Reviews (page 6 of 8)
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.
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.
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
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
Ya that was weird. Talking Heads-esque.
I didn't get it before, I don't get it now, and I can't imagine getting it in the future. I understand that Joy Division is like this religious thing, but the lyrics are depressing, the synths are annoying, and . . . well, there isn't much to redeem it. I guess it's kind of cool to hear another precursor to grunge? Influence 4. Hits 2. Quality 3. Intangibles 3. I do not like this Sam I Am 1.
One weird song after another. Just when you think it’s getting cool, it isn’t.
Slow repetitive crap. Ian Curtis groaning about how sad life is for 45 minutes. His voice reminds me so much of Lou Reed, I hate it. There’s nothing particularly interesting here, never understood the hype of Joy Division
Found this to be so boring
Have just never been a big fan of joy division. I guess they’re just not melodic enough for me. I did like a couple of these songs (24 hours and the eternal) but not enough to like the album.
Irritating and, ironically, joyless.
I thought they were kind of interesting, but not really my kind of music.
Singing is very depressing,not the best for when the clocks have just gone back and it's dark and rainy in the morning
# 604 : Closer Closer – Funeral Hymns for the Emotionally Numb This is a grumpy, depressed mishmash of musical ideas, overlaid with thick, tuneless vocal mumbling. It’s trapped in the past and doesn’t feel relevant in the modern age. I can objectively appreciate what it was, but subjectively? This is decidedly not for me. Someone once described this as “arty, pretentious shit with a vocalist who can’t sing.” Hard to argue, really. It’s like a collection of funeral hymns recorded in a concrete bunker. The atmosphere is heavy, the pacing is glacial, and the emotional payoff is… nonexistent. Best Track (if you must): Heart and Soul – which was okay, but still nothing that made me want to stay in the room. Verdict: ★★ for historical value. File under “albums that make you want to check on your plants instead.”
Dark, sad album. I only know the lore and have listened to Joy Division peripherally. not convinced by this body of work. Never quite pulled me in
Tedium Division.
1 stern
Not really my thing.
I understand there's some greater context at play with the album but it just made 0 impression on me.
This album was a whole bunch of nothing for me. I'm writing this mere minutes after finishing it and don't remember a single song.
I get it. The promise of this band pitted against the tragic death of lead singer Ian Curtis has elevated their albums to pillars of gothic and post-punk scenes. The songs are sparse, haunting, filled with dread and unease. On a rainier, gloomier day this might be perfect.
People on this one lying about how they like unknown pleasures better… like that album isn’t a dumpster fire too. Come on, hate it with your chest now lmfao
This became one long droning song. I enjoyed "Unknown pleasures" but this just didn't do it for me.
Not really my kind of music, but I didn't enjoy a couple of songs: Colony, A Means to an End, and Heart and Soul.
i dont think i like this necessarily, it drags on quite a bit and the songs float into each other too much whether intended or not... even disregarding the reading of this album as a suicide note, it still feels quite dull in a way that i dont appreciate
This sounds like music I'd hear in a Goodwill in 2007. Very white noise...
Well, turns out I only like the one Joy Division album. If I heard any of these on their own I might like them more but it’s a rough listen in one go through. Wanna make it close to a three, but it ain’t quite.
Nothing stood out, pretty repetitive
Yes, the singing sucks. The songs are not great either. But the album probably holds some historical importance. That's not enough to make me want to hear it again. 3/10
Ei vaan lähteynt Joy Divisionit. Pari ihan ok biisiä mut ne ei jaksanu pitää tätä levyä pinnalla. Johonkin tilanteeseen varmasti sopivaa. Ihan ku joku olis tilannu Depeche Moden syntsat Temusta
Nyt ei napannut. Levyn alkumetreillä reaktio kolinaan oli niin raju että harkitsin antavani suoraan 1 tähden, mutta oli levyllä onneksi myös musiikkia. Kyllä tästä kuitenkin rehellisesti myös välittyi jonkinlainen tunnelma ja artistin tuska, mitä paremmin tutustuttua pääsisi(?) kuunnellessa kanssakärsimään, mutta taas näin "kerran töiden taustalla" -ympäristössä ei oikein iskenyt
Ei ihan itsellä ole koskaan ilodivisioonakaan lähtenyt. Vähän liikaa synkistelyä itselle. Sinällään hyvät soundit, mutta laulajan äänestä en vaan pidä. Myöskään ainakaan näin yhdellä kuuntelulla ei jäänyt yhtään yksittäistä biisiä mieleen, kaikki oli vähän semmoista sotkuista mössöä. Hauska kun levyn päätteeksi Spotifyn algoritmi lähti soittamaan jonkun ihan toisen bändin kamaa, niin en edes huomannut että levy oli vaihtunut. Ei nyt kuitenkaan mitään ihan kauheaa kuraa tämäkään, solid kaksi tähteä.
Very 80s. But boring 80s. Not really worth listening to 80s. At least not the kind I like of the 80s.
“Joy” division ??? Strange name … this music is totally lacking in any thing close to Joy…. I was sad to read about what happened to the singer : ( … so far proto- punk, post- punk, punk… any style that has “punk” in it … seems to be code for “the guys in the band didn’t bother to learn how to play their instruments”
nicht meins.
A rock album which has every element to be a great album, lovely synths and cool vocals, but underwhelms me in every way
This list has taught me that Post-Punk is my least favourite genre. This album proves that, being so bland, bleak, boring and a tad soulless. Do only depressed people like Joy Division, because I have no idea why anyone would listen to this otherwise. It lacks any sustenance that makes music, music.
A bit talking heads, a bit dull.
Vocals - just nope / hate him. And I am still trying to figure out the cover art. the actual music arrangements of guitar and percussion were OK. Listened before? N Saved tracks? N Favorite tracks? N/A ⭐️⭐️ For effort
meh
I hadn't realised the circumstances of the album when I listened. Read up afterwards. The album made more sense then. But whilst it might have increased its value it didn't increase the enjoyment for me.
Did not like, tbh. But I do hear why it was influential.
H: all the songs sounded the same, not my cup of tea 2/10 H fav song: Colony Z: maybe that post-punk sound just isn’t for me. Lyricism seems deep and rich, but as a total package it didn’t hold my attention well. Not a huge fan of the lead singer’s tone— maybe that’s why? 5/10 Z fav song: Isolation
I’m one of I suspect many who only know Joy Division for “Love Will tear is apart”. A bit disappointed to see it’s not in this album. I can’t say I enjoyed it but it’s got something that could hook you in. Heart and Soul came closest for me. Dare I say I don’t early like Ian Curtis’ voice much?
I was hoping to hear Joy Division as part of this project, only to discover they aren't much like New Order. In some respects, I like that the two bands are not the same. I understand Closer to be a seminal piece of post-punk, and I heard a lot of that here. But the new wave aspect sounded too much like Elvis Costello to be enjoyable. I know I'm not giving Joy Division a fair shot, but I can't be unbiased, try as I might. At least there were no racial slurs, which puts Joy Division eons ahead of Costello.
The name is more famous to me than the actual art and after reading the backstory on the album and the tragedy that followed it, I can see why it may be a well regarded album. Lyrically provoking but the music doesn’t do it for me. Devoid of melody. Drum and bass dominates the mix. Post-punk deconstructed all the good things about its predecessor.
Just didn’t really feel it. I’d give it another chance.
It was better back by then but I find it very depressing now
Not bad tbh. Nvm, relistened, most of it is bad, it's the last three songs that were decent
Nonsense.
Eh sounds like the beginning of indie music.
As someone who is big a fan of a genre that people often don’t understand and shoo away as boring, I hate to say the same thing of another genre, but yikes what is there here? I probably will just never understand British man speaking in a dull droning voice along to nearly as dull music.
I generally love music for this time, specially the post-punks, emos, and goths, but I never really listened to much Joy Division, That's probably because their popular songs didn't do much for me. But, now thanks to listening to this I can honestly say. I hate Joy Division! Actually, I hate Ian Curtis. Sorry he died. Yes, it's sad. But he CANNOT sing at all! People say his songwriting is deep and this was a suicide note. Maybe, but I can't stand to listen him do this robo radio announcer voice talk-singing. When he does try to actually sing sing, his voice quavers and he's off pitch. Crap! It's actually unfair to the band that he's so bad. When the album starts, there are some good drums. Good vibe. Then the bass does some cool, fiddly bits. I think, Hey! Maybe I've missed out. Maybe JD is good. And then that wanker comes in and flushes the whole thing. I keep listening because that's the game here. There are some cool guitar noises. Sometimes sounding like a chainsaw. Interesting choices. While it's sometimes noise-y, it's on purpose and it's different. I'm in. And then that wanker comes in and flushes the whole thing. I keep listening. 3rd and 4th song, while I don't appreciate the way they've squashed the drums to be tinny, it sounds like some decent music. And then guess what happens? Wanker! I can't finish this album. It's annoying. I'd listen to the instrumental versions for sure. Or them with a different singer... sure, I'd try it. And I know the rest went on and were New Order, but they didn't play this style of music - less guitars and way more keyboards. It is Ok, but not for me. But that's for a whole different review. I will not be listening to this album ever again and I will break things in order to be sure of that. I'm going to give it a 2, but that's for the band. (I'd love to give them a 3 or event 4, but he's so bad, he ruins even their better qualities.) This album is practically unlistenable. Ian Curtis get's a -5. Wanker!
I listened to the deluxe version of this album, and, to be honest, I enjoyed the live set much more than the studio-recorded material. However, in every case, live or studio, as gifted as he may have been as a lyricist, Ian Curtis was no singer. I found the music on this album quite engaging, but just couldn't get past curtis' flat, off-key vocals, so I would struggle to assign it even three stars. Therefore, I guess it will have to be just two.
No prior experience with this band. Initially sounds... dorky. Drumming is basic and repetitive, and I'm not a fan of the vocals. Apparently, this is related to the punk era, but I don't hear any punk influence whatsoever. On the other hand, there are a few tracks that exude a haunting quality that I dig. Some of the extended riffs and instrumentals (e.g., A Means to an End) are pretty groovy. Twenty Four Hours started giving some punk energy: I'd listen to that one again. Almost felt like a precursor to Paint It, Black. Overall, I enjoyed the back half of the track list more than the front.
Aside from the first track, which sounded like a construction site or something, the music was good. I did not like the vocals at all. Listened before? N Saved to library? N Favorite track(s): N/A
This is not to my liking. Synth stuff generally is not. Add in a droning vocal and I'm out.
It's not monotone, but it's not not monotone. Didn't vibe with me at all
Just really not my jam. Not the worst I've heard here, but I feel like I've heard better gothic/depressing rock than this so far on this list. I also think The Cure does it better.
This was decidedly not my thing. I didn't enjoy the music. I didn't enjoy the vocals. I didn't enjoy the lyrical content. I can see however the influence it likely had on later music.
I understand the lead singer committed suicide shortly after this album and it honestly sounds like it. Every song is depressing and droning.
It’s droning, it’s oppressive. The whole thing sounds like it’s being played in a cold church. The drums sit in a TERRIBLE place in the mix. Overall, it’s like New Order before they discovered joy… or melodies. Not for me. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions: - Isolation - Twenty Four Hours
I didn’t see the appeal
Just ok for me.
I appreciate this for how different it was from the prevailing sound of popular music at the time. That being said this is not necessarily to my taste.
I'm fine with it being on this list but it's not for me. Didn't strike me as particularly memorable, but not bad
Sorry a couple of tracks aside, listening to the whole album just becomes a dirge.
This darkness of this album, I would imagine, reflected Ian Curtis’s state of mind during its recording. I found it an uncomfortable listen; very “moody”, for want of a better word, and very dark and despairing. I didn’t enjoy it, at all, but giving it only 1* feels harsh, for some reason.
It was fine, just really not my thing. I found myself wishing the one Joy Division song I knew was on this album. Tempted to give it a bonus star because I ended up with "Let's Dance to Joy Division" by The Wombats stuck in my head for most of the day, but I'm going to stick to the spirit of marking and say: 2/5
Ehh
Old school punk
not very memorable
The sad story didn't make me enjoy it anymore, liked the 2nd half a little better, but yeah
Half way through and I can say this is fucking terrible. I hate it. Maybe became little more bearable but still hated this.
This is one of the most sullen and depressing albums I've heard. The synths are kinda cool but the singer sounds like a priest stumbling his way through some invocation. Not my thing.
Closer – Joy Division (1980) | Post-Punk / Gothic Rock | Avg: 4.63 | Favorite Song: “Twenty Four Hours” Closer is often treated as a towering monument in post-punk, but for me, it fell flat. The atmosphere is undeniably thick—bleak, industrial, and heavy with despair—but the songwriting just didn’t pull me in. “Isolation” stood out slightly, mostly for its sharper production and sense of momentum, but the rest of the album blurred together in a grey, static wash. I respect what they were going for, but as a listening experience, it left me cold in all the wrong ways. The biggest issue for me was the emotional monotony. There’s a narrow emotional register here that might work for listeners drawn to mood above melody, but from track to track, the lack of variety became a drag. Ian Curtis’ presence is ghostly and evocative, but when the instrumentation never really shifts, the impact gets diluted fast. I get why this album resonates for others—but from a reviewer’s standpoint, it felt more like a mood piece than a fully realized album.
I was so close to liking this. The instrumentation on the first track was phenomenal and never really got worse. Even the vocals were out there, but not bad, and I've learned to love some weird vocals in my life. But then the actual lyrics... I swear the chorus of half these songs was just repeating the same line a dozen times until I felt borderline claustrophobic. Took me completely out of this. Sorry Joy Division.
Some really interesting musical things happening which were unfortunately ruined by the singer’s voice (RIP tho)
Man, I just don't think Joy Division is that good. Two albums and this is not the better one. You can literally just put on Substance instead and enjoy that, because New Order took every good idea that Joy Division had and improved upon it. The endless doom and gloom just doesn't do it for me.
Barely listenable.
*Yikes, I thought I liked joy division, but this was mostly rough. *First song was 6 minutes of good vocals with obnoxious background noise. *Improved after that, but will not be revisiting. RATING - 4/10
A bit lack lustre, wouldn't listen twice
2 stars. It's not cool and artsy to suck at singing.
Liked Unknown Pleasures more.
NOT my style of music, as much as I try to enjoy everything out there, this album was a solid "okay, I'm just gonna get through this album in case there are any good tracks I haven't given a chance", and it never delivered for me.
got better later down the album, but lowkey wasnt great. songs were repetitive, and i didnt like the reverb on the vocals in almost all the songs. could barely make out the lyrics.
Uh man, this is so fucking dour. It's such a slog.
So dreary.
This is ok. At times, I really like it. The music is good. The vocals are not my favorite. The situation surrounding this album is sad and makes the songs more poignant. Not something I would listen to regularly.
I thought a couple songs were good Twenty Fours Hours was my fav. But overall I didn't really care for it.
… did not like. Am I joyless?
I don't think it's for me. It's a little bit too boring? I don't know. I probably would have liked it if it hit me at the right time in my teens, but the mono-tone nature of his voice and the rest of the music really doesn't unlock any feelings in me.
When the song Bella Legosi’s Dead came out it was hailed as the beginning of goth rock. Gloomy and dark the song did not impress. Threads of the song are weaved throughout Closer creating for me a bleak drone.
I didn't connect with this. I enjoyed the final two tracks though.
Nah. This just ain't for me. It wasn't bad, I guess, but I didn't personally enjoy it. 2.4
Mee...
Rock, 1980 -> 2
Not a fan of the repetitive bass lines, hard to listen to that voice.
Грустно
Not sad enough to like this
Whatever
Started strong, ended meandering and monotonous.
Sounds quite modern, but lack of strong melodies makes it hard to love.
not loving this. cannot deal w his voice. he sounds like hes trying too hard. track 1 was not it. track 2 sounded like the same song. they all kinda sound the same. track 6. prob the least worst so far. im just getting through. is this goth? like is post-punk new wave goth? ive listened to post-punk that didnt suck ass but this does. im so bored. track 7 is ok i guess. i feel like this album has so much potential but his voice is just so flat and lame. and the songs are sooo long.
After a couple of songs, it just sounds droning.
both too hard and too soft i didn’t like it
Liked the drumming but the rest was sort of anemic, 2.5
Lotta hype surrounding this one. I've listened to it multiple times over the years and even own it on CD. I just can't bring myself to really enjoy it
i don't get it man. why is this so cool? its really not? "hello i cant write a complex song so i just repeat every note 1 million times"
Guess you don’t need to be able to sing to be in a band. But of a brutal listen if I’m honest
I fully acknowledge that this review might be an unfair one. I listened to it while in the car with a friend, and we were chatting and the sitcom was on so the music certainly wasn’t the forefront of the soundscape, and also didn’t have my full attention. I expected something catchy, like Love Will Tear Us Apart, but didn’t find anything like that here. This may well be an album where if I gave it my full attention I would like it more, but also there’s a chance I’d like it less. Post punk is quite hit or miss for me.
Meh
Meh
Not a very joyous album. Felt like I was in a graveyard. High 2
No thanks. I don't get it?
Rotete greier. Nei takk.
Damn what a boring voice
For all the excitement over this band and singer, I found it pretty dull. 2/5
I loved Anton Corbijns biopic about Joy Division and Ian Curtis. And I absolutely know why they're on this list. I just find Joy Division incredibly hard to listen to because Ian Curtis wasn't really that great a singer, and the production is a bit too wonky.
Rather funerial, rather dull, not much fun.
Not for me, sorry. I thought I might like it, but I didn't. Quite happy to forget about it.
Nope. I remember these years well. Post Punk wasteland filled with dopey new-wave bands flooding the airwaves with simplistic notes and atonal vocals. This crushed the punk movement, but was certainly a welcome arrival for all the dance-crazed white teen twits too terrorized by the Ramones and Sex Pistols and Dead Kennedys. Another band immortalized by tragedy. Makes it a classic, but still not good.
Nope
When I was in college, (and I’m Gen Z, so recently) I knew a classic incel guy who listened to exclusively punk music. I always thought it sounded like the B52s and made fun of him for it. “Haha this punk song sounds like Rock Lobster.” But then I learned that the B52s were a post-punk band. And Joy Division is a post-punk band. And Joy Division sounds like the B52s. And I still don’t like it.
Closer is a hard sell for me but my opinions did switch in the latter half of the record where songs have more much dynamism and feel more engaging. Discussing Joy Division is always a challenge due to its mythology and the tragic death of Ian Curtis which puts the album in a different spotlight. Yet, I think Closer isn't that great and it was hard to connect with it. The first few tracks have very static drums which never quite change which makes it pretty monotonous and even if it was the intention to create a sparse musical landscape, I don't think that they entirely succeeded with those tracks. They just meander on while Curtis babbles over it. Peter Hooks bass drives a lot of this tracks and make them somewhat more engaging. Once the fifth track "A Means to an End" starts, the album seems to improve dramatically because the drums are actually less static and we different grooves. I'll revisit this for sure in the future but I am not a big fan of it and vastly prefer Unknown Pleasures.
Not my jam. Mix of toe tapping and dragging music is a challenge.
Started well... but no.
and after a solid run we are back to the English Rock bands that all sounds exactly the same. Even the songs on the album all seem to just run together. No more British Rock! No More British Rock!
2,5
just can't get it
Sorry, I just can't
Not a lot of Joy to be found in this. It's so mundane. Whatever you do, skip the live version.
I'm sure this album is for someone. Just not for me.
meh
Atrocity Exhibition // Decades 2.5/5
I think one of their less popular albums, I listened whilst shopping and it was good background music. I didn't feel like I loved anything particularly.
*sigh*... This feels like another 'influential' album, which I'm sure was impactful at the time of its release, but to me 45 years later, I'm mostly bored. I did find myself getting into Twenty Four Hours during the intro, until Ian Curtis piped up and I switched off again. Not for me.
Very dark, depressing and bleak. Hard to find anything deeper than that. Some tracks have decent instrumentation/feel, but for me mostly comes through a bit flat and dated. Feel Ian Curtis's delivery was too abrasive for me, although that may be the point. Best Tracks: - A Means To An End - The Eternal Worst Tracks: - Decades - Isolation Rating: 3/10
Sorry, I much prefer New Order.
No thank you
fine
It turns out I just don't like Joy Division. Rating: 2
It was okay
Too electronic to get an authentic emo feel. Too emo to get a good electronic dance groove. Near miss.
This record could have been so much better. Take a track like 'Twenty Four Hours' which calls to mind the gloomy moody music of contemporaries such as the Cure combined with the repetitive rhythmic Motorik influence of German groups like Neu! The band cooks up a cool sounding song, but then Ian Curtis comes into the picture and really ruins it with his low-toned, low-mixed and often off-key mumbling. This happens on every single track, sadly.
if you’re gonna make your songs this repetitive they have to at least be interesting. The Eternal was cool but the rest was very dull
Again I did not know what to expect but I had hoped for something a bit more listenable. Challenging but not in a good way.
I don't enjoy this at all.
A snoozefest of an album, which makes the listener struggle just to hear. Favorite Song: "Twenty Four Hours"
I liked the music but not this guys voice.
Makes me depressed listening to it
I feel like, if they are the division in charge of spreading joy, they are doing a bad job. Nothing in that album soaked joy.
hä da isch gar nöd so joyful. joy division isch meider chli es t shirt worde sit es paar johr. mega dark bis jetz s erste lied. isch halt angsty post punk mit dem chani nöd immer öpis afange. isolation isch mit funny synths und so und coole drums wieder. uf passover tönter wie 63i wie isch de 23i gsi?? colony no cool mit fuzz bass und so. aber s isch scho seeeeehr depri hey. und isch etz nöd gad es hookfest. a means to an end au heavy wemmer sin suizid bedenkt. er cha nöd würkli singe aber er mueses au nöd chöne. de track tönt jetz reeeecht geil mit de drums wo wiit weg töned de bass wo au recht roh isch irgendwie. wird glaub langsam warm mit dene trurige buebe. twenty four hours isch au nöd soo spannend. fuck git das es zwei?? decades isch uuultra gaggi sorry. z langsam z langwilig z monoton z lethargisch git e heeerts 2.
uhhh enl ich kenn glaub nur love will tear us apart han atrocity jz na spannend gfunde, glichzitig ischs jz nüt gsi wo ich in nächster ziit nomal s krasse bedürfnis han, z lose isolation het echli weirde synthi oder so? he us irgeme grund bin ich meistens würkli nöd mega en post punk guy? villes würkt uf mich eifach schnell chli pretentious passover gfalltmer bis jz am beste glaub? ja kei ahnig di gliche drums für 4 min + gitarre wo au nöd vill passiert macht mit mier eifach wenig aso au colony findi easy aber rifach nöd meh dito für alles nachane 24 hours isch na cool gsi? hmm the eternal het e cooli atmosphäre ja huere schöns klavier!!
Just not a vibe for me. Sounded similar to Depeche Mode. Sadly a 2.8.