Closer to Perfection (Closer: Remastered & Expanded - Joy Division)

Member Name: Knor

Product:	Closer: Remastered & Expanded - Joy Division
Date:	19/06/02 (336 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Brooding atmoshpere, Beautiful instrumentation and production, harrowing melodies

Disadvantages: This is an artefact of suicude, a couple of weak songs, too short!

A mortal climax. Have you ever thought of doing something? Just doing it and then leaving. So you don't even see the results? What if I write this, and then skewer myself over the desk as a few Miles ooze into my account... If you have ever wondered, out of harmless curiosity and slight amusement of course, what the world would say, if the Earth's axis stopped enough at the foot of your grave, then this album will speak to you.

Closer was not the suicide album we know today. This isn't an In Utero, a layer to Kurt's insular death. It was methodical. Almost part of the plan. Obviously a decision was made and this was to be his legacy. His tragic self-demise occurred before this record was released.

Turn on the stereo and abruptly an eerie pulse of drumming pounds it's way into your consciousness. Over and over. Then a hollow clanging joins the throng, before the voice leads the cry. "THIS IS THE WAY, STEP INSIDE," you are listening to Atrocity Exhibition, a harrowing piece about the sickness of the human mind, blood lust. All the while guitars screech under beds of concrete in the background.

What an opener.

The next few songs are comparatively accessible. It has more reference to music of the time. In my opinion these are the weaker tracks. Isolation is a great track but unfortunately is poisoned by a dreadful retro-80's noise from some dying moog being fingered to pieces.

However the searing quality returns with such blisteringly powerful tracks as Heart & Soul and Passover.

"heart and soul"... built on a compulsive bass line and compressed by unbearably heavy atmosphere. The noises created are truly haunting and THAT guitar riff couple with listening to the drums being slowly mashed to death. Utter genius.

Passover it another classic. Aggressive, emotive, INIMMATABLE. And that's the thing about Joy Division who share what most of the world greatest band d
o: there's is nothing like this in the world.

The record continues. Curtis slows down. His emotion starts to just drip off his tongue, like a sinister syrup. In the album's twilight, the morbidity becomes more personal. Listen to the train on one track come in. First on overdrive, pistons blurring. But soon it halts, billowing out a final orgy of fumes.

When they included the train, I can't help but think, like very other detail in the album, that it was planned with immense foresight. The sleeve I feel is a particularly poignant coincidence.

Eventually the music ends, and you realize that you can hear your own heart beat.

The album works as a whole, a strong unit. Sit down and listen. The album's rhythm is unlike anything I’ve heard before and is nothing short of remarkable. The tension it adds to the bubbling atmosphere is unbelievable.

No doubt most virgins to this music will need a while to adjust to the vocals. Curtis does not have an AESTHETIC voice. I'd be surprised if he was head chorister, or if technical musicians would rate his voice highly. But it's rock music. It's an expression of poetry. It's a shame that beautiful often has to convey different feelings in our language but it's true: the vocals are BEAUTIFUL.

Lyrics are great of course. Dark, macabre. Guitars on this are remarkable. Tremendous distortion is used, in a time when it wasn't fashionable. No Kobains at this time. But as I indicated before, it the abstract in this record that makes it a legend. The band's subjective brilliance at suggesting so accurately emotions is a great feat, and the atmosphere is incredible.


So Ian. You missed it. I'm sorry.





(PS: If you ever read Gormenghast, this is an amazing accompany record. Sorry, just had to include that! Their gothic brilliance is such a combination though. Also about my return to the scene; comm
itments and work caused me to forget dooyoo, which I remembered today, somewhere in the bottom of my favourites. Don't expect a continual barrage of ops. though, but do check back to my account now and then. TFC)

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