort and meandering. Day of the Lords does have an iconic refrain... but i have mixed feeling about the track overall. Perhaps I could appreciate it more if it was later in the track list... in the back third. When they've earned the placement of a funeral dirge. I think Shadowplay or She's Lost Control would fit way better. Something that keeps up the momentum of Disorder and then around the mid point of the album some slower tracks could hit to create a more impactful contrast. This makes me want to do a re-order, but i don't have time right now. The slower tracks are a real mixed bag. I'm not a big fan of Day of the Lords or I Remember Nothing. I hate Candidate. I prefer his voice when there's more energy to it, when he's trying to match faster paced songs. Wilderness is a wonky experiment that doesn't do much for me. It's meh. Insight is forgettable. In summary, it didn't change my life, which made it feel like a disappointment. Damn you expectations! But it's a solid album. 3 stars.
depressing, off-kilter deconstructed punk dance with gothic vocals and tawdry rhythms.
How eerie.
Notes: -atmosphere de disorder est très cool - basse line dans day of the lords = sick - gros vibe de the doors surtout dans la 3e toune -she's lost control melodie slap Melange de the doors,depeche mode et the smiths gros vibe de brit pop mais sans les chorus ou des gros riffs pop. L'ambiance est constante dans l'album y'a pas trop de tounes qui sont déparaillée.
Genre bien avant son temps; on peut sentir les inspirations sur beaucoup d'artistes. Très intéressant d'écouter le véritable pont entre le rock anglais et le New wave. Belle voix distincte, ayant cependant quelques difficultés en terme de précision par moment. Plutôt basique, mais assez avant-gardiste dans le contexte pour que ça passe bien.
Ouais
Même si c'est un album qui a influencé plusieurs de mes artistes favoris, je pense qu'ici les élèves ont dépassé le maître.
Never listened to Joy Division. I’ve heard all about them though. Let’s give this album a whirl. Ok, unpopular opinion. This sounds like demos and not finished recordings. I’m realizing I’m an audio snob. The songs feel like that drag. Some of the recording sound ok. A lot of ideas don’t feel finished. That was all for “day of the lords”. As I typed the above “candidate” came on. I like this song best so far. And I like the minimalist approach. Not a fan of the vocals still. But musically it’s growing on me. “Insight” sounds like someone is rubbing against a microphone. I’m trying to figure out if it’s intentional or not. I’m digging shadow play. Well, it’s over. 😂. It’s the not the worst thing I’ve ever heard and there are things I like. I feel like I need to listen again to really give it a fair shake.
It's one of the albums that captivates me the most whenever I listen to it. Its mood is extremely dark, haunting, intense and exciting at the same time. It's certainly among the strongest debut albums ever, the lyrics are top, and the production is completely otherwordly, which made it a pioneer album of the post-punk scene. This album still sounds fresh and new even more than 45 years later. A timeless classic.
A favorite. Influential to my taste in music. Hooky is an inspiring bass player.
Love it
Pretty cool that this came up on the anniversary of Closer’s release. This is one of the most important post-punk albums ever.
Really into the dark sound, really not into the vocalist, ok album
Loved the first song and the whole early alt vibe of the album, but the songs really got repetitive halfway through and I felt it lost its touch
Disorders one of my favorite songs
Gear: Sennheiser MOMENTUM TW 4 Artwork: 🪐🛰️ Production (2007 Remaster): 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🔪🖤🥀 Rating: ️🕯️️🕯️️🕯️️🕯️️🕯️/5
this is great, the intro sets the tone very well and the whole album progresses very well. the ending was very good as well, feels like an opposite of the intro. favourite songs: disorder, she’s lost control, shadowplay 4/5
I like the odd Joy Division song, but it is a band I never really got into. I have tried a few times to listen to them objectively, but i am never going to put a Joy division album on to listen to for pleasure...maybe these pleasures are unknown to me yet...but they still remain that. Dont get me wrong, it is still a good album, just not a 5 star album. I like candidate, the way the tempo and mood went down. She's Lost Control is always excellent. Shadowplay was a song I was not familiar with and enjoyed it. 4 stars
So... Every song is basically the same. Fade in, bass intro, cymbals and then the rest. The singer is bad, obviously, but it works with the style of music they play. It's a mediocre album for me, though there are standout tracks that I'll add to my playlist. 3.5/5
Ughhhhh 2.5/5
For a band called joy division they’re not very joyful
Maybe you’ve just got to be in a mood in order to appreciate this.
14/07/2025 This just didn't click for me.
Let's go! An album of my teenage years I haven't revisited for a while, what a pleasure (known in this case) I've always been more of a New Order fan because their output is closer to the kind of music I grew up with but I have a lot of affection for JD and recall sitting in my teenage bedroom transfixed by Ian Curtis's live performance of She's Lost Control. Ok so the depth of She's Lost Control on record had really passed me by, that was great.
Starter rigtig godt men bliver lidt mere anonym gennem pladen.
As iconic as this album is (particularly the cover), I remember it dragging. I still think it drags a bit, but it's essential listening (and cohesive if nothing else). "Disorder" is probably my favorite, though "She's Lost Control" and "Shadowplay" are among their greats.
So I know this is blasphemy and will assure my blacklisting from the hepcat record club, but this...sucks. Some interesting early electronic sounds but tuneless and can't deal with an extremely morose "singer" who makes Bob Dylan sound like Luther Vandross. The 70s seemed like a rough time to be into alternative rock.
its good i’d say 3/10 its good for summer but his voice also gives a halloween vibe
disco basado en la famosísima marca de ropa. me aburrí. 5,5/10
I can hear how innovative this music would be in the disco/classic rock era. But Ian's vocals hold no joy for me. 1.5/5
creepy basement 80s 2/5
❤️🔥
4/5 I really like the song disorder, and reminds me a lot of the songs I love from New Order. Definitely a staple of New Wave and I'm glad these guys blazed a path that so many others followed. I think the overall gloominess of many of the songs makes it hard for me to give it a 5 but the more uptempo songs are really enjoyable for me.
Back to back post-punk records for me. Ugh. 1 star "Interzone" was the most traditional punk song on the album, and will make the playlist.
I immediately recognized the iconic album art and was interested to know what this album was all about. I was happy to learn that I wasn't missing anything important or even interesting.
Cultural landmark maybe. I can’t with his voice. It’s musically so boring to me.
It's atmosphere over content. and I hate the drumming, they always sound out of tune
Maybe I’m being harsh with the 1 but this really made zero impact on me. I’ve heard good things about Joy Division so I was waiting for something on the album to catch my attention, but nothing did. Perhaps I’ll revisit this and think I’m an idiot but for now unimpressive.
*reviews, given on first listen disorder - (7/10) gives a lot of 70s feels, very retro and vibey interlude day of the lords - (6/10) he's spitting truth lol, "when will it end?" candidate (5/10) - it went over my brain *sigh* insight (6/10) - weird background music lol new dawn fades (7/10) - bass lineeeee she's lost control (6.5/10) - cool guitar riffs i guess shadowplay (8/10) - this and new dawn fades intros kinda sounds like wilderness (6.8/10) - okayyyy interzone (8.3/10) - a vibe i remember nothing (6/10) - the title describes how i feel about this album 1/2 jk overall - (6.66/10) you need to read lyrics to understand, because it's kinda repetitive. the album's theme is about real life iykwim. not my usual cup of tea but not bad for my first album either. i'm actually generous with my ratings lol
Good one
**Unknown Pleasures** by Joy Division, released in 1979, is a landmark album in the post-punk genre, renowned for its stark atmosphere, emotionally charged lyrics, and innovative production. Below is an in-depth review focusing on lyrics, music, production, themes, and influence, along with a balanced assessment of its strengths and weaknesses. ## Lyrics The lyrics of *Unknown Pleasures*, penned by frontman Ian Curtis, are central to the album’s enduring impact. Curtis’s writing is deeply introspective, often exploring themes of **loneliness, depression, existential despair, and personal struggle**[1][2]. His words are not just poetic but painfully direct, reflecting his own battles with epilepsy and mental health. Songs like “Disorder” introduce listeners to Curtis’s sense of numbness and exhaustion, with lines that evoke a desperate search for feeling and meaning[1][3]. “She’s Lost Control” draws from Curtis’s real-life encounter with a woman suffering from epilepsy, mirroring his own fears and sense of loss[2][3]. Curtis’s lyrics are **bleak yet universal**, resonating with listeners who find solace in their honesty. Tracks such as “Day of the Lords” and “New Dawn Fades” delve into existential dread and the transient nature of life, while “Insight” and “Candidate” offer fragmented glimpses into Curtis’s psyche, marked by alienation and detachment[1][2][4]. The lyrics avoid melodrama, instead opting for a matter-of-fact delivery that amplifies their emotional weight[5]. ## Music Musically, *Unknown Pleasures* is defined by its **minimalist, cold, and mechanical sound**. The band subverts traditional rock structures, with Peter Hook’s melodic bass lines often taking the lead, Bernard Sumner’s sparse and icy guitar work, and Stephen Morris’s **metronomic, almost industrial drumming**[4][6]. This instrumentation creates a hypnotic, claustrophobic atmosphere that is both intimate and colossal[6][4]. The album’s sound is **bass-driven without being funky, heavy without being metal, and recognizably rock without adhering to genre conventions**[6]. Tracks like “Shadowplay” and “Interzone” inject urgency and energy, while maintaining the album’s overall bleakness. The arrangements are tight and disciplined, eschewing virtuosity for mood and texture[4]. Curtis’s baritone vocals are **vulnerable and mesmerizing**, drawing listeners into his world of personal demons and existential dread[4][6]. While some critics have found his singing style “bloody awful,” others argue that its rawness and imperfection are integral to the album’s emotional impact[6][5]. ## Production The production, overseen by **Martin Hannett**, is as crucial to the album’s identity as the songwriting itself. Hannett’s approach was **innovative and unconventional**: he isolated each drum sound, layered eerie effects (such as closing doors and breaking glass), and created a sense of space that was both haunting and immersive[1][7]. This meticulous production gave the album its **distinctive, atmospheric quality**, setting it apart from the more aggressive sound of Joy Division’s live performances[6][7]. Hannett’s techniques **transformed the band’s energy into something more introspective and cinematic**, making the album feel like a “frightening horror film” or a “journey into the mind, the soul, and the fears of a generation”[1][2][7]. The use of reverb, echo, and ambient noise contributed to the sense of alienation and unease that permeates the record. ## Themes *Unknown Pleasures* is thematically rich, with **introspection, existential despair, isolation, and urban decay** at its core[2][1]. The album reflects the bleak industrial landscape of late-1970s Manchester, channeling the anxieties of a generation grappling with rapid social and economic change[2]. - **Desolation and Isolation:** “Day of the Lords” and “Insight” evoke a sense of hopelessness and emotional distance. - **Existential Dread:** “New Dawn Fades” and “Shadowplay” confront the fleeting nature of existence and the search for meaning. - **Loss of Control:** “She’s Lost Control” is a poignant meditation on losing agency, both physically (epilepsy) and psychologically. - **Urban Decay:** “Interzone” and other tracks reference the decaying environment and societal disintegration of the era[2]. These themes are not merely personal but **sociopolitical**, capturing the mood of a city and a generation on the brink. ## Influence The influence of *Unknown Pleasures* is **immense and enduring**. It helped define the **post-punk movement** and paved the way for genres such as goth, industrial, and synth-pop[7][6]. The album’s **sonic fingerprints are evident in countless bands** that followed, from The Cure and Interpol to Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead[6][7]. The album’s **iconic cover art** and the mythology surrounding Ian Curtis’s life and death have further cemented its status as a cultural touchstone[5][7]. Its impact is not just musical but also visual and emotional, inspiring generations of artists and listeners to explore the darker aspects of the human experience. ## Pros and Cons | Pros | Cons | |------|------| | **Innovative production:** Martin Hannett’s techniques created a unique, immersive soundscape that was groundbreaking for its time[1][7]. | **Vocals can be polarizing:** Ian Curtis’s baritone, while emotionally resonant, is divisive—some find it powerful, others off-putting or monotonous[6][5]. | | **Deep, poetic lyrics:** Curtis’s writing is raw, honest, and thematically rich, offering profound insights into mental health and existential anxiety[1][2]. | **Bleakness may alienate:** The album’s relentless darkness and lack of conventional “fun” can be overwhelming or unappealing to some listeners[6][5]. | | **Cohesive atmosphere:** The interplay of music and production creates a consistent mood, drawing listeners into a distinct emotional world[1][4]. | **Minimalist instrumentation:** The sparse arrangements, while effective, may be perceived as monotonous or lacking in variety by some[5]. | | **Historical and cultural significance:** The album’s influence on post-punk and alternative music is profound and well-documented[6][7]. | **Dated elements:** Some production choices, such as certain effects or mixing decisions, may sound dated to modern ears[6]. | | **Emotional resonance:** The album’s ability to evoke powerful feelings of empathy, sadness, and catharsis is unmatched[3][1]. | **Not universally accessible:** The album’s intensity and subject matter may not appeal to casual listeners or those seeking lighter fare[5]. | ## Conclusion *Unknown Pleasures* remains a **masterpiece of post-punk**, distinguished by its haunting lyrics, minimalist yet powerful music, and visionary production. It is an album that **rewards deep listening**, offering new insights and emotional responses with each play. Its **influence on music and culture is undeniable**, shaping the sound and aesthetic of alternative music for decades. While its unrelenting bleakness and unconventional vocals may not suit all tastes, its artistic integrity and emotional honesty ensure its place among the most important albums of all time.
cool album but not really my thing.
Dreary post-punk neo Indie borefest. I was palpably relieved when each song ended
10/10 This album is so punk despite not really being punk at all. They do drift into a more punky sound on Shadowplay and Interzone, and you can clearly hear that influence, but the album as a whole is something else entirely. They’re clearly quite raw musicians, but they manage to produce some immensely evocative music. You would never get an album that sounded like this released today, because all the little fluffs and oddities would have been tweaked out of it before release, but to me it really adds to the overall vibe of the album. It feels like the band are teetering on the precipice of madness and trying to scream back how it feels to those further from the edge. Even Ian Curtis’ vocal, which frequently grasps quite loosely at the edge of tuning, just adds to the sense of anxiety that permeates the whole album. The production is magnificent too and was, I imagine, quite groundbreaking at the time. The little ear candy pieces like smashing of glass, and other sonic oddities that add variety and ambience to the music really help elevate it, and are clear influences on the later production of Radiohead in particular. This album feels like a real pillar for what would follow, with the emergence of alt-rock and grunge, and I really don’t think we’d have had bands like Pixies, Nirvana and Radiohead in the same way without this. Despite what others may see as flaws worthy of lowering the rating of the album, I feel that everything just melds together into something that is way beyond the sum of its parts. A brilliant, brilliant album. Disorder - Good track that’s both melodic and intense. There are some weird choices and mistakes(?) in the bass line, but the overall vibe is great. And it gets even more intense and massive as it crescendos. Day of The Lords - There’s a sense of brooding dread about this. It’s very atmospheric and massive sounding. A really great track. Candidate - This is more sparse and scatterbrained, but in a brilliant way. It drops down to almost nothing, in places but with these echoes of terrifying ambience in the background, but sweeps into cacophany now and again. Insight - Sonically, this is quite interesting, from the vocal that sounds like it’s being sung into a cardboard box, to the synth resonance sweeps. Lovely stuff. New Dawn Fades - This is quite a beautiful song to me. It sounds so full and atmospheric and builds from contemplative and melancholic to distraught and then just drifts away to a lonely beat. She’s Lost Control - Great riffs, great production, haunting vocals. Great track. It really drives, and the cluttered nature of the parts just flow over one another in quite a chaotic but visceral way. Shadowplay - Another great track. It ebbs and flows in a really nice way. The vocal harmonies are great too when they appear. The guitar sounds really good, despite being quite different than much of the rest of the album. Wilderness - Another one where it builds and drops, but with that swirling drum beat always driving it forward. Interzone - The call overlapping call and response of the vocal and how it follows the guitar line is great. The guitar recalls more of the sound from Shadowplay again with its more punk style. There’s a good groove to this one and it’s probably the most punky song on the record, but it still has that unmistakable Joy Division sound. I Remember Nothing - A dark and brooding track. The dissonant vocals that overlap one another add to the eerie ambience of the track. It does expose some of the weaknesses in Ian Curtis’ voice, but that does lend an element of madness to the sound. I really love the vibe of this one. It’s like a glimpse into the mind of someone desperately trying to hold it all together. A fitting end to the album.
Never before has an album cover appeared on the shirts of so many hipsters. Joy Division is one of those groups that people say they like when they want to show that they don't just follow the mainstream, so it's been pretty hyped up for me. I was honestly surprised by the kind of music it was. Outside of maybe hearing "Love Will Tear Us Apart" in a movie, I had never listened to any Joy Division and, based on the vibes I had gotten, I assumed it would be softer, closer to, say, Death Cab for Cutie. However, Unknown Pleasures is an unapologetic punk manifesto that sometimes dips into metal tendencies, with lots of hard edges. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Although some of it has a droning quality, there's enough points of interest in the vocals and instrumentation to keep it fun. Favorite tracks: She's Lost Control, Wilderness
this should be right up my alley, but it doesn't really stick out to me as great.
I thought I'd already heard this album but I hadn't. It's ok but somehow it wasn't hitting as hard as I expected it to hit. (I like the 12" version of "She's Lost Control", it feels more tense) I also hate that for me, "I Remember Nothing" is officially the "Ian Curtis on a roller coaster" song
oh yeah I sort of liked it.
Every element of this album is iconic. More of a historical artifact than a collection of music.
Dark, moody, stark. Yes please Perfect summer tunes
Fine
Meh. It’s interesting, but not groundbreaking
I don't think I've ever actually listened to Joy Division... Good Lord it's great. New Dawn Fades is incredible. Shadowplay iconic lyrics. Wilderness bass start is awesome too. It feels like it gets better as it goes somehow? This shit slaps.
Obvious classic, no doubt 5 stars
kind of forced myself to like their other album. idk this one is def better but i really dont get this band, it just feels really uninteresting and boring. not a fan
As I’m under 50, I have no working memory of Britain before Thatcherism. This is what I choose to believe it sounded like.
I prefer New Order.
This album makes for a better T-shirt than it does for a musical experience. Some tracks on the front were pretty good but I didn't find it doing anything particularly special.
I know this is sacrilege but Ian Curtis's voice is a parody of itself at this point. At best he sounds like if David Byrne was a sad teenager and deadly serious. At his worst he sounds like the guy from the B-52's. The biggest example of this is "She's Lost Control" which to me sounds really off. Other than the vocal style, I actually really liked this. It's very raw and it's a great intro to what I guess is called Post-Punk, even going in to punkish songs like "Interzone". I like this more than I like the Smiths or the Cure, two bands that I think cover the same ground of depressed guy singing over single tracked instruments before the 80's really hit. Overall I think it's a good album, I just can't get over Curtis's voice; it's personal preference I know.
It's been a while since I revisited this and I feel like the quality has diminished. The talky vocals don't sit well with me, and the background music is very subdued. Still all the post-punk 80's English stuff is up my alley. I'm very fucking depressed.
She's lost controoool again
I remember having friends talking about Joy Division back then when it happened. I can now understand why... A great album that I had never heard before. I suspect the "remastering" lifted the sound at least two notches since then.
Ian Curtis's voice makes me Feel Things
Woe is me, I've been pitifully reunited with Joy Division. I would have loved them if not for Ian Curtis's insufferable voice (may he rest in peace). The music is great, the lyrics hit, but the melody and vocals RUIN THIS. What the hell is up with the vocal mastering in "Insight" ? I'm no audio engineer but that was a listen for sore ears. I can't finish listening to this. Over an hour long and bound to mess up the algorithm with more recommendations by this group.
A trailblazing album for generations of post-punk acts. Thematically consistent, and oke of a kind (even from Joy Division).
Makes me want to lock my bedroom door, light a cigarette and just lay in the floor I don’t even smoke the cigarette. Makes me wish I could have lived through this melancholic post-punk era and found other melancholic people. Didn’t know they later became New Order and I love that.
Tis felt like Duran Duran on NyQuil and I didn't have any feelings otherwise
Nostalgic
That was better than I expected or remembered.
it's summer but I'm cold
#622. So... when people say Joy Division is good, they literally just mean that song Love Will Tear Us Apart, don't they? Because there's certainly nothing on this album that's any good. 2/5: not
opa... nuevo descubrimiento para mi, me gusto bastante el album y la banda en general, mas que todo el estilo y voz del cantante, como suena el bajo también. Es un álbum que volvería a escuchar mas veces y un genero a explorar(post-punk).
Overrated
I've always maintained that this album is overrated. Still holds true.
one of my formative albums
ok but like who hurt you??? eerie dissonance and creepy creative elements i somewhat respect but also feels like they just ran out of ideas at certain points? i kinda just wanted each song to be over. apparently that was the point? felt nothing like “love will tear us apart” the only song by them i actually enjoy
A historically important album that does an amazing job at setting the dark tone it's looking to convey. The band uses simple bass lines and drum lines with an almost flat lead vocals but somehow create so much space in the songs they created by using the studio as an instrument. It definitely makes me sad at times, but that's the goal, isn't it?
This seems like maybe one of my more controversial ratings. Joy Division is a band that I just really can't get into and I feel like I'm missing something because in theory I should like them. I just get really bored when I listen to them. I've tried to get into this album multiple times and I've always bailed because I get too bored. It's Monday and I'm so bored with this album that I want to bail again. They seem like a band where you just really had to be there to get it.
I really want to like this band more than I do. I do like this album more than the last. I can see what they're doing and going for. I love that its kind of pushing hardcore to new places. Disorder is a damn near perfect song and Interzone is also really cool. But.. it never quite lands the plane for me. A lot of the songs are really mundane and kind of raw in a way that doesn't quite scratch the itch.
Sounds like driving round Manchester at night, feels like it perfectly encapsulates a place and a moment in time but still incredibly current.
Lite tråkig, upprepande. 2
Ehhh not for me
I do not care for Unknown Pleasures
Tried, not for me
Fuck Iran 🇮🇷
I like this album! Would listen again.
I prefer much more what Joy Division became. ———————————— My non-musician scoring system. 5 - Love it. Would play anytime, buy, see live… 4 - Good music. 3 - Average playlist. Depends on time and setting. 2 - I can’t listen to whole songs. 1 - No.
I quite like the energy this band brings. It was a great era for a new sound. But absolutely required to hear before I die? I don't think so.
I thought the album started off strong, and I can see how this was pretty influential to atmospheric bands like the cure that would take this and run with it, but those bands fixed a lot of what I don’t like about this. It’s got a lot of minimalism going on and that’s about it. There just not much here for this to stand on.
I got into this album pretty heavily in 2020 (must have been lockdown depression). At the time I thought it was great. ‘Disorder’ will always be a great song and an unreal way to open your debut album. I also like the industrial sound the album has with the harsh spacial reverb. However, having not listened to the album since then, my opinion has changed. It’s actually a tough listen if you’re not in a moody mood. Again ‘Disorder’ kicks arse and the bass line on ‘Insight’ is immaculate, but other than that there isn’t much that’s enjoyable on a sunny day in June. I’ll re listen in the depths of winter and perhaps my opinion will change again, but I can’t help thinking a bit of New Order would be a lot more enjoyable!
Absolute classic and genre defining album.
I could put Disorder on repeat and listen to it all day. Frenetic to brooding, sparse and dark a true classic.
Dark, Moody. A crazy isolated drum sound. An album cover design I've seen so many times on Tshirts. Just a classic for me. If you're looking for the bridge between punk and Goth, it starts here.
Shocker, but I'll probably describe it the same way most people do. It's dark, it's gloomy, it can be a lot to take in. But it's also fantastic.
ive already relatively hashed out my long fraught relationship with this record several months ago, and its been hard for it to not just grow and grow from there...tho i will say i do feel some intuitive distance from it still, this is still not completely for me, and esp given the fact that i was spinning the much more instantly Part Of Me pornography by the cure yesterday it became very very clear lol...my tastes just run a bit more expressive, baroque, and otherworldly. still, this was the most i enjoyed this record yet, and prob the most thrilled ive been at it song for song...even if some other things are more to my taste its difficult to deny that joy division were just one of the coolest sounding ensembles rock music had seen to that point, and everyone's part feels absolutely pivotal. so textured and imaginative, all-timer bassline record, capable of soundtracking both a dark cavern and a one-person party at a dingy warehouse. reflecting on my own history of being unable to project things into the outside world, and feeling a bit more compassion for my past self, was apparently the thing i needed to do for ian curtis' uncanny cardboardy voice to start making full sense, yk
Listened in the truck via YouTube music. This one never gets old. Peter Hook actually just played at the bandshell but we weren’t able to go. I’d give it a higher rating if I could.
O mais interessante deste disco é também, contraditoriamente, o que mais incomoda, que é a ambiência sonora soturna que põe as frequências graves, valorizando o baixo e vocal peculiar de Ian Curtis, em proeminência. O som de bateria, que viria a ser uma marca nos anos 1980, também não me agrada muito. É um bom disco - um legítimo representante do Post-Punk - embora as faixas sejam meio parecidas entre si, tornando o álbum um pouco monótono.
Great album
Such an easy album to listen to, and the first that I could listen to on vinyl instead of streaming. One of the best debut albums of all time and really set the tone of the dark post punk sound, production is great and this album has a great atmosphere especially when you feel dark and broody, not a 5 to me because I don’t listen to it regularly enough but I have no qualms about people who think this is a top tier album
Joy Division, can't get in to them. Understand why others like them, but I am not so enthused.
Very moody, very typical. Objectively I don’t really know whether I like this, but somehow I do dig it
What awesome post punk record. This is og/proto goth and I love it. I love the lyricism and the bass being used heavily to the point you may find it to be a guitar riff.I
I like his voice a lot. I don’t think I’ll listen again but it was good whilst it was on. Also the cover looks really cool. Overall: 3/5
One of the best new wave albums ever written
It’s cool just not really my style.
Boring a depressing
-i’ve listened to this album many times since i first fell in love with it in November and it just keeps getting better augh. incredible atmosphere, incredible musicianship, incredible lyricism -i credit this album with turning me on to post-punk and certain 70s rock sounds. it’s so consistent and good idk it kinda changed my life -Favorites are Disorder, Day of the Lords, She’s Lost Control, Wilderness, and Interzone
Tolerable, a bit too background music-y to me. On more listens might get the hang of it
This is freaking amazing. Ian Curtis like bob Dylan isn't the greatest singer but the passion in his voice makes it great. The lyrics and stories behind the band and songs like I lost control. Make this a very sad listen. Bonus that this basically paved the way for post punk moving forward. 5*
Loved it.
well
142/1089 - Damn it. I just shit-talked Joy Division in my previous review. At least I get the worst album on the list (so far) early on in the project. It isn't good when the second song's hook "when will it end" is making me think "when will the album end?" I don't mean to be a snarky Christgau-esque blowhard so I should explain what I find fundamentally wrong with the music, and I just need to use "Disorder": the first drumbeat was off-time (and many more), then the sloppy guitars came in with stupid wooshes caked in reverb and finally Curtis's monotonous yet somehow pitchy vocals slurring about. Even if the instrumentalists were good at keeping time and making intriguing parts, Curtis's voice would drop this to a 0 star. I read some positive reviews which talk about the dark and gloomy atmosphere, and I should add I don't mind that Unknown Pleasures is dark and gloomy, I mind that it's shitty. The album art is cool I guess but it kind of proves the "don't judge a book by a cover" idiom.
Loved this
I know this album from the many many t-shirts worn in Boston venues and basements. It's a really cool cover. I'm enjoying "Day of the Lords". "Interzone" is a jam. For a punk record, it's surprisingly melodic and the vocals aren't too abrasive. There is a lot of production work happening and it adds depth to the tracks. I liked what I heard. I may need to spend some more time on this album for it to fully sink in, which is not something I typically do. 7/10
Bit depressing
Classic Dark shit
Important? Absolument. Meilleure affaire? Baaaahhhh
Écoute essentielle, sûrement. Mais écouter volontairement pour le fun, ça va toujours rester un unknown pleasure pour moi. Top ten pochette.
Ett tajt ALBUM. Ingen låt som sticker ut. Men alla är värda en lyssning. Bättre om man är på "Joy"-humör. Fyra
I dunno. I read all these reviews and expected to be blown away by the greatness of Joy Division , but alas - no joy.
Struggled with it. Ends up being quite monotonous and the faster, more punky songs really don’t do anything for me. Expected to really enjoy it but I think Closer is just better with way more emotion. 5/10
Classic.
Was so excited to see the artwork for this to pop up. Instantly recognizable for the cover and automatically hearing the opening chords of Disorder in my head. Layer on Ian’s voice and you have one of the most influential albums ever.
Dark, sombre, and moody New Wave music - I love it. My favourite tracks are the opening track, "Disorder", "New Dawn Fades", and "She's Lost Control".
Classic, dark and moody!
simplemente magistral.
Let me tell you, listening to "Insight" in an aquarium, watching a thousand jellyfish cycle through the water as the lights changed and they took on different colours was transcendental. When it feels like there's not enough equilibrium in the world, maybe there is. What I mean is, this is perfect theme park music for me. Don't ask me why. I can't explain it.
This was a tough listen. Several of the songs I actively disliked. But some of them were pretty good. I think my ears just weren’t impressed with their sound or the singer. I’d never listened to Joy Division, but had heard of them and knew they were highly regarded by some. But it just wasn’t for me, apparently.
Unknown Pleasures gets a ton of praise, but it didn’t do much for me. I’ll give “New Dawn Fades” some credit — it had a cool, moody heaviness that almost felt like a nod to Black Sabbath — but that was about it. The rest of the album felt flat and repetitive. I get that Joy Division helped shape post-punk, but influence doesn’t always equal enjoyable. Just wasn’t my vibe.
hmmm very good album from callum Solid 7/10 post punk album
Quite nice to see this come up, before I've listened I remember Disorder from skate 3 with a nice bassline. Yeah Disorder and New Dawn Fades were pretty good rest was alright. Fairly standard would probably give 5/10 don’t know whether to give 2 or 3 out of 5 though
RV
Love this album
third time’s a charm. despair has basically never been my go-to tone, but here i am having added a cure album, a smiths album, and now this to my melancholy quiver, all in the last month. to be fair, it’s not all a dirge. some gear shifts. a fully formed weirdo statement. rough-hewn and raw, and better for it. classic rock songs hacked away at and turned haunted and shot out the other side. also gets better as it goes. 4 for now, but with all the makings of a grower, so this could be a 5, stat.
All about those thumping, dark baselines for me accompanied by simple striking melodic guitar work. This album has a hypnotic effect to it. You get kind of lost in it. The macabre and brooding that Ian brings to the table has such depth at times can be visceral. Sad figure where is tragedy on a sleeve, but there’s also a playfulness to a lot of his songs. Though the temple never gets too crazy, this is punk. It’s simple it’s raw and it invokes emotion took me a while to really get Joy Division. I remember being in my practice space with no windows laying on the floor, listening to Kanye West, and when the album ended, this album came on And I immediately started to float. I listen to the whole thing just laying on the floor in complete darkness everything clicked for me. Disorder such a great song, great opener. She lost control pulls you down a black hole. Highly recommend checking out the other Joy Division albums just to get a sense of it. They’re easy listen even if you’re not digging it the consistency throughout all their songs. It’s just amazing. They created such a unique sound. That’s now meant emulated many times over not a huge new order fan definitely some really cool songs ceremony is one of my favorites Originally Joy Division song and the dancing of New Order is excellent, but they always gave me this empty feeling like something was missing obviously it was RIP Ian
Im giving this a 4 so I can qualify for the The Shirt. I'm looking forward to the unkown pleasures that will be revealed from repeat listens in My Shirt. It's brazen. Loud. SHE'S LOST CONTROL BONK BONK BONK BONK its a 4.
It's hard to write about this album beyond the hype. The cover. The Hannett bootcamp production. The album that straddled the thrillingly messy Warsaw era punk splurge (the bootleg of those tracks was how I learnt to play bass) and the icy sophistication and grandeur of Closer. The punk edges are already polished off (compare Shadowplay from the Warsaw demos and the over-played guitar solos on this version) and the shiny production seems tacked-on over it all. The result falls between two stools whilst still hinting just about enough at what was to come with their second, final masterpiece.
Confession: I've never really liked Joy Division. Apologies. It's too dark for me. Unknown Pleasures did little to win me over. The songs aren't there. It's just noise.
Favourite track: the one with the spacey drums, driving melodic bass, guitars like shards of glass, and the one word title that gives virtually nothing away about the lyrics. And She’s Lost Control of course.
I can appreciate the cultural significance but this just isn't my genre.
Better than Coldplay
One of the definitive post punk albums. If you’ve never heard this, yet still have the T-shirt it’s worth the listen.
I had never heard of this band before, but it kind of reminded me of The Doors.
Ook wel goed
I think I’m finding that I’m not the biggest fan of Joy Division. I’ve had two albums generated in a fairly short amount of time, and both have been ok but nothing amazing. I guess Love Will Tear Us Apart is the anomaly in their catalogue, as I’m finding that the rest of their music doesn’t really sound much like this. This is an ok album, but not one I’m likely to listen to again.
I had little to no knowledge of Joy Division before listening to this album so i had no real expectations, i had however heard some small snippets of the first song in the album which i did enjoy I don't think this is a bad album, it just doesn't speak to me in the way people are claiming it does for them. I can definitely appreciate the depth of the music, however i think i would enjoy the album more if i was more solemn and melodramatic. not bad, just not for me either.
Brooding and dark, a little hobbled by the trebly, thin sound of the recording. The remastered version sounds much better, although the drums still sound gutless. Somehow, the sum of often lackluster parts (such as the guitar playing two notes over and over) is a coherent, bleak, punk-informed take on life. An impressive debut.
Perfect music to have a nervous breakdown to. New Order was great but Ian Curtis may be #2 to Otis in the "taken from us much much too soon" stakes.
One of those that was groundbreaking and then was replaced by better. Great guitars though
It's pretty good, some very repayable songs, some less. Enjoyable in any case 4/5
Such a great album… one kind ahead of it’s time
Very much the sound of the 90's. Has echoes of The The and Icicle Works.
post punk kings
Better than the other joy division album on here.
Ei mitään kappaletta, jota haluaisin kuulla uudelleen, ikinä.
scary. 1
A good listen
Decent little indie garage rock, reminded me of parquet chourts in the best way
Excellent.
I said it in a previous review: Punk music is either a hit or a miss. Some people aren't going to like it, and that's fine. I like this album. It set the tone for me.
pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
Once again I ask, do BOTH Joy Division albums need to occupy space on this list? It's their ENTIRE discography. Wouldn't it make more sense to feature one Joy Division and one New Order album? I gives the implication that The Author™ does not respect our limited time. The "Must Listen" imperative just seems cruel at this point. I doubt that it is what Ian Curtis would have wanted. Rant Over. Great album. And to have it appear on World Goth Day was a nice coincidence.
3.5 stars. Love the sound, but some songs are indistinguishable from others.
Track 1- love the beat, similar vibes to the Cure. I first heard of Joy Division in high school and didn’t realize they were from the 70’s/80’s Rest of the album didn’t impress me much, but I can understand the hype
Tight, orderly, dour punk album from a band with a core of warmth and vulnerability. I much prefer this branch of punk to the snotty California pop punk that would come to dominate the genre.
I mean it was eh, nothing great, would probably not listen again. Music just didn't stand out to me. 4.2/10
I grew up seeing this plastered on t-shirts from Hot Topic, H&M, Forever 21, and similar retailers. Yet, I never had any interest in listening to the album, especially after Ethan told me it was overrated. It was different than what I expected it to be. Unknown Pleasures was gritty and raw, with a great collection of drums + guitar + bass + synths. Unfortunately, I do not think this album is my speed. Punk is a genre I don't frequently dabble in because of the vocal style. That being said, the instruments and production made up for my dislike of that aspect. I would not listen to this again but appreciated my time with the album!
I've Got The Spirit, But Lose The Feeling 1001 Albums Generator 34 (05/20/2025) Radio astronomy is not a field of study that is ubiquitous to really any part of everyday life. The study of radio waves from space has perhaps two great claims to fame outside of those few who choose to pursue it professionally. Firstly, it led to the discovery of the Cosmic Microwave Background, a seminal piece of evidence for the Big Bang Theory. Secondly, and most importantly, it created some pretty cool shirts. You see, Harold Craft was a radio astronomer who created an image for his dissertation in 1970 that featured a collection of radio waves measured from a pulsar, cleverly organized vertically as opposed to the more traditional horizontal method of visualization. Nearly a decade later, after inverting the colors, Joy Division used the image as the cover of their debut album Unknown Pleasures, and a couple decades after that, Hot Topic made like a gazillion dollars selling the design to moody 17 year-olds. In my review for The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill, I mentioned Loveless and Velvet Underground & Nico as my hottest music nerd takes, but I had actually forgotten about Unknown Pleasures, which maybe shows what my thoughts are on this iconic album. Out of every album in the Western music canon that I have heard, this is the one that I would say I understand the least. I hear that it had influence that it had on the music of the 80's, but it just doesn't feel as ahead of its time as other similarly regarded albums such as the This Heat's Deceit or the aforementioned VU&N. I mean, hell, Marquee Moon came out two years previous and did everything this album tries to do but way better. By virtually every measure, I should love this album. There are many post-punk albums that are some of my all time favorites, the 70's are my favorite decade in music history, and I even love The Cure, who have a similar sound to this album. But while I find The Cure's songwriting to be interesting and Robert Smith to be an interesting frontman, Joy Division and their lead Ian Curtis do not resonate with me in the same way. By the way, I know that Ian Curtis had severe mental health issues and that he took his own life. This is a tragedy, but does not affect my enjoyment of the music on display here. REST IN PEACE Ian Curtis. He died at 23. Oh and don't mishear me; I do not hate this album. Opening track Disorder and penultimate track Interzone have great energy and feature my favorite aspects of Joy Division's post-punk, which is at its best when it is danceable, rather than gothic and brooding. I am also happy to report that Day Of The Lords and New Dawn Fades are perfectly moody and show that this more chill side of the band that they are most known for certainly led to some fantastic songs. I would even go as far as to say most songs on this album aren't bad; instead the quality, unlike the energy emitted by dying stars as they rotate in space, is relatively linear. As a whole, this album feels a bit like a formless, mushy substance. Peter Hook's messy bass playing and Stephen Morris' drumming lay interchangeable foundations for all of these songs, while Ian Curtis' sings imperfect, unmemorable vocal melodies in his low register and Bernard Sumner's lightly distorted guitar plays some high register chords. Sure, Insight has some electronic stuff going on, but does that really make that song better or just more annoying? There is no X factor here that made this album click for me in the way that it has for others, even two years after I heard it for the first time. And that makes me sad. Enjoying music is so much more fun than not enjoying it. However, while everything is for someone, nothing is for everyone, and Unknown Pleasures, while never straying far from the path of "just okay", is not for me. 2.5/5, rounded down to a 2/5. Favs: Disorder New Dawn Fades Interzone Least Fav: I Remember Nothing
“Disorder” is a 10/10. After “New Dawn Fades” the album got a little sleepy. I did however like that the main riff sounded like the outro from Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.”
Prefer watching “24 Hour Party People” than listening to JD. Respect tho.
1) oh man i've seen this t-shirt for years, nay, decades. now i finally know where it's from 2) ohhh so this is where interpol got their whole fucking vibe from, huh? I always thought the Interpol math was B-52 vocals + Heroin = Interpol. But now I think it's B-52's + Joy Division = Interpol. 3) never heard them before, it's pretty good even if it's not something I would regularly put on
Putting Disorder on repeat. Antecedent to LCD Soundsytem.
I wanted to like this album, but found myself skipping through most of the first half of this album and then couldn't finish it. Felt a bit all over the place.
Only dataviz album cover?
cover art hall of fame top 5 candidate
This is what I love about music. 20 years ago I bought this album as a young man. It was ok but did not resonate with me. Fast forward, with a few more miles on the human spirit and a much evolved taste in music, and I get it. In fact I like it! Music will always wait for you!
It’s a great post punk/goth album - very bleak while still being upbeat enough for a Halloween party. That said, Joy Division’s music is so homogeneous sometimes so none of the songs in this album stand out from the rest. It all sounds a little generic.
Great 80's synthwave music, good album to jam out to as well. I feel like this album takes you through so many feels too.
Undoubtedly seminal for post rock, but it hasn't aged that well for me. Almost feels sacreligious
Disorder- guitar sounds like Give yourself a Try. Cool to see how so many bands have been influenced by this sound. Loved the final song
Don't like.
I don't think I've ever listened to a Joy Division album all the way through but I really liked this one. it was a bit same-y but I liked it
One of the albums I feel like I should like but just don't love it. The opening track sets the bar high and the rest falls flat in comparison.
pretty good for a first listen.standout tracks are definitely new dawn fades, interzone and disorder. instrumentals are really atmospheric and provides a lot for the overall feel of the album itself. 7/10
It's hard to rank the influence of an album that existed mostly on T-shirts of people who never heard it or thought the single from it was "Love Will Tear Us Apart." For all of the cultural flack, I think it's important to state that the album is itself unique and ingenious. Most notably I learned that Martin Hannet ran pretty wild with the production of it and helped to form their legendary etherealness on album, but they were heavier live. It's an amazing piece of art and an important landmark in the changing sounds of the 80's and everything since. 4/5/5
Definitely have an appreciation for this, there's a lot to take from a creative perspective noting how effective individual parts can be in a track without being too assertive on their own, but don't find myself coming back to it. Feels a little flat and hard to engage with. One of the best album covers ever, though.
I think almost any music would not live up to this iconic album cover. This album is inoffensive, but does not compel me to return, so alas, I will stay a poser who likes the cover more than the music.
Ja det er godt, len måske også lidt for tungt
OK album. Nothing special. Like the mood.
Love the album artwork and a couple of their more famous songs.
I’m still an outsider when it comes to Joy Division overall, but this album has been one I’ve been trying to crack this year and, still, it eludes me. It’s a massive building block of a project for a genre that would become timeless, and it’s a puzzle piece I love fiddling around with in my pocket - running my fingers over the grooves and divots and thinking about how it all fits into the bigger picture, as I hold it in my clenched fist. Monumental.
Fuck rating albums. Just let me listen.
Decent
Bra
Super well known and beloved, but it just doesn’t resonate with me. Didn’t hate it, didn’t love it, not big on the vocals but it’s unique and enjoyable in its own way. Middle of the road rating
I already listened Unknown Pleasures from start to finish at least twice last year. It is timeless essential post-punk album, but personally I prefer Closer (1980), which is more intimate and resonating with me. So many depressive bangers on this album though
Solid early 80s post punk. Lead the way.
I didn't really like the last Joy Division album we had, but at least this one is off to a better start. Ok now that I'm done I can say I left feeling the same as the last album. Some decent songs here (Disorder, Shadowplay) and some that aren't great (Candidate, She's Lost Control, I Remember Nothing). Probably won't return to either album if I'm being honest. Low 3
Before even relistening this is an easy 5 / 5. When I first listened to this album it scratched an itch that I didn't know I had. Love the dark sludgy nature of it and (as I said on the other recent review) the snare punch is so goddamned satisfying. Don't have much in the way of specifics to call out here. Love the epic slogging nature of Day of the Lords and New Dawn Fades. Also love the driving tempo of Interzone and the guitar on Shadowplay. As I said, easy 5 / 5 for me.
It's funny when we get the same artist in quick succession. This is another very recognizable album cover and then one I associate with Joy Division. I guess I like this one better than Closer, but I really don't care for Joy Division after these two. Very Depeche Mode. I'll give this a higher 2.
I am glad we knocked out Joy Division's only 2 albums in 4 days, because man something about them makes my ears want to run away from my head and brain. I liked this one more than their other album, but that is like saying i'd rather drink pee than eat poop. I understand that everyone has different music tastes so I don't want to say this album sucks because it's all subjective. All I am going to say is that I am personally happy that Joy Division only made 2 albums.
If you haven't seen this album cover before you haven't been paying attention. Pumped to listen to this back to back with Closer. Immediately liking the voice a bit more on this one. Shadowplay is an incredible song I am vibing to this bassline. I liked this one a bit more than Closer, but not enough to bump to a 5.
Omg, english post punk. I like russian post punk. The moment I started this album I immediately understood, that this will be a blessing to my tears. Idk for sure, but me thinks that they are fathers of post punk, at least they're pretty old, so I think it's crucial for me to listen to them, and today that task is completed. Did I like it? Yes, a lot. Great everything: drums, guitar, bass, vocals. Unfortunately no song stuck in my brain, unlike from prev. two albums, even though i listened to this album 4 times today. Songs saved: 7/10
Poppy, grim and dark. Has a lot of similarities with later Scott Walker output. Not exactly a fun or catchy listen, but at the very least it's atmospheric.
Surprisingly I liked this, though it’s not usually my style. There was just something about it… I don’t know it just felt powerful or dark in a good way.
Nfm
Joy Division walked so New Order could fly
Joy Division walked so New Order could run
I did not like at all, vocals are off key and the songs are not even remotely interesting
This is one of the coolest god damn album covers I think I’ve ever seen. I almost want to buy it on Vinyl just to look at it. Unfortunately, that’s where the compliments largely end. Legitimately yesterday I had an entire spiel on how Rock albums had to impress me a lot to get anything higher than a 3. Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division unfortunately does not do it for me. That really blows, because I wanted to like it and perhaps get one of those cliché band shirts you see people wearing without having actually heard the source material for whatever it is they’re wearing the logo of. I mean, damn, what’s my favorite song here? I don’t even know, it’s all largely the same generic sound. I think “Shadowplay” is my favorite. Nothing really daring, memorable or unique. Again, everything works, but none of it really blows me away either.
So listened to this album previously because I was curious, and wasn't a huge fan of it. Getting it today, don't think my mind has been changed. Generally prefer New Order simply because they tend to have a more well rounded, full sound in my opinion. Joy Division, for me, just feels like it's either lacking a dimension or the sound is dated in a way I'm not a huge fan of. Generally for post-punk I'm looking for either a melancholic sound if they're going in a goth direction, or a new wave sound if they're going in more of a pop/upbeat direction. For the more goth songs on this record, they tended to be the more old-school Monster Mash type vibe as opposed to more melancholic like a Type-O Negative or Have A Nice Life. For the more pop/upbeat stuff, they were missing that new wave sound New Order tended to have. Probably my favorite track was the opener, Disorder, which came close to the New Wave-y New Order stuff that I like, but I'm not fully into it. Still a solid record, just not what I'm looking for in this type of music. Edit: After going back to this album a few more times, I'm starting to "get it". Still not my favorite post-punk album by any means, but I'm definitely getting more out of it than the kinda 70's post-punk sound I thought was all that was there. Definitely getting a little bit of the future New Order sound, especially on the opener Disorder. Additionally, I'm getting some Bauhaus type goth rock as well. Some of the production choices still elude me a little bit (The really echoey sound), and sometimes his vocals aren't to my taste, but yeah. This is definitely a lot better of an album than I gave it credit for, and am going to bump it up to a 4.
One of my favs of all time
The lyrics, the production, the controlled aggression - an absolute classic
2.4
Great album
This is an era that somehow passed me by. I was 13 when this album came out and neither the album nor the band were ever on my radar. I can appreciate the time and mood it represents, but it just doesn’t resonate with me. I picked up on some of the new wave and happier post-punk that sprung from this, but I don’t think I was ever this sad or angry as a teenager.
Not my style
Want in the mood for it. We’ll produced but didn’t really grab me
I liked the band… instrumental was good. Didn’t like the singer and not the most melodic, but pretty good for a British band from the 70s.
Dark, brooding, and intense. it gets better as it goes on, but a bit repetitive in the early going.
So many cool albums and even artists probably could not exist without this one. Drums and bass are killer. RIP Ian Curtis
Oh boy I did not feel this
It's certainly a specific mood. I'm rarely looking for it, but very distinct.
I think I like it a little more than their "Closer" album which I recently reviewed, but it's still not for me. I feel like I should like it, but the vocals aren't that great and it's repetitive. Musically it's alright, sometimes I get some The Cure vibes (whom I love), but it's more experimental than that. Will pass.
I liked it, but it all kind of sounded the same time me. Kind of depressing, which is fine as well. I kind of feel sorry for their sadness
Slightly above average for the orchestral efforts
Another classic. The influence it's had on pop culture is hard to deny and basically all alternative music of the past 40 years sounds like it. I think it still holds up well and is fun to listen to. Lots of great songs here and Curtis' delivery along with the almost robotic backbeat works really well. I feel these songs really get better as you listen to them more.
very solid album
Today, Hummer, Rocket, Disarm
I’m not a big Joy Division fan. Liked the first song but they are not really my style of music.
This album was neither unknown nor a pleasure. Discuss.
Iconic cover design aside, the is such a phenomenal album. Track after track of sparse, moody post-punk bangers.
This is the kind of album that that either takes time to grow on you or you need to be in particular state in your life to really appreciate it
Meme record that I never bothered to listen to, but I was very wrong.
Heavy going
Great album
It must be hard to be too exuberant when the music you make sounds like you’re trapped in a well.
hard listen
Oh cmon. Classic. Post Punk Goth. Interpol has no chance.
Very little out there sounds this good.
I was worried going into this, but I really enjoyed the stripped-down version of Joy Division from this album. I went into this with the notes about how they changed from the normal concert sound (more punk) for this recording, and I definitely think that knowledge helped me put this into context better with how I knew them. I'm giving it an extra star for surprising me (and sounding better than New Order, to me, which sounds like sacrilege).
Not really my scene a little bit droney for my liking. I’m more of a new order fan still I can see why these guys are considered to be legendary. Good tunes.
This is where post-punk begins
Dark, gothic, and atmospheric! Absolutely perfect ❤️ Also, Ian Curtis' voice is just 🤌🏼 Album rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
* Unknown Pleasures is best appreciated if you occupied the time and place from which it came. I was living in Manchester in 1979. A poverty-stricken, post-industrial, part-wasteland, corrupt, dangerous city, offering a glimpse into a future that felt all too possible as the country slid into class warfare with a few 'haves' and a lot of 'have nots'.
It was pretty mediocre
favorite song: new dawn fades
Dark with great lyricism.
Groupe connu de nom uniquement. J'apprécie beaucoup la basse, bien mise en avant, l'ambiance et les morceaux ou la guitare est un peu plus mise en valeur (new dawn fades, shadowplay). Un peu moins le chant. Bonne découverte donc, qui n'est pas loin de rejoindre ma collection. =>3.5/5
Some good music on here but the writing is crap.
1. Disorder / 5.5 Sounds familiar. I like the opening sounds but the sing does't take you to new hights after that. It becomes nagging/repetitive 2. Day of the Lords / 5 Also sounds familiar. Nothing special though. 3. Candidate / 4.5 Eery. Not a pleasurable listeing experience really 4. Insight / 4.5 Again nothing special really 5. New Dawn Fades / 4.5 Opening sounds cool, but also similar to all the previous songs. Some dark ominous guitar sounds and nothing more. 6. She's Lost Control / 4.5 Don't know what to think of it. I could.t see myself ever puting this on. 7. Shadowplay / 5 The songs dont seem to change. All the same. Cool little guitar solo though 8. Wilderness / 5 Little different, which makes it ok 9. Interzone / 5 Also a bit different. Nothing special really 10. I remember nothing / 5.5 minimal voice makes the mot listenable song for me Feels ahead of their time for 1979. Although i dont really like it it sounds influential for their time. I recognize some Cure and a lot of other bands take inspiration from this
Ian Curtis gone way way too soon. This album is perfect.
Dire. Thought it was going to be crap and it didn't disappoint.
It grew on me. A couple good ones on here.
Not my thing
Listened before?: No, actually! I have seen it on many a shirt though Moody and dark. I loved it, though it has a kind of "detached" quality to the vocals that doesn't always work for me. Made a compelling case for its place in the depressed teenager music pantheon.
6/10
Miltähän tää albumi kuulostikaan ihan ekaa kertaa kuunneltuna? Muistaakseni suht tylsältä, mutta sävy on niin ainutlaatuinen ja toi rummun kaiku kiehtova, että tän äärelle palaa pian ja haluaa päästä sisälle. Kun mielenkiinto meinaa herpaantua a-osan hyvän alun jälkeen, She’s lost control palauttaa sen. Valitettavasti yhden tähden miinus b-puolen lopun laahauksesta, en totu siihen ikinä.
Toisin kuin "post-punk"-bändit yleensä, JD on fundamentaalisesti anti-romanttinen. Ei kivaa ääntä, ei manipulatiivisia soundeja - ainoastaan ontto, Kraftwerk-filtterin läpi valutettu tulkinta koukukkaasta rock and rollista. Jokaisella biisillä on paikkansa, eikä yhdenkään takia ole uhrattu melodiaa. 4+
Uno de esos álbumes cuya fama y legado eclipsan cualquier intento de crítica objetiva. Su estilo fue muy innovador, y musicalmente es excelente: post-punk con toques de electrónica y una atmósfera oscura y opresiva. La mejor música para poner antes de suicidarse, según comentó un crítico de su época. Muy bueno, pero por algún motivo no termina de atraparme.
Just not my cup of tea. Maybe not a bad album altogether but certainly not something I would play for myself, nor would I recommend it to a friend.
I was so hopeful for this one since it’s such a cult classic and I’ve liked other joy division songs. But this album just seemed so monotonous to me and maybe I didn’t listen closely enough but I just don’t get it.
The album cover is iconic, but the music is forgettable. The album sounds like it was played through a bad stereo inside a cavern, and they put one microphone in the cavern to record the crummy stereo. The production was bad, the songs were boring, and I’m glad to be done listening to this.
Shit.
Flojisimo. una escucha mega nicho pero ademas sin ser buena
Here’s another one I’d kept seeing the album cover of, but had never made time to listen.
Was feeling a 2, but a few moments bumped it up for me
Niet perse mijn ding. Voelt een beetje als een meer melancholische the doors, alleen vind ik persoonlijk dat the doors deze sound beter uitvoert, 12 jaar voordat dit uitkwam. Ze maken daarentegen wel gebruik van de technische voorsprong die ze hebben en hebben ook wel hun eigen sound, maar het is naar mijn idee duidelijk geïnspireerd door Jim Morrison. Ik fuck echt niet met de stem van jou Division. De nummers die ze schrijven zijn vrij simpel maar goed geschreven, maar het zou oprecht beter zijn geweest als ze een random persoon van straat hadden geplukt ofzo. De man doet echt zijn best maar zit nauwelijks op de noot die hij zou moeten zingen. Ik erger mij hier nogal aan, aangezien een stem die niet zuiver is voelt alsof je je gitaar niet gestemd hebt en dat excuseert als "artistieke expressie". Ik snap dat hij waarschijnlijk zelf zijn eigen woorden wilt uiten door ze zelf te performen maar het is niet voor mij. Ik kan de muzikaliteit niet ontkennen dus ik geef het wel een lichte 3/5
Amazing riffs in this album, very interesting and dark sounds. Honestly just loved jamming out to it, even though that probably wasn't necessarily the intention
Amo esse pena que o Morrissey é um arrombado.
Classic with no skips.
Best Song: Disorder Worst Song: She's Lost Control
Interesting, but doesn't hit the spot.
It was okay. I think this is what I expected Bowie to sound like. (The Bowie album was better.) Didn't finish listening to it. I like the cover art.
This album seems like it's heralding in the classic sounds of the 80s. Bright vibrant drums, chippy bass work, repetitive guitar work, and synth background sounds filling out the space and adding ambiance. The vocals seem a bit misplaced, slightly monotone bluntly sang, struggling to hit the correct notes at time as well. The bass tone is nice and deep, the drums and guitar sound a bit thin to me. The snare especially lacks the pop I'd like to hear. I think I would appreciate the album more if the chunkier riffs were heavier and a bit darker. None of the musicianship is poor, the mixing is just not quite what I like. Overall, if this albums mixing was better and the vocals more spot on this album would be great.
I get why people like Joy Division but it's not for me I fear.