10 More Perfect Rock Albums Of The 70s With No Bad Songs
2. Unknown Pleasures - Joy Division (1979)
Dread, dread and more dread. This is by no means a light hearted listen. Sombre melodies, explosive vocals and themes of depressive isolation. This album should not be undertaken lightly. For all that, however, it's an experience that any avid music listener should embark on.
Joy Division was the precursor to a whole plethora of movements: The emo/goth scene, the new-wave movement, the acid house movement - their influences can not be understated.
The album drew many aspects from punk rock, but conveyed a far moodier and chilling atmosphere. It was a deep dive into the sonic psyche of Ian Curtis. His sinister and booming vocals wouldn't be out of place narrating a classic horror novel, and you certainly feel a sense of horror listening to these songs.
The spares and eery synthesisers add a gothic disco vibe, the bass seems to be driving towards an unpleasant but unavoidable conclusion and the lyrics explore Curtis's explicitly painful existence. This album was the sound of impending doom that ultimately summoned in the suicide of Ian Curtis.
When New Order formed after the death of Curtis they took the core elements of this sound, but transformed them into into a more optimistic take on new-wave dance rock. Their new sound went on to fuel the life-celebrating genre of acid house.