10 80s Albums That Changed Rock Music

Released a mere two months after the death of frontman Ian Curtis, Closer was the record that immortalised the legacy of Joy Division. It remains the defining sound of British post punk.

The group's debut, Unknown Pleasures, was a hellish, space age soundscape of ominous dread. Curtis crooned like the gothic narrator to his own tragic life. It was the sound of a man coming to terms with his tortured existence, foreshadowing his own early death.

Sonically the band were moving towards a more digestible and upbeat form of synth-pop - gothic though it still was. Perhaps the most joyous sounding track on the album, Isolation, demonstrates the duality of the record best. It contained some of Curtis' darkest lyrics with lines like "Mother I tried, please believe me. I'm doing the best that I can".

Heart & Soul was the precursor to the sound of new wave inspired dance. The lyrics hinted at Curtis' ability to see the light. "A journey that leads to the sun" he sings, but before long he follows it up with "Existence well what does it matter?". It's a difficult album to get through - it chronicles the shattered mindset of a man unable to battle his demons. It marked the sad end to a short lived career while ushering in a new age of synthesiser laced dance rock.