Closer

ok i will listen to it.

Not as good as Unknown Pleasures, I find it grows a bit trite.

Closer on a Monday morning? Are you trying to thin the heard? Murky, moody, generally not as good as Unknown Pleasures. I imagine that album three with 'Dead Souls', 'Ceremony' and 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' on it would be a stormer, but this one is a downer.

Dystert men på ett bra sätt

Such a tough rate after the perfection of 'Unknown Pleasures.' The same driving energy and dark creativity are still at play but fail to coalesce into any kind of piercing image unlike its predecessor. Manages to pull a 3 based on strong tracks like 'Decades' and 'Means,' pillars which suggest a larger form the other tracks just can't sustain due to some poor choices in lyricism or repetitive instrumentation. This album still wows with its experimental verve, it just feels stuck in a weird space between the guitar-born darkness of Joy Division and the synth-happy splendor of New Order.

yeah alright

More light than usual.

I liked the first half of this much better than the second half. After a while it seemed to get a bit dark and a little monotonous. But it was ok for me.

Bit sad and grumpy.

3.4/5 Best: Twenty Four Hours Worst: Heart and Soul Singing is a bit out of tune sometimes but still liked it

3.5

I enjoyed as much as one could enjoy a Joy Division album

6/10. Not bad, not great.

3.5

Sad banger, need to up the volume on the vocals tho

This is a weird kind of dark, mainly because of singer’s voice and the production, still pretty good

Solid New wave, good for occasional listens. Didn't compare it to Unknown Pleasures yet.

Very dark album. I like it though, not too experimental or different but enjoyable nonetheless. Definitely something to listen to on rainy days. Fave track(s): A Means to an End, The Eternal

Interesting and I can see why important but not enough distinct songs to get over three. Obvs huge influence on loads of other bands. Ian Curtis sounds like singer from Editors.

The singer is perpetually out of tune but exudes aesthetic. The songs are great at evoking emotions, the the voice of the lead singer makes it feel like its an actor filling in for the actual lead singer.

I love Peter Hook's bass playing. This is great punk album but I wasn't in the right head space. The overall album was rather depressing but I know I could enjoy it under the right circumstances. It's still not an album with a great "wow" factor but just raw underground night club music.

It’s not really my thing. I can see the appeal because I really like the singer’s voice and the guitar, but overall I couldn’t really get into it. It’s probably just a me thing, because I think it sounds pretty sick, I just wouldn’t want to put it into one of my playlists or listen to the album over again. Favorite track: Isolation

Daniel

If only they sounded more like New Order.

I don't really know how to classify this music, new wave probably best describes it, but it's not upbeat pop new wave. Slow, driving, the singers voice reminds me of talking heads.

Kinda emo LOL

this is the album that shows where they would have gone. it would have been good. they werent there yet. but im sure it inspired others. it lead to a couple good to okay new order albums. soooooo…. thats cool.

good album to put in the background and vibe to

I've haven't listened to much Joy Division, but what I've heard has been fine. I must admit the music didn't grab me and pull me in, instead it served as good background music that was enjoyable.

meh, not a fan of the 80s as much, and dude can't really sing in tune

It's not you; it's me. As incredible as you might be - I just can't find any joy.

i dont really see the appeal tbh, long repetitive tracks with not much pretty stuff, but it ain’t bad euther

Joy Division sets a dark tone that would become synonymous with the New Wave genre. The blend of gothic themes with electronic beats, synths, and strumming guitars that would be their calling card stand out. While not their most complete album from a mainstream standpoint, this album has an artistic element that their other may be lacking. It is impressive how much they accomplished in two albums.

I've never been the biggest Joy Division fan, I actually prefer New Order. But they did some remarkable things to pioneer a post-punk scene of melancholic and brooding alternative rock, opening the doors for other amazing acts like The Cure and The Smiths. Ian Curtis considered this album the band's creative pinnacle before sadly taking his own life so we'll never know if that was true. This is a very atmospheric album, I feel like I'm on a walking tour of Curtis's depression. There's some truly beautiful poetry in the lyrics, The Eternal is particularly haunting. This isn't casual listening, it's for catharsis or wallowing, what you get depends on the condition of your soul on any given listen.

Maudlin, morose music for the perpetually sad.

Granted, there are only two, but does every Joy Division album need to be here? Had the singer not killed himself, would this album merit a listen? Still a good album from the time period. 3/5.

Pretty decebt

pretty good, but not the best album i’ve gotten.

Was ok

sad people music but just made me bored

live songs were best. other than that quite boring

Way too experimental on the A side. I did however enjoy the more "classic rocky" side B with my favorite track being The Eternal.

I totally understand their influence and why they’re such a seminal band for so many people. I think I just missed my opportunity to get into Joy Division and have them have any meaningful impact on me. I also think I just like too many bands that took their whole thing and did it better.

It's insane how no one bothered to listen to any of the lyrics until after Ian Curtis killed himself. Maybe the guilt of not recognizing dude was extremely depressed is why everyone is so quick to over praise it. This is still a good if not great listen. New Order was formed from the ashes of this band. And let's be honest: New Order's catalog is better.

never heard of them, good to listen too.

Ahh yes, the division of joy. Meloncholy at it's best.

wow, I didn't know Joy Division only put out 2 albums before their singer killed himself. This is interesting. I can't say I love it and at times the tin can production on the vocals just annoys me... but it's unique and somewhat peaceful

Haunting, desperate, urgent,… But not something that hooked me (no pun intended).

Ok

Not their best, I’m usually a fan so maybe I wasn’t in the right mood

Depeche Mode vibes

Okay. Not bad but also nothing special

Good, but not outstanding.

Yea this album ain't bad

Wasn't in the right mood for this. Still great though!

This album strangely passed me by. I've never listened to it before from start to finish. I held it up as some iconic recording, almost afraid to give it a try. It isn't, and I shouldn't have placed so much trust in it. There's a fresh European sound. But nothing that screams out CLASSIC to me. I wonder how would Joy Division would have developed if you know, hadn't have happened. I think I prefer the New Order outcome.

Top 3 Songs: 1 - Heart and Soul (6) 2 - Twenty Four Hours (7) 3 - A Means to an End (5)

great!!!

I can hear the obvious influences. But man, it is a bit of a downer. The singer suffered from depression? Couldn't tell at all from the songs. The singing reminds me of the tonality the Clash used for "The Guns of Brixton." It's ok, but as a whole it just didn't quite move me the way I thought it would. Kinda meh.

Not for me

This album is a difficult listen, knowing what came after. It has a dark, despairing, defeated quality, which is ramped up from 'Unknown Pleasures', which was itself dark and brooding. 'The Eternal' in particular feels like a funeral march. Artistically this is tragically on point, but too unremittingly bleak for my tastes. Rating: 3/5 Playlist track: Twenty Four Hours Date listened: 01/08/22

Not an album I've ever heard before. In the past I've felt about Joy Division the way many people feel about Morrissey (I like most of Morrissey). I always hoped that Joy Division would contextualize for me and have their moment knowing how influential they are. While I'm not a huge fan of the sound of Curtis' vocals (like a less talented Ian Asbury), I discovered some bass-lines and guitar I enjoyed more than on prior forays into the Joy Division catalog. Occasionally, the guitar was as good as some of the best Cure songs (Twenty Four Hours).

Joy Division and New Order were bands that I was raised on. While it isn't the sound from my childhood that I latched onto the most, I do love their music. This album is not as good as Unknown Pleasures to me. It is also a tragedy that "Love Will Tear Us Apart" was never released on an album. All in all a good album that reminds me of childhood.

I know it's more a vibe than an album bit for me, that's the problem.

Creo que tienen cosas muy interesantes pero no es lo mío. Entiendo las raíces en el punk y luego post-punk pero me he dado cuenta con el primer tercio de la lista que estos géneros musicalmente no me llaman. Las letras pueden ser buenas y entiendo el aporte pero me costó mucho trabajo. 2.5 que sube a 3 porque sí encontré algunas cosas buenas.

Ok, lo jinxeaste… aunque sea un poco. Es que no me termina de pasar Joy Division. Sé que es de las bandas que más influencia tiene en lo que nos gusta hoy en día, pero en serio en serio me cuestan trabajo. La voz es difícil y la música, aunque no es mala, le faltan subidas y bajadas y todo el tiempo se mantiene en una tonalidad y melodía parecidas que terminan por hacerme querer ir a pedirles que por Dios cambien de acorde aunque sea. Se llevan de churro la 3a estrella.

Not as good as 'Unknown Pleasures,' more slow/ambient stuff on this album

2.7 - Dark, very 80s album. Post punk style without the Cure-like rhythm of some of their other stuff. Will likely not be revisiting soon.

lacked gyle

Interesting to get to this, which had never attracted my attention before - given that it doesn't have their bigger songs. I found it atmospheric, and rewarding for multiple listenings

Ambiance intéressante, un peu linéaire.

Had my fill of intense northern grimness

Joy Division is a great example of how a band can be very important and wildly influential and still be a drag. As I listen to Closer I can hear the hallmarks that make them interesting, but they also re-implement those same tricks over and over again, so that every song on this album sounds the same and it all sounds the same as the album before it. No one else sounds quite like Joy Division, but Joy Division always sounds too much like themselves. Some of the things I like best about the album are the raw dynamics as instruments come up and down in the mix and the song Twenty Four Hours stood out as really great.

3.5

terrible singing, music is good at points

Good background music while working. Not particularly memorable.

Entire album feels like a huge downer. A lot of bands I've liked are influenced by Joy Division... but I find I like a lot of those bands more than I like actual Joy Division.

Not really my thing. Maybe at the time this was pretty ground-breaking, but didn't hold up for me.

Musically I find ‘Closer’ easier to digest than ‘Unknown Pleasures’. Lyrically however, it’s hard to separate this album from Ian Curtis’s death and to think of it as anything other than a suicide note.

Pretty creative- I even got some industrial vibes off it

I've only been listening to Joy Division over the past year or so when I started hearing a couple of their songs on the Alt Rock channel I listen to. They have a very unique sound. I think the song that stands out on this album is "The Eternal". "Both beautiful and deeply moving, it depicts his struggle to communicate with remarkable empathy" -Alexis Petridis. My next favorite is "Decades". 3/5

It was good, different vibe, especially the first couple songs 3/5

Good listen. Not the best Joy Division album, but good listen.

i like how easy listen it is even though it's not what i would call good. 3 for being easy? else 2.

Good album. Very distinctive sound.

sounds like a joy division album.

Een klassieker van de topzware soort. 24 Hours is nog altijd een van mijn favoriete tracks, maar hier moet je wel echt voor in de stemming zijn. En om heel eerlijk te zijn vind ik Curtis niet zo'n beste zanger (refererend aan mijn vorige post)

Niet alles op dit album is even sterk, en echt opbeurend is het ook niet, maar ik blijf het een fascinerende band vinden.

Helt swag!

OK. Enjoyed the New Order sound better.

Unfortunately not my favorite Joy Division record. I wanted to enjoy this much more than I did, but still found it pleasantly haunting and wouldn't mind giving it a re-visit somewhere down the line.

I've not listened to Joy Division much in the past. Really enjoyed this.

Bien aimé l'album, mais ce n'est pas tant ma tasse de thé. On voit par contre la majeur influence que ça a eu sur les styles new wave, gothiques, post-punk, etc.

Macclesfield's finest. Solid 3. Prob not as good as Unknown Pleasures. Never spent a great deal of time listening to their stuff but always found it really eerie and intriguing. Sounds experimental but ahead of its time. 3/5

3/5

The dial didn't move one way or the other on this. It is ok.

I just don't understand the intrigue of bands with lead singers that can't carry a tune. I'm giving this a three because musical arrangement was good. Vocals are abysmal.

Such an irritating voice and use of vocals throughout. Music is what balances it out to a 3, but nothing special.

Yet another post punk that disappoints. Really did not like the way the singer's voice sounds and how it's almost more spoken than sung

Sympa

I liked a few songs. "A Means to an End" stuck out as a good one. But overall it didn't really click with me and I found it a little difficult to get through. Maybe a bit too cold and electronic for me. Seems like a record I should have liked more. Still, an interesting record and maybe something that would grow on me if I gave it more time (which I probably won't...)

Not really my style but I didn't hate it.

Good instrumentals vocals ok

I’ve heard some Joy Division before—the one album with the one cover that is like a bat signal for hipsters—and I don’t remember much of it sticking with me. The same could be said here. Pretty good listening, but didn’t make much of an impact. I like knowing that Danny Brown got the name of his album from this band. I’ll return to a few tracks, but not much here for me on a first listen. Favorite tracks: Atrocity Exhibition, Heart and Soul, Twenty Four Hours. Album art: What am I even looking at here? Reminds me of a few tarot cards. Not bad, but not great either. 3/5

2.5/5. Very monotone and boring. I feel like I didn’t really listen to anything.

Some of the music is interesting, but I have a hard time getting past the creepy sounding vocals. Just not a big fan of that style. 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3.

This is one of those where I struggle as to whether ratings should just be on a pure, instinctive emotional reaction or if I should be trying to inject some sort of qualification of its importance/worthiness of being on a list of truly essential albums … Significant, influential, all of that: yes. Did I massively enjoy it? Not really. Perhaps if I’d caught it on a different day.

I was super excited that this was today's title and then I realised I'd never listened to it before. It even reached No.3 in New Zealand! But as much as I enjoy bits and pieces from Joy Division, Closer doesn't quite grab me as an album. It's good - the opening track is especially strong (the melody reminds me of "Kinky Afro" lmfao) but maybe its power is as the final testimony to Ian Curtis' genius. I don't have any memories locked into this music, no early 80s revelations or retro student discoveries of the 90s. Maybe this album is a conduit to the Ian Curtis memorial wall in Wellington and all that stands for.

Rock suave, un tanto psicodélico y deprimente. No me ha llenado del todo. Falto de chispa. Sin arriesgar

Punk er bare ikke mig. For meget diskant og mærkelige melodier.

Moins bien que unknown pleasures mais pas deg

This doesn't spark joy. Best track: Decades

As Shawn was saying, these songs really settle into one groove and just go with it. Not a lot of variation and not really a turn off, but also the production or mixing or something here sounds pretty low end. It's not a great sounding record. But still, I don't want to turn it off!

This is better than the other Joy Division album, but the passage of time hasn't been entirely kind to it. In parts, this just sounds like a miserable Devo, but not as accomplished or creative. Ian Curtis sounds like a cross between Jim Morrison and Fred Schneider of the B-52s. Sorry folks, simply don't get the hullabaloo with this band.

Less than 3 more than 2

Tendría que escucharlo más detenidamente, pero parece el típico disco de los 80 que es un ¿rock? un poco pesado.

This is a good album, though not particularly my taste. It feels too depressing without really touching on the pain of depression. Not sure if I will listen to it again.

Meh...

Unknown pleasures is much better!

A classic single away from a higher mark

Like somebody took The Cure and made it more soggy

Atrocity Exhibition did nothing to help set me up for the rest of the album. I read that Peter Hook was furious about his guitar treatment and I have to agree. It's just noise. The rest of the album, not bad. Twenty Four Hours easily my fave. Not really my style but it's easy to see why it's well regarded and the obvious influences it had on future acts.

don't know much about joy division. album is very average for this list. That being said the album released posthumously of Ian Curtis. It appears they had moved from there influences.

3/5. First listen. I enjoyed the last couple songs the most.

not bad

so baby pull me closer JUST KIDDING but is this dark?? guess i am more darker than i thought :(((

I really wanted to enjoy this one, and I did like the novelty of the experimental feel every song gave off, but it didn’t live up to my expectations.

3/5

It's alright, I enjoy a good couple of the songs and the over sad vibe of the album. If love would tear us apart was on this it would make it a 4 out of 5.

Pretty average listening enjoyment

Interestingly sounds a lot like the Editors. Not sure if I'm digging the dreary vocals very much. The music is good tho.

Not an easy Saturday evening listen. I'm familiar with the band and the album, not exactly my stuff

Preppy

I didn't get a full second listen to this so I will be brief and middle of the road. The album  gets off to a great start with excellent percussion and roaming avant garde guitars. I appreciate they kicked off the Manchester scene and were influential.  Truth be told,  I'm a bigger fan of New Order as they took the Joy Division sound and made it danceable. Songs like 24 hrs make me think I might have ranked higher if I gave it the time it deserves but, alas, my ranking is  my middle of the road

Joy Division is one of the GOAT bands, hands down. I don't think anyone did it like they did before or since. They were and still are the name synonymous with post-punk. Then why do I feel like I'm listening to a record so amateurish, so mediocre? I cannot enjoy the opening track at all, I feel it rarely finds its footing, and god rest his soul but Ian Curtis is not a good singer. It sucks because I genuinely enjoy a few of Joy Division's songs (Disorder, Transmission, and Warsaw are all classics), but I can't for the life of me give this album above a 3. Shame.

Just as gloomy as I remember it, but still a pretty seminal piece of goth/post punk music considering that it was released just after Ian Curtis committed suicide. Did I mention that it was gloomy? The graphics and photo on the album cover are one of my all time favourites though.

1980, Post-punk, gothic rock, stabiles Album aber mir fehlt der letzte kick, dass ich feiere, normale bis stabile 3, ich kann mir vorstellen, dass ich bei nochmal hören irgendwann mehr fühle

I thought this one was all right instrumentally, but I couldn't enjoy the vocals. Maybe it's just a preference thing, but it wasn't my style.

3.1 causal listen no saves, not bad just alternate sounding and no stand outs

Faves: Isolation, Heart and Soul Darker than I usually listen to but I can see myself maybe liking this if I was going thru it

This is well-made, classic 80s sadness that I also don't want to hear again anytime soon. Joy Division is the kind of band that I don't listen to often, and I can't say quite why. 3/5 because it's not really a 4.

i feel badly misled. you cannot dance to joy division. a bad version of interpol and the editors

More gloom and doom from another of the gloomy doomed. There doesn't seem to me to be that much there for all its lasting reach.

This is a classic

A bit too trippy for my taste

Bit wacky but I liked it!

In another life, I could see this being my type of music. But as it stands, not so much.

1980: Atrocity Exhibition, Isolation

overrated Joy Division record

Not their best album

Hmm... such an innovative and important band. But you really have to be in the mood, and I usually find the bleakness too much to handle - the band are great, but I am not really an Ian Curtis fan.

After the first song it’s either discordant or boring, as it does not sound like the band and the singer were in the same room recording. This is what music should not sound like.

So many bands I like, love this band, and yet I have never heard a song i really love.

The vocals give me confidence. I should song in public more often. If this guy can do it unembarrassed and without irony, I can too. Is there a solid rhythm section out there willing to play awesome music behind my mediocre-at-best singing? I can ruin your shit a little less than this. Let's get it going! For me, the instrumentation is really good on this album; the droning and hypnotic feel of it is most of what I like, but the wannabe Jim Morrison who's Ben Steining into the microphone just kills it for me. "I put my trust in you, Bueller. Bueller? My wife says about clothes that you can wear a risque top or a risque bottom, but not both at the same time. Along those lines, I think you get one kind of droning in music: vocals or instruments. As a compliment, this music would fit perfectly into a Robert Rodriguez film. This wasn't unlistenable, but it was unenjoyable. ⭐⭐

If I was Ian Curtis I would have killed myself, too. Shite music that you can’t possibly criticise because otherwise you demonstrate that you just don’t understand it, it’s not just a phase, mum! I hate you!

Bad vocals over disjointed noise

Doesn't sound too different to my ears. Not my cup of tea.

Not a great singer; seemed like he wasn’t able to hit notes well or consistently. Music itself was ok if a little on the boring side. 2.5/5

Was never into Joy Division at the time, just too bleak. Still don’t really get it. 2

Jag har egentligen aldrig köpt in mig på JD, vilket man kanske kan tro att jag borde. Låtarna är helt enkelt för dåliga tror jag. Dom släppte ju ett par riktigt fina popsinglar (Love will tear us apart och Transmission) men albumen är jättetråkiga och är stendöda för mig. Ljudmässigt låter dom dessutom inte alls särskilt bra, att jämföra med hur t ex Cure eller OMD lät vid samma tidpunkt. Dom lyckas skapa det där minimalistiskt ödliga mycket på ett mer apititligt och intressant vis. Jag hittar egentligen inga riktigt bra låtar här, bäst gillar jag avslutande syntiga "Decades" som påminner mig om just OMD. "Heart and soul" och "A means to an end" kan jag också tänka mig att lyssna på igen, men resten är verkligen stendött. Myten JD står ivägen för det undermåliga som faktiskt spelas, på samma sätt som för The Doors. Jag väljer vilket New Order allbum som helst före detta Inte nära ettan men rätt svag tvåa

Verkligen trist. Gillar inte sången alls. Inga låtar som griper tag i mig. Svag tvåa.

Postpunk

Man, I liked Unknown Pleasures but this sucks. They took everything interesting out of what they made and just turned in to shoe gazing (not the genre, just the idea) mumbling with repetitive nonsense over it. Plus it still has Ian Curtis's horrible singing on it, including at least one song (I dont' remember which one) in which he's not only bad in the usual way, but he's entirely out of tune. Not good.

It's fine I guess, I just don't really like it. Not really a Joy Division guy I guess.

Enjoyed the beat, but that was it. Just not my style at all.

It’s…fine. Post punk really isn’t my thing and I want to say this is the third or fourth day in a row, which is now tiring. I’ve listened to this album a good amount during the past few years, but it still hasn’t ever grabbed me. Will I ask someone to change it? No not really. Will I be glad it’s playing? Nah.

Was surprised at how bored I was listening to this.

Can say I enjoyed this. Very meh for me. I’ll have to go back and listen to the previous album from these guys. I gave that a 3 but this one had much less of that something that would make you want to listen. Music was just kind of boring. Which made his voice kind of annoying. 2.25

Not for me.. why do the vocals sound like someone is singing into a tin can or a storage container, and why does it sound like they are always off key in a not intentional way, sounds wishy washy.

Really dull album, nothing exciting, expected better because of the artists reputation

Not my fave soundscape, maybe would be better if I were inna different mood

Not feeling this one

A atmosfera depressiva (gótica) é interessante, mas faltam melodias e arranjos mais atraentes. Regular!

I appreciate the album for it’s place in the musical canon but didn’t particularly like the listen

The lyrics are the strong point. The melodies are very similar. The punk vibe is all there. I wish the production wasn’t so treble laden and separated. It’s distracting.

I've never been a Joy Division fan. While I enjoyed some of the songs, it's not my cup of tea.

I might be the person who respects new order most in this world. JD really sounds like a work site in construction.

Not my cup of tea.

Okay

Sou fã do gênero, memória afetiva fala mais alto, mas a verdade é que é um disco do seu tempo e apenas do seu tempo. Não parece se comunicar com outras épocas. Como curiosidade histórica, basta escutar uma ou duas músicas, não o disco.

Whiney, grunge-y men...again.

Had high expectations

it's just not for me :/

Moui, bon il y a quelque sorties musicales sympa mais je suis pas sûre de mon entrain général.

The production and instrumentation on this are so good and it’s a shame the vocals blow ass, it’s really dragging it down for me

Not much joy in this.

al principio pense q era yo el problema asi q lo escuche dos veces, me aburri igual. yo no soy parte del publico objetivo lolz

Not my favorite of theirs

I would listen to it second time. But it has something that I like

One of the most depressing listens so far, this album delves deep into the sadness. I learned afterwards that the lead singer killed himself shortly after production wrapped on the album; makes sense when thinking back at the lyrics and overall tone. This album is a case of something that just isn't for me, as I'm never in the right frame of mind to listen to new wave goth sad rock. Maybe that's a privileged point of view, having a healthy mental state, but it's the only one I've got. I like music with a lot of energy and passion, and this is the exact opposite of that. There's a couple interesting things musically, primarily the bass guitar being front and center on most songs, but I didn't like much. I'm sure this is a lot of people's cup of tea, but it ain't mine. 2/5

со всем уважением, но не мой жанр

Okay.

Heard it before. Quite randomly A Means to an End is one of my favourite Joy Division songs. But the rest of the album? Eh? I mean there are some other good songs here too but I'm just not crazy about the album 2/5

Joy Division is a band I still don’t get. I really like New Order, but I think Joy Division reaches too far into the edgier and more gothic direction. I understand the appeal, but it’s not for me.

Some good riffs on bass and guitar, but it was hard to get past the vocals for me, which made me feel kinda bad once I read about the album and the lead singer's death. But I still stand by it, unfortunately.

What.

What if they made an evil Talking Heads and they sucked

Too mopey and not interesting enough. Still cool but not what I’d listen to on the regular.

Meh

Meh. Another British post punk album.

this is not me

I feel like it was just being pulled slowly into quicksand. I am just stuck, depressed but I can't get anywhere.

The first song sounds like they are rubbing their guitars against power tools and it doesn't get much better from there. The songs are monotonous and boring. Musically uninteresting and lacks any kind of melody.

Well - I listened.

Unknown Pleasures is so much better than this it’s insane.

Torn on what to give this. I love a lot of what the New Wave sound has become. I like some of the underlying beats and melodies that this album provides. I cannot stand the singer and their style. So where to put this?

This brought me little joy,.

Man I don’t think I’m depressed enough for this I wanted to love this, but I’d be lying if I said I enjoyed it. There were some interesting ideas, but they were often cancelled out by the band’s droning. With what happened to Joy Division after this, it is truly a tragic album, but not one I can really appreciate.

Kind of disappointed with this album. Not as good as their other album .

I really don't like this style of vocals/singing. Colony did sound like he was saying Paula Deen tho.

5/10 No me convencional mucho, mas canciones medio pelo que buenas pero no son todas malas

History knows of several cases where an artist's death, above all else, makes their final work a cult classic. This second and final Joy Division album is one of them. Objectively, it's truly more cohesive than the debut, with more interesting sonic and production innovations. Subjectively, it's incredibly difficult to listen to; it's not just mournful, but Ian Curtis's oppressive, cold voice, from beginning to end, speaks of the impenetrable darkness of the universe, moral decay, and death. Not only do the vocals sound eerie, but they're made even more mystical, buried deep in the mix, and the mechanical, albeit powerful, bass lines and guitar, which in the first song could easily be mistaken for a chainsaw, are brought to the forefront. Some see decadent beauty in Closer, but after listening to it I had the feeling of "Death is vile from post-punk, coffin, coffin, cemetery..." and so on down the list.

This guy's style of singing was reminding me of the B52s guy and the Talking Heads guy. This album is super depressing.

Misery

No joy, just division

Joy Division album had an energy that this one lacked. Not curious to rewind

I wanted to like it more than I actually liked it

Yaaay - the Nazi art school kids make sub-par post punk and the other nazi art school kids go crazy for it..wooo.

This is my second album from them and it's just not for me. The entire thing sounded too much like generic 80s pop and rock with all the synthesizers and that specific style of bass line. Honestly, the whole record just feels way too bleak and monotone to actually enjoy listening to. The vocals are flat, the drums sound like an assembly line, and the electronic elements make everything feel cold and robotic. It just drags on without any real energy or memorable hooks. If you want something with a dark mood, this has it, which was appropriate because my first chance to listen to it was when I was sitting in the dark last night while our power was out thanks to a tornado

Britpop, lite najs ibland men så flat sång.

When I feel good I do not vibe with Joy Division, when I feel down I certainly do not vibe with Joy Division. Very angular, drum heavy mix. OG Editors

Naporno do bola, baš naporno. Nekad imam osjećaj da je ovaj projekt oblik suvremene torture. 2/5, 3/10

sigo sin entender este grupo ya lo siento, en plan muy dark misterioso y tal pero nose

Probably an unpopular opinion but I think this one is overrated

Never been a joy division or new order fan. Let’s give this a whirl. This is going to be hard. Right away I don’t like the vocals. 2nd song starts great. These vocals are hard for me to listen to. I just don’t like how they sound. Musically I get the hype. Vocally I don’t.

I like the album cover

3/10 My second Joy Division album and it continues to not be my thing.

First song was pretty good, then it goes down hill from there. I don't really see all the hype.

Very cool at moments, especially for some tracks like Twenty Four Hours and The Eternal for example. With that said, it was mostly just making me wish it was cooler than it was, with occasional odd tonal choices and unusual vocals confusing me more than anything else. It's certainly unusual at points, in a good way, it's evocative and creative, and I suppose you can tell that it's well performed, but ultimately it wasn't particularly fun or pleasant for me to listen to as a whole. Better than I can give it credit for or even perceive properly, I think, but worse than I would like to just for raw enjoyment for passive listening. I fear that the vocals are a big issue I can't quite get over...

Autant New Order j’adore, autant Joy Division vraiment ça passe pas

I really wanted to like this, as a lot of the music I listen to traces it's dna back to Joy Division. I even listened to it twice. Still didn't enjoy it, although the back half wasn't terrible.

I wanted to like it more than i did. HATED the singers voice 💔

Found that very boring.

Still do not understand this

it was okay

This one was mehhh. But I liked the drums.

Personally I don't find music to be very enjoyable when the 'singer' is saying lyrics with the teeniest hint of tune to make it sound more like a song and not a poetry recital.

??? not mine

2 - not for me

Is that a prehistoric version of what came to be known as singing?

Didn't really feel much for this

It sure was sounds that could be called music. Way too monotone for me. Rather listen to Molchat Doma thanks tho

Yeah, myeah, not really my thing. Not the worst to listen to either. I do really love some Joy Division songs, but this album was not great for me.

An extremely dark and emotive piece of work that given the tragic events before its release, strikes you as a sort of brooding suicide note for Ian Curtis. That being said, I find the vocals and lyrics too depressing to go alongside the upbeat and catchy bass lines on some songs to the point of being at times, fairly jarring. A bit of a slog, and not an album I'd rush back to.

Thought I might like this but it did not move me 🙁

Not my thing

The first song was god-awful, and it only improved modestly from there. File this one under “life’s too short “. Two stars.

Solo para iniciados....

It’s fine

Very british

(3/7) sounds like the background of a strange dream

Not much to write home about

Should pre-face this by concluding that post-punk is not my thing at all. Less so after hearing this. Found the record to be weak sounding overall. Most of the record didn't speak to me at all, though the latter end was certainly much better than the rest, with 'The Eternal' being a really dark and moody song that I enjoyed a lot. A bit sad that their whole album didn't sound like that, they really were on to something there.

What the hell am I listening to right now. What. Where. Why. When. Love love love the album cover though. Do you know the way?? It's interesting I just don't really know what to make of it to be honest. I don't think I like it but it's interesting. Reminds me of the talking heads. PK vibes. Like I kinda don't gaf. Very very 80s. Yeah I don't like it. Favourite: Decades Least favourite: Passover

Not for me.

Turns out I'm not a Joy Division fan. The production on this one is something. I like the bass being more forward but the lyrics sound like they were sang into a bottle in the next room. The band was good. I prefer them playing to the lyrics. Maybe if I could understand him I would enjoy it more.

better than the last JD album I listened to but I wouldn't listen again on purpose

I like a few songs by Joy Division but it’s hard to get through an album. This one was no different

I'm really tempted to give this 1 star because I really do not like Joy Division and am upset about having to sit through a whole second album here. And the problem is I keep getting annoyed by it and stop listening and then forget where I was in the album, and because it all sounds alike, I keep having to go back. But the drums and bass continue to impress you so you all get an extra star. Sorry critics and hipsters this is where we diverge.

Not my cup of tea

Eh, not for me but not bat

Subpar and a little maudlin as far as British wailing goes.

Pas du tout ma came

Might ruffle some feathers with this one, but what a slog to get through in 2026, man. It's really a 1 star album, but it gets an extra solely because 23 years ago I would've given it enough chances to enjoy a few tracks.

Could never get into Joy Division, and never understood the praise for this album. Dreary music and Ian Curtis's mediocre singing are a losing combination. Pass.

A lot of the songs sounded the same. Won't be revisiting this one. 2/5

I can appreciate this but from a distance

It's like talking heads but bad

Found this dull. Not even depressing or moody, just a bit plodding. Prefer the debut.

Didn't tickle my pickle.

✅ Sad ✅ Atonal ✅ Challenging I was on the periphery of this aesthetic in high school - my 'weird' friends listened to Peter Murphy and Skinny Puppy and Joy Division, and my jock friends listened to Vanilla Ice and Milli Vanilli. I quite like a lot of the darker music, Swing the Heartache became one of my favorites from that time. This one just feels hard, not really enjoyable or musically remarkable. I know the backstory and can appreciate the outpouring of emotion in this album, but it wasn't listenable. 2 days ago The Downward Spiral popped up on my list - arguably a very similar 'suicide note' type of album. That one felt raw and visceral and textured in a lot of ways that Closer didn't. 2.5

It honestly felt like it was the same song over and over again. Cool instrumental I guess but, didn’t feel much out of this album.

It's got a fuller sound than Unknown Pleasures, and it certainly sounds more goth, but it's just not for me. I don't like goth music all that much (not even the Cure!), and it's the emptiness of Unknown Pleasures that makes it work for me to the extent that I actually enjoy it (admittedly not that much). So what's left to like here?

This sounds like the awful band Glen put together for the Letterkenny talent show. "I want to be close to Christ, and Wayne."

Just not a Joy Dvision kinda fella, but I’ll give it 2

background music

The album started strong, the drum loop in the first track was funky and I liked it. As the album progressed I liked the songs less and less, I liked the music itself at times, but the vocals and mixing seemed so random throughout the songs and annoying at times. From the promising start I really wanted to like this, but ultimately the singing seems to end this album into the territory of nope and I was happy it ended.

Ah I see, the "Joy" part of the name is ironic... Honestly just not for me, I didn't _hate_ it, but I won't be listening to more. The first track was experimental in the sense that it made use of some weird sounds (still not sure what, some kind of powertool?), the rest was repetitive drum/guitar with some dreary (and flat) vocals - basically every track suffered from one-riff-syndrome and I really didn't see the appeal. Highlights: - "Atrocity Exhibition" - I didn't massively enjoy this track, but it was different and experimental. - "Decades" and "The Eternal" - Grouping these together as I felt similarly about them. Again, no major enjoyment, but they were atmospheric and felt more powerful than the rest of the album. The vocals had a haunting feel and they at least moved about a bit.

Very long monotonous songs. Sound not great, mostly boring. The Eternal was ok.

I was not vibing with this album. I liked the 80s synth drum sounds, but the vocals were monotone and hard to get through. I did some reading about the album and learned that this was released a couple months after the lead singer's suicide, and that actually made me appreciate the lyricism a bit more. However, that fact wasn't enough to sway me.

This ain't it. Don't enjoy the vocals, all of the songs sound largely the same, and just seems like a meandering album.

I get it. It’s Joy Division. I just couldn’t get into it. Give me New Order

This album is a notable improvement over their first release, so, for that, I'll give an additional star, but I'm on the fence about that.

actually we are already good on atrocity exhibitions right now!! thank you!!!!!

Not my cup of tea I’m afraid - a bit drab.

I can see why someone would enjoy this album but it's just not my particular cup of tea. Drab vocals and bland drums. 2/5

So dark

i mean it’s fine but definitely not for me.

Ziemlich düsterer Rock. Auch die Stimme des Sängers ist nicht der Knaller. Passt irgendwie nicht zu meinem Verständnis von Musik. 2/5

The drummer was driving me nuts in some of these songs... Or is it a drum machine? Regardless, it's repetitive and grating. The singer sounds drunk or high or both, and not in a good way. Some good music to be heard, but not very much. Top: Means To An End Not Top: Heart and Soul

Really dissapointing. And that's how I always feel with Joy Division. They influenced so many of my favourite artists but how?

I wished i liked this but I really can't stand joy division.

Joy Division a.k.a. wie nervig kann man Lyrics recorden. Not my Cup of tea

For some reason I wanted to enjoy this more than I did. It just wasn't for me. Maybe it was just my mood on the day ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Nothing on this record jumped out of the speakers at me, unlike 1979’s Unknown Pleasures. But actually, if you pulled “Disorder” and “Interzone” off of that record, you’d end up with a muddled collection of dark, hitless, 80s goth songs very similar to this record. If that’s what you’re into, you’ll love this. I understand having Unknown Pleasures on this list, but the entire Joy Division catalogue shouldn’t be required listening.

2/5

150 Joy division las tiene todas para que me encante, pero no pasa nada. Creo que es la voz? No sé.

Respect the music. The vocals are not for me.

i tried to get through it... couldnt. so boring I'm so sorry. so repetitive. i could see how this album would be much better live

I don't get the hype