Where we're going we don't need roads; just a synthesizer, eyeliner, and a touch of androgyny. Welcome to Flashback Friday.
When I got the green light to revisit some of my favorite '80s music for this series, it kind of felt like I was going to start making a really long mixtape. You know, the completely embarrassing ones that are intended for seventh-grade sweethearts.
My inner John Cusack monologue was telling me: "You gotta kick off with a killer, to grab attention. Then you got to take it up a notch, but you don't wanna blow your wad, so then you got to cool it off a notch."
I feel like I was on pace, over the past couple weeks, but given the relevance of today's date and this week's Flashback band, I'm going to have to blow my wad all over some faces because we're going to be talking about one of my all-time fave new wavers, Joy Division.
Today, marks the 32nd anniversary of the day frontman Ian Curtis hanged himself.
Curtis' monotone musings paired perfectly with the band's punk persona to give brooding, introspective youths not only a voice to their awkward inner monologues, but a beat they could dance to. Songs like "Disorder" showcased everyone's talent and embodied the group's penchant for drama and despair, as well as their feverish energy.
Although Curtis never got to witness it firsthand, Joy Division influenced a wide range of genres and their songs continue to resonate in the music community today. They've been covered by Trent Reznor, Nouvelle Vague, and The Killers.
Of course, I'm going to say that "Love Will Tear Us Apart" is my favorite song. And not in any cryptic way, but just because of the fact that it's just so damn good. It's not often that passion and torment can be translated into a palatable potion like this. It's hard not to appreciate that kind of craft.
