19. Joy Division – Closer (1980)

I only really started listening to Joy Division after watching the film Control and realizing what a cook Ian Curtis was, and you know crazy people make good music. I was right, Closer is a great album. The drums on the opening song, Atrocity Exhibition are so strange yet not too tribal. Curtis matches them beat for beat with his vocals, also reminding me a lot of Jim Morrison. That song alone had me hooked. Heart and Soul is my favorite song on Closer, the bass is perfect. I love the scene in the film Donnie Darko, when Donnie descends the stairs into the Halloween party and Love Will Tear Us Apart Again is playing. That is one of my favorite ‘music in movies’ moments, so I was a little bothered when I noticed that Love Will Tear Us Apart Again is not on this album. There is a 2007 re-mastered version containing bonus material, of which Love Will Tear Us Apart Again is a part. So go listen to this album, then watch Control, then watch Donnie Darko.

Note: The director’s cut of Donnie Darko changes the music in the scene I mentioned, so go find the original. And fuck you Richard Kelly, I’ll make a Director’s cut out of your face.

Donnie Darko IMDB page here.

Control IMDB page here.

Joy Division Myspace here.

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