Unknown Pleasures

Joy Division –
Unknown Pleasures
(Factory; 1979)

British punk rock’s brooding, black-sweater-wearing cousin Joy Division is every bit as seminal as The Sex Pistols or The Clash. But unlike their more political or brutish counterparts, the Manchester-based quartet’s greatness lies within a more ominous and powerful response than punk’s primal but limited fury.
Despite sounding hauntingly raw and minimal, Unknown Pleasures &- Joy Division’s first album &- is bursting with a plethora of styles: punk, post-punk, synthesized dance, industrial, dub, and even radio-friendly pop. This cross-pollination is especially present in New Order, which formed following the demise of Joy Division, after lead singer Ian Curtis committed suicide two days before the band was set to embark on a tour of the United States.
Joy Division is credited with influencing several generations of musicians despite existing for a scant three years. Unknown Pleasures, right down to the instantly-iconic cover art of a transcription of a signal showing a star going nova, is one of the best rock albums of all time from a band that burned brightly, albeit briefly.
Trial track: “She’s Lost Control.”