Joy Division - Closer (1980)
Staglieno Cemetery - Grave found on the album cover
I will start the review off with a simple if not controversial statement. This is the better of Joy Division's two albums. "What?!" you may be thinking to yourself, "But Unknown Pleasures is a classic!". While I do agree with that sentiment, I believe this album has held up a lot better in regards to artistic creativity, and stands on its own through the insight it gives into the deprived mind of a man who would eventually take his own life.
Diving into the history of the LP, and even beginning from the first track one, will be able to tell this is a more challenging record. Not only is the instrumentation more fragmented with stuttering guitars but front-man Ian Curtis's lyrics are a lot more grim, which is surprising because on their debut he was not exactly a happy soul.
This review is going to be a track-by-track analysis of a grim record, moreso than the last one because unlike Deftones, this band never had the opportunity to press on. This is the story of Joy Division's - Closer.
Coming off of their critically acclaimed debut LP, Unknown Pleasures in 1979, the members in Joy Division had their hopes high for their chances within the music industry, at least all except one. Ian Curtis, the bands front-man was worried, not only because of marital troubles but his health was severely declining. It all started in late 1978 when Curtis began suffering severe convulsions on and off stage. It was then at age 22 that Curtis was diagnosed with severe epilepsy. So severe in-fact, that doctors ruled out that "His life is going to be ruled to obsolescence by the condition".
This was evident during live performances, where approximately once a week Curtis would collapse during a show and hop right back on stage, only being hospitalized a few times when lighting technicians neglected to keep the show-lights down. This all culminated in the recording of their 1980 record, with Martin Hannet returning once again to produce. The album would be the last of the bands career as two months before the release of the record, Curtis would be found by his wife hanging on the dish-drying rack in his kitchen.
So how did the album fare? Well, it's bleak and downright sinister at times without sounding aggressive, it just sounds like someone calling for help, a call that wasn't heard by the band or anyone surrounding the project.
The record begins with 'Atrocity Exhibition', a six minute opener featuring heavy percussion and stuttering, distant guitars. The lyrics right off the bat are cryptic with Curtis citing asylums in which people could visit as if it were a circus and more rather bleak imagery. On the track bassist Peter Hook and guitarist Bernard Sumner swap instruments which leads to basic, yet catchy licks that is topped off with immaculate drum production. One thing I feel people overlook in Joy Division is the rhythm section, Steven Morris, the bands drummer is incredible at keeping a quick yet consistent pace so much so that he could probably fit in the metal genre.
Next up is the biggest song from this record, 'Isolation'. The song begins with a snappy electronic drumbeat with accompanying quickly paced bassline, with Sumner manning the keys. This is the first track that seems to dive into Curtis' paranoia about his marriage and personal sorrows. His wife recalled that Curtis would often confide to her about his suicidal thoughts but would appear to others a s a kind-hearted and oddly social person. The refrain of "isolation" in the track could reflect this mirage, as he felt he could never truly connect with anyone, even his wife as he was in the middle of an affair.
The third track on the LP 'Passover' is the first open admission that Curtis was on the way to ending his life. The entire song is filled with the sentiment that the path ahead was the final and most treacherous one. Touching on the instrumentation, Sumner returns to being on guitar however Peter Hook now equips a six-string bass for the first time in his career. Following 'Passover' is 'Colony' the shortest track on the record clocking in at 3:55. This song is another example of the rhythm section carrying the pace of the track while Curtis shouts over the manic beats. The lyrics citing events from the novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, its technically a brisk retelling of the events from the novel. This was incredibly common in post-punk tracks.
'A Means to an End' is another track that is explicitly about Curtis' crumbling marriage. With the backing track keeping a consistent groove, Curtis confides that while he was able to trust someone with the difficult task of wedding him and even a child, he was not able to keep up and is turning away. It's a grim look into a young man who veered way too fast into a lifestyle he could not manage. This steers directly into 'Heart and Soul' the song with the most minimalist approach on the record and with lyrical topics once again reflecting Curtis' marriage. This is not one of my favorite cuts on the record mainly because the synth-bass tone could have easily been replaced with a nice reverbed petal tone however the tracks proceeding this track are why I regard this record as one of the best post-punk records ever made.
'Twenty Four Hours' is the heaviest BANGER on the LP which reflects on all of the aspects of Ian's life that he hates and can no longer tolerate. The title in particular references the thoughts that go through your head 24 hours before the end. It's a reflection of hatred, guilt and regret, and longing for peace. That alone would make it a qualifier for any bands closing track, any of these songs could be closers but the drama keeps increasing as the record continues and it all culminates in 'The Eternal' and 'Decades'. Starting with 'The Eternal' it begins with a crescendo of what sounds like bugs, in production this was simply sprinklers placed under various effects. Hook then comes in with a slow, descending bassline that then launches the song with the drums and a piano surprisingly. These last two songs don't feature guitar and instead fully opt for atmosphere. In the song, Ian paints a picture of a funeral and refers to the guests as nothing but clouds, wisps of wind with empty thoughts. The second verse
"Cry like a child, though these years make me older
With children my time is so wastefully spent"
potentially reflects his thought on his own daughter. He held a resentment for her despite wanting to care, and show the person who believed he truly was. This is also more cryptic knowing that Ian would end his life before the child could even speak to him. The song can also be interpreted according to guitarist Bernard Sumner as a child who has been forever housebound due to mental illness. Ian lived by a child who could not play with any friends or participate in normal activities on account of down syndrome. This is close to my favorite song on the record and was the first ever Joy Division song I heard at age 14. My dad ended up being a massive Joy Division fan and recommended this album in particular citing the depressive atmosphere and I never really truly appreciated it until the age of 17. The songs structure, with the instrumentation stripping back at certain points it builds a mood that can only be described as hollow.
The album then concludes with 'Decades' a six minute closer with synths being on the forefront of the mix. What's incredible about this song is once again the atmosphere. The presets chosen for the mix were some sort of digital strings and an ambient choir, and its easily the most dread-filled track on the album. The bass and drums simply keep the rhythm pushing forward, what truly is impressive about this song is the synths and Curtis himself. The lyrics once again are foreboding and sorrow-filled. Like most Joy Division songs, they can be interpreted in multiple ways. One of them is of war. Young men heading to their deaths and as the decades pass this ritual does not end. The other is the ritual of depression, how people despite trying their best to be good at heart are doomed for failure at the end of the road, searching for that final connection that will never arrive and save them.
This record is fantastic, if not cryptic. The entirety of the lyrical content is just insight into a man at his ends wit. It's a record that, while I may not be able to directly relate to Curtis, its a sentiment that I believe a lot of us are able to feel. Not being able to relate to anyone around you or feel an ounce of happiness, especially the given times. Over the years this record has influenced countless bands that I love, one example being The Cure. I believe its mark on music will be more impactful than their debut as the debut was more setting up the image of Joy Division. Closer is Joy Division.