Well as everyone in the UK is about to go Joy Division crazy with the release of the biopic Control (official site) - based on Ian Curtis' widow's novel Touching From a Distance - I thought I'd pass on some thoughts on the matter - why? Well we (Animals and Men) were early, though geographically remote, Joy Division fans - saw their first gig in London at the Hope and Anchor - and were pretty heavily affected by them before they had released their first lp so it's from that perspective that I write. I was really disappointed with the sound of Unknown Pleasures - it didn't match up to what I'd heard before and so I thought they'd been sanitised or processed. Some of those feelings were allayed by the following 'Closer' album which had a great sound but I thought they were not at their best on those lps. Although we had contact with other bands like the Ants, Monochrome Set - bands that we looked up to we never considered contacting Joy Division as they seemed a little bit intense even for us - maybe aloof. I hated it when they became NME's new favourite band and I didn't bother seeing them when they played Bristol. They seemed 'trendy' and therefore just another band that was 'over'. Then it was over. That was depressing. In a way musically it undermined that whole genre of gloomy intense music for us - by taking 'it' to that level even someone who was so influential to us surely had to be wrong? Having said that I don't ever remember sitting down and listening to the lyrics - but you knew what he was getting at on some level from hearing them so much. Will I go and see the movie? Not sure - I'm not comfortable with the commoditising of the artist/suicide link - but I still play the records.
Dead Souls
The lyrics to the above clip may be of interest as there is a historical theme (one example of history rock the Guardian missed out on?)
Someone take these dreams away,
That point me to another day,
A duel of personalities,
That stretch all true realities.
That keep calling me,
Where figures from the past stand tall,
And mocking voices ring the halls.
Imperialistic house of prayer,
Conquistadors who took their share.
That keep calling me,They keep calling me
