A joy divided against itself cannot band

Depending on who you talk to, Joy Division is either a band that nobody has heard about or that everybody has heard about. A major force in the underground music scene, Joy Division first formed under the name Warsaw in 1976 and were gig-hoppers in Manchester before getting the attention of bigger names. To avoid legal issues with the band Warsaw, they renamed themselves Joy Division in 1978 after the prostitution wing of a Nazi concentration camp.

Joy Division were part of the post-punk movement in late-70's UK. Post-punk takes the anti-pop rebellion that punk is famous for and toned down the sound, allowing for more complexity in the music. If punk can be considered minimalist, then post-punk is simplistic. Repeated riffs set to mid-tempo drums makes for instrumentals that can last for minutes, while droned lyrics say just what is necessary and give way to a bass that not afraid of using the high string.

The complexity comes in the sound, as synthesizers weren't uncommon, reverb was choice, and the vocals themselves were seen as another instrument, like a baritone harmonica. Joy Division released Unknown Pleasures in 1979, giving the world a marraige of etheral sounds and gloomy lyrical content. It was no surprise that gothic acts years later gobbled this up and used this as a magnum opus for their genre. Other post-punk bands came close (without intentionally competing): The Cure's Three Imaginary Boys (leaning towards emotinal pop) and Siouxsie and the Banshees' Join Hands (leaning towards alternative).

If you want to know what their music sounds like, then listen to "Shadowplay." But if you want to know what their music is about, then look to the lead singer. Ian Curtis suffered with depression and social adaption his whole life. He married at 19 in 1975 and by the time Joy Division was touring he was experiencing marital tension from his wife and pressure from the band to continue their success. He was also susceptible to epileptic seizures during live performances (an example of this is seen here from the biopic Control). On the eve of their American tour, Ian Curtis was found dead by hanging on May 17, 1980.

Joy Division quickly dissolved, releasing the completed studio album Closer and the single "Love Will Tear Us Apart." The remaining members went on to form the electronic group New Order; they would occassionally do a live cover of a Joy Division song from time to time, but were (and are) aware that JD was Ian's band. Other bands influenced by Joy Division know this too, and also don't want to upset their cult following. But there are some good covers by Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead and The Killers (in order of decreasing general acceptability by die-hard fans).

So, yeah... sorry about the pessimissm, but it is what it is. I leave you with a 1979 performance showing the band's signature sound and Ian's iconic "dance."

"She's Lost Control (Live)" by Joy Division

Keep on keepin' on,

Kelvin