I absolutely love this track. The guitar is so intoxicating. I found the lyrical breakdown super interesting, it will definitely enhance my future listening experience. The lyrics are dark and deep; of course he did commit suicide later on so it definitely helps to connect with how he was feeling.
It’s funny to hear your critique of the bass. Peter Hook is well known for his unique bass sound, and is an identifying characteristic of both Joy Division and New Order. He typically played higher on the fretboard and really treated the bass more like a melodic instrument than a rhythm instrument. This just happens to be one of their songs where this isn’t the case. Just listen to their “poppiest” single, Love Will Tear Us Apart.
Joy Division were arguably the definitive post-punk band, and you can very much hear them as being stuck right in that middle-ground between what punk was and what it was going to become as bands got artier and more ambitious. They've never really been my cup of tea, but I totally get their appeal, and if I'd found them earlier in life I can imagine how they could've become one of my favorites. It's a shame they only made two albums. As iconic as they are I would've loved to see where they could've taken their sound/style.
It’s important to realise that the band members had absolutely no musical training. They were just working class kids picking up an instrument after getting inspired by the punk movement.
Joy division were the beginners of the new wave style. Ian Curtis (singer) was a troubled but very talented young man. He had depression and frequent epilepsy attacks. Often even while performing on stage. At the age of 23 he took his own life. He was also the lyricist for the band. And most if not all of his lyrics were pure poetry. I would highly recommend that you react to at least these three of their songs: "Atmosphere" (this song is the reason why I became their fan. I heard it in a tv serie once and had to immedietely know who they were. It was nothing like I ever heard before. A true masterpiece.) "New dawn fades" (shortly, one of the best songs I ever heard) "Day of the lords"
Can confirm the vocalist was not the guitarist. Also can confirm that Unknown Pleasures is a wonderful album to take a joyride to. Soothing darkness is the perfect way to describe them.
And idk if you just take random requests, but if you're ever inclined to check out Killers - Apologies I Have None I'd love to see someone who knows what they're talking about talk about it. That song is special.
@@CriticalReactions The band is Apologies I have none, the song is called Killers. They're a punk band from London. But the song isn't punky I promise.
Would love to hear your reaction and analysis to their tracks Twenty Four Hours, New Dawn Fades, Atmosphere. Incredibly deep lyrics from a 21/22 yr old man. 👍🏼
As heavy and dark as JD could be i think you hit it on the head. I think ultimately JD were an ambient soundscape band. Also love the comments about driving, JD give me the same vibes when driving in a city as drum n bass tracks. Just seems to fit the mood of a city at night. Joy Division have been my fav band since i was 14 now 45 and still atop my list.
There was a REALLY nice cover of this song performed by the Killers that is a good deal more aggressive & driving, without any major changes being made. Goes to show that different approaches to the same material can make for pretty significant differences. Ian Curtis's vocals remind one of those of Peter Murphy (Bauhaus)... The surviving members of JD went on the become New Order. They never did get any more complicated than this, but they veered into a more new wave/synth driven territory... they were big in 80s club scenes.
A sincere thank you for a gentle and honest reaction to a great song. JD was very much punk from the start. Personally I appreciate the bass and the drums a lot. Very kraut and sometimes even Black Sabbath. Ian Curtis is still one of the best portrayer of the relelentless confusion and pain you need to deal with while becoming a person for real.
Listen to some of the live versions of this. The one from Les Bains Douches is the best one, imo. I won't say they are almost night and day, but this song was much closer to a banger when JD did it live.
I found JD, like some of my favorite Dub, while being "darker" ultimately drips with human optimism. It's a good choice. I still find it intriguing that this music was happening at the end of the 1970's.
now you have to do the cure - prayers for rain or sinking you will love it!! similar vibes but slower!! i hope you didn't forget tesseract war of being!! i'm waiting for the review!!... wow those are hard hitting lyrics.. love the review!!
I have Tesseract's Altered State in my Album Review queue but I'm sure War of Being will make it's way in there eventually. Especially since I didn't get a chance to check it out on my own last year.
@@CriticalReactionsi will waiting for altered state review so much!! you will love it!! ashe o'hara voice is amazing!! you have to do the album version of of mind becouse the oficial video is cut!!
To me this song is dark in a dark way. There isn't much ambiguity about it for me. That doesn't mean it's not also enjoyable. I think it's kind of funny that you would hear it as more positive than I would when so often you hear other things (particularly with lots of dissonance) as much darker than I hear them. I have never gotten far trying to make sense of the lyrics, and the interpretation you provide (with some outside help) makes a lot of sense. I always assumed the you was really another person. I do think the lyrics are a little vague, so there are probably multiple reasonable interpretations. I guess you know Ian Curtis killed himself at a young age, but it really makes the interpretation you give the lyrics that much more tragic. Even if I were more into this style than I am these days, I think I would still find this song too depressing to listen to on a regular basis. Given the time when I was listening to Joy Division heavily, I don't especially want to return to the feelings I associate with that time. I could relate all too well with the overall mood.
i'd have the warning all day before these mate,aside from good lyrics and the singer having a bit of an aura about him they sound like they learned to play their instruments that day.the warning are 3 talented ladies that are still flying the flag for rock whether they sound dated or not,just think they're drab,boring,grey etc nothing exciting about them at all,as i say i didn't get them at all
It is necessary to listen to the whole "Unknown Pleasures" album to understand its greatness. Ian Curtis wasn't the only nutcase on the record. The producer, Martin Hannett was also crazy, and an abuser of drugs and alcohol. I think his production made the album special, because it captured so well what darkness and depression felt like. He stripped the rough edges out and polished everything. Hook's bass is very distinctive, but Sumner's guitar cuts down like a shower of knives. The album sounded very black, as though it were something that light never came out of. It works because it sounds like it came out of a dungeon, that the sound is trying to penetrate some numb fog which is depression. It is something that is simultaneously soothing, numbing and claustrophobic. You can only understand the full impact of the production when you hear Joy Division's live recordings: they sound like a completely different band when not directed by Martin Hannett. It's one thing to listen to a track or two, but the full experience is in listening to the album (or at least one side) in its entirety, to experience 40 minutes of this blackness. Also want to shout out to the commenter who's here to plug the Warning: you don't know what the fuck you're talking about.
i once listened to the full album mate it was just painful,to me they're fucking garbage.no offense meant and the chap commenting on the warning i'd have the warning all day over this pile of shit.no offense meant and have a good day they're just not for me@@sieteocho
On one hand we have a record that was made in the 70s, that I first listened to in the 90s, that I grew to appreciate in the 00s and we're discussing in the 20s. We're not going to have this discussion 10 years from now when everybody's forgotten who the Warning is. So you should listen to them as much as you can when they're still around.
You didn't have the wrong read on this. Joy Division mix poppy beat that sound chill to really display the last stages hopelessness where you've given up you start to feel soothing feelings for the impending doom. Its a chill feeling. Other bands of the same genre (and of the time this was made) also did similar thing like Siouxsie and the Banshees - Happy House. That song basically makes fun of happy songs and everyone who pretending everything is okay while his they are drenched in misery and for that they play like a satirical catchy rhythm. The theme of post-punk in general seems to focus on that last stage of hopelessness when you are like "fuck it" and start dancing with the crowd with the context of your own mind. In fact its basically like the decay of what the punk music is trying to display - rebellion. The sound of feeling like your rebellion is futile is basically what leads to decay of that rebellion hence why its post-
The first record I bought of theirs was a live album. As a result I love them faster and more noisy and raw than this! On record they're too slow and polished. They were inexperienced self-taught musicians I think. It is punk / post-punk. I thinks bands sometimes use the rhythm section to get a crowd moving and the rest of song can be what it wants on top. The drums are for the crowd not the message. Maybe he was talking to the band as much as the audience? He (Ian Curtis) didn't connect because he was uniquely troubled and brilliant. I love simple music. Music can be a lot more simple than this (and I don't mean boring ambient drone!) Great vid as usual. You are a truly unique and brilliant music reactor (who else do you recommend by the way? Vid complimenting the other music reaction channels you respect?)
I find every Joy Division song, very introspective and dark but the history of the band and that they are coming off the backend of post punk, has a substantial amount to do with that.
You do or you don't. Think they are one of those bands. My fav since i was a kid and there was no hype around them back then. The only person i knew who even new of them was a friends mum and all my mates gave me a lot of grief for liking parents music 😛 But yes they have had on hell of a resurgence well deserved in my opinion but still a bit cringe. I think due to many popular bands sighting them as an influence or just ripping off there sound.
Well, they deserve to be hyped, because the made something new and unique and, consequently, have been extremely influential, both in real time (inspired the "cold wave" sub-genre) and in the 20th Century. The reason the seem over-hyped is that people these days are very conservative and are, musically, stuck in the past, so keep harping on about them (I find it mind boggling that anyone would listen to a band like The Warning, who play music that belongs 50 years in the past...).
They pretty much created huge chunks of new wave and genres like darkwave, gothic rock and also influenced the experimental scene as well. Not overhyped at all. In fact they weren't that popular when they first came out
@@Robobotic they would've been popular if they lasted. They were about to do a US tour with Metallica or someone like that before Ian's suicide. *This is a myth, nobody they were to play with on that tour was relevant*
I absolutely love this track. The guitar is so intoxicating. I found the lyrical breakdown super interesting, it will definitely enhance my future listening experience. The lyrics are dark and deep; of course he did commit suicide later on so it definitely helps to connect with how he was feeling.
It’s funny to hear your critique of the bass. Peter Hook is well known for his unique bass sound, and is an identifying characteristic of both Joy Division and New Order. He typically played higher on the fretboard and really treated the bass more like a melodic instrument than a rhythm instrument. This just happens to be one of their songs where this isn’t the case. Just listen to their “poppiest” single, Love Will Tear Us Apart.
Joy Division were arguably the definitive post-punk band, and you can very much hear them as being stuck right in that middle-ground between what punk was and what it was going to become as bands got artier and more ambitious. They've never really been my cup of tea, but I totally get their appeal, and if I'd found them earlier in life I can imagine how they could've become one of my favorites. It's a shame they only made two albums. As iconic as they are I would've loved to see where they could've taken their sound/style.
early New Order was a direct continuation of the Joy Division's sound, but i like what they did later even more
It’s important to realise that the band members had absolutely no musical training. They were just working class kids picking up an instrument after getting inspired by the punk movement.
Joy division were the beginners of the new wave style. Ian Curtis (singer) was a troubled but very talented young man. He had depression and frequent epilepsy attacks. Often even while performing on stage. At the age of 23 he took his own life. He was also the lyricist for the band. And most if not all of his lyrics were pure poetry. I would highly recommend that you react to at least these three of their songs:
"Atmosphere"
(this song is the reason why I became their fan. I heard it in a tv serie once and had to immedietely know who they were. It was nothing like I ever heard before. A true masterpiece.)
"New dawn fades"
(shortly, one of the best songs I ever heard)
"Day of the lords"
No siouxsie and the banshees were
Or a certain ratio
Can confirm the vocalist was not the guitarist. Also can confirm that Unknown Pleasures is a wonderful album to take a joyride to. Soothing darkness is the perfect way to describe them.
And idk if you just take random requests, but if you're ever inclined to check out
Killers - Apologies I Have None
I'd love to see someone who knows what they're talking about talk about it. That song is special.
Is that the popular band "The Killers" or a different one?
@@CriticalReactions The band is Apologies I have none, the song is called Killers. They're a punk band from London. But the song isn't punky I promise.
@@VanemanaAMVs Alrighty, I'll see about checking them out
@@CriticalReactions I can't tell you how hype I am to hear that. Thank you
Would love to hear your reaction and analysis to their tracks Twenty Four Hours, New Dawn Fades, Atmosphere. Incredibly deep lyrics from a 21/22 yr old man. 👍🏼
As heavy and dark as JD could be i think you hit it on the head. I think ultimately JD were an ambient soundscape band. Also love the comments about driving, JD give me the same vibes when driving in a city as drum n bass tracks. Just seems to fit the mood of a city at night.
Joy Division have been my fav band since i was 14 now 45 and still atop my list.
There was a REALLY nice cover of this song performed by the Killers that is a good deal more aggressive & driving, without any major changes being made. Goes to show that different approaches to the same material can make for pretty significant differences.
Ian Curtis's vocals remind one of those of Peter Murphy (Bauhaus)...
The surviving members of JD went on the become New Order. They never did get any more complicated than this, but they veered into a more new wave/synth driven territory... they were big in 80s club scenes.
It should be noted that Unknown Pleasures was released in 1979 and was years ahead of it's time.
The chilled, lazy guitar solo is one of the most underrated things in rock (widest sense).
BTW, what you learned from the lyrics is probably a major mover behind IC's impending suic!de... which makes it even more thematically heavy.
A sincere thank you for a gentle and honest reaction to a great song. JD was very much punk from the start. Personally I appreciate the bass and the drums a lot. Very kraut and sometimes even Black Sabbath. Ian Curtis is still one of the best portrayer of the relelentless confusion and pain you need to deal with while becoming a person for real.
Do the NWRA by the Fall!
Listen to some of the live versions of this. The one from Les Bains Douches is the best one, imo. I won't say they are almost night and day, but this song was much closer to a banger when JD did it live.
Chill vibes? Not the expected thought, but that’s why I like your reactions.
I found JD, like some of my favorite Dub, while being "darker" ultimately drips with human optimism. It's a good choice.
I still find it intriguing that this music was happening at the end of the 1970's.
now you have to do the cure - prayers for rain or sinking you will love it!! similar vibes but slower!! i hope you didn't forget tesseract war of being!! i'm waiting for the review!!... wow those are hard hitting lyrics.. love the review!!
I have Tesseract's Altered State in my Album Review queue but I'm sure War of Being will make it's way in there eventually. Especially since I didn't get a chance to check it out on my own last year.
@@CriticalReactionsi will waiting for altered state review so much!! you will love it!! ashe o'hara voice is amazing!! you have to do the album version of of mind becouse the oficial video is cut!!
@@dek86s It'll be the whole album so I'll be using Spotify for the whole thing. No cut tracks will get reacted to.
To me this song is dark in a dark way. There isn't much ambiguity about it for me. That doesn't mean it's not also enjoyable. I think it's kind of funny that you would hear it as more positive than I would when so often you hear other things (particularly with lots of dissonance) as much darker than I hear them.
I have never gotten far trying to make sense of the lyrics, and the interpretation you provide (with some outside help) makes a lot of sense. I always assumed the you was really another person. I do think the lyrics are a little vague, so there are probably multiple reasonable interpretations.
I guess you know Ian Curtis killed himself at a young age, but it really makes the interpretation you give the lyrics that much more tragic.
Even if I were more into this style than I am these days, I think I would still find this song too depressing to listen to on a regular basis. Given the time when I was listening to Joy Division heavily, I don't especially want to return to the feelings I associate with that time. I could relate all too well with the overall mood.
i'd have the warning all day before these mate,aside from good lyrics and the singer having a bit of an aura about him they sound like they learned to play their instruments that day.the warning are 3 talented ladies that are still flying the flag for rock whether they sound dated or not,just think they're drab,boring,grey etc nothing exciting about them at all,as i say i didn't get them at all
I mean it does sound catchy and chill because but thats kind of whats ironic about it because those are the last stages of hopelessness
It is necessary to listen to the whole "Unknown Pleasures" album to understand its greatness. Ian Curtis wasn't the only nutcase on the record. The producer, Martin Hannett was also crazy, and an abuser of drugs and alcohol. I think his production made the album special, because it captured so well what darkness and depression felt like. He stripped the rough edges out and polished everything. Hook's bass is very distinctive, but Sumner's guitar cuts down like a shower of knives.
The album sounded very black, as though it were something that light never came out of. It works because it sounds like it came out of a dungeon, that the sound is trying to penetrate some numb fog which is depression. It is something that is simultaneously soothing, numbing and claustrophobic. You can only understand the full impact of the production when you hear Joy Division's live recordings: they sound like a completely different band when not directed by Martin Hannett.
It's one thing to listen to a track or two, but the full experience is in listening to the album (or at least one side) in its entirety, to experience 40 minutes of this blackness.
Also want to shout out to the commenter who's here to plug the Warning: you don't know what the fuck you're talking about.
i once listened to the full album mate it was just painful,to me they're fucking garbage.no offense meant and the chap commenting on the warning i'd have the warning all day over this pile of shit.no offense meant and have a good day they're just not for me@@sieteocho
On one hand we have a record that was made in the 70s, that I first listened to in the 90s, that I grew to appreciate in the 00s and we're discussing in the 20s.
We're not going to have this discussion 10 years from now when everybody's forgotten who the Warning is. So you should listen to them as much as you can when they're still around.
You didn't have the wrong read on this. Joy Division mix poppy beat that sound chill to really display the last stages hopelessness where you've given up you start to feel soothing feelings for the impending doom. Its a chill feeling. Other bands of the same genre (and of the time this was made) also did similar thing like Siouxsie and the Banshees - Happy House. That song basically makes fun of happy songs and everyone who pretending everything is okay while his they are drenched in misery and for that they play like a satirical catchy rhythm. The theme of post-punk in general seems to focus on that last stage of hopelessness when you are like "fuck it" and start dancing with the crowd with the context of your own mind.
In fact its basically like the decay of what the punk music is trying to display - rebellion. The sound of feeling like your rebellion is futile is basically what leads to decay of that rebellion hence why its post-
The first record I bought of theirs was a live album. As a result I love them faster and more noisy and raw than this! On record they're too slow and polished.
They were inexperienced self-taught musicians I think. It is punk / post-punk.
I thinks bands sometimes use the rhythm section to get a crowd moving and the rest of song can be what it wants on top. The drums are for the crowd not the message. Maybe he was talking to the band as much as the audience?
He (Ian Curtis) didn't connect because he was uniquely troubled and brilliant.
I love simple music. Music can be a lot more simple than this (and I don't mean boring ambient drone!)
Great vid as usual. You are a truly unique and brilliant music reactor (who else do you recommend by the way? Vid complimenting the other music reaction channels you respect?)
I find every Joy Division song, very introspective and dark but the history of the band and that they are coming off the backend of post punk, has a substantial amount to do with that.
JOY DIVISION forever!
2007. Dude this is 1978/9
most overhyped band in history,i don't get it!
U2 exists
You do or you don't. Think they are one of those bands.
My fav since i was a kid and there was no hype around them back then.
The only person i knew who even new of them was a friends mum and all my mates gave me a lot of grief for liking parents music 😛
But yes they have had on hell of a resurgence well deserved in my opinion but still a bit cringe. I think due to many popular bands sighting them as an influence or just ripping off there sound.
Well, they deserve to be hyped, because the made something new and unique and, consequently, have been extremely influential, both in real time (inspired the "cold wave" sub-genre) and in the 20th Century.
The reason the seem over-hyped is that people these days are very conservative and are, musically, stuck in the past, so keep harping on about them (I find it mind boggling that anyone would listen to a band like The Warning, who play music that belongs 50 years in the past...).
They pretty much created huge chunks of new wave and genres like darkwave, gothic rock and also influenced the experimental scene as well. Not overhyped at all. In fact they weren't that popular when they first came out
@@Robobotic they would've been popular if they lasted. They were about to do a US tour with Metallica or someone like that before Ian's suicide.
*This is a myth, nobody they were to play with on that tour was relevant*