Joy Division/New Order Choice Cuts
Unexpectedly hearing an old tune from New Order on a mid-morning after a boring routine somehow pulled me back to recover myself, cling on to uncertain hopes, and not to be too hard on my passive-aggressive self
“Nostalgia is denial — denial of the painful present… the name for this denial is golden age thinking — the erroneous notion that a different time period is better than the one one’s living in — it’s a flaw in the romantic imagination of those people who find it difficult to cope with the present.” — Midnight in Paris (dir. Woody Allen)
Nostalgia is never a bad thing. Although you come to a certain point in your life where you want to erase familiar memories whether it’s good or bad, and how strongly they associate with your past self, unanticipated encounters and nonchalance over repeated covers or remakes of anything that you want to forget for a while (as in years or decades or never at all) always claws its way back into (forced) relevance.
But I remember when we were young.
— Insight, Joy Division
I may sound tired with this statement; apathy not so much. It’s just that some things remind you of your young self on its way to happy self-discoveries — this raw, organic and genuine bliss of emotion as if you don’t need anything at all. Then you fall off into the cliff of adulthood; you become disillusioned; and you start running away.
Yet some things are meant to stay with you even if you’ve temporarily buried them deep never knowing when you will need it. Memories that I keep deep guard my volatile self and vulnerable heart. Music, for instance, has saved me multiple times (and I guess for others as well who love music too much). There are songs that remind me where I was and how I was doing at certain periods in my life.
Tonight I think I’ll walk alone
I’ll find my soul as I go home
Up, down, turn around
Please don’t let me hit the ground— Temptation, New Order
I rarely listen to dark music these days. I’m easily drawn to negative thoughts and the call of the void. Somehow in all the years I’ve been listening to post-punk, my understanding of its definition as a genre has gone beyond one particular sound and artists. Bob Marley taught me this in his song called Punky Reggae Party.
So, how did I get here composing this entry? Some random scrolling on my Facebook feed had me stumbling upon a guitar riff cover of New Order’s Ceremony by my favorite local artist. Without even playing the video first, the tune instantly played in my head while only reading the title of the song. And I knew he’s gonna nail that tune.
Today, I revisited and listened to my favorite Joy Division/New Order songs from the albums and single releases I frequently play. It took me almost half a day to write this post as I go through my entire selection.
It’s easy to go through all the studio albums of Joy Division having only two— with the other one released posthumously after Ian Curtis passed away in 1979. With New Order, I still have to go through their entire discography if I ever reach the mood to go past Power, Corruption and Lies (1983) and Substance (1987).
It grows so slowly
But when it dies, it dies for good
It’s called love
And it belongs to everyone but us— Thieves Like Us, New Order
Is it easy listening? It depends on your taste and what your ears want to hear if you’re under a certain mood. For the old folks who experienced the era and second generation listeners such as I am who were drawn to the profound mystery of Joy Division, Ian Curtis’ dark history and the legacy of the band’s great translation of their emotions to music is something that cuts deep to the soul. It’s more than just a mood but are life lessons about loving, hurting, getting disillusioned, but still keeping your hopes high as you go through this entire loop in your life no matter how you try to avoid the cycle— at least with the hurting and getting disillusioned part.
New Order’s music, on the other hand, are sounds of healing and moving on from a painful memory of losing — may it be a person, a thing, or an era that we can only get to reminisce through another form.
When routine bites hard
And ambitions are low
And resentment rides high
But emotions won’t grow
And we’re changing our ways, taking different roadsThen love, love will tear us apart again
— Love Will Tear Us Apart, Joy Division
I was 24 when I first heard Unknown Pleasures. I was independent, full of angst, yet not brave enough to chase a dream. Now, I’m at an age where I guess I can manage my sensitive self and anxieties better. But to paint a better picture — a decade after listening to a Joy Division album for the first time, I’m once again back to zero having nothing to keep my morale high and still with the lingering fear and uncertainties about my future.
I prefer New Order’s dance music now despite retaining the dark lyrics and extended instrumentals more than the shadowy tones of Joy Division and Ian’s gloomy voice. Yet, both are so powerful and distinct it is only futile to make a comparison.
Side Note: Look for the following films that try to illustrate the history of Manchester’s music scene particularly the birth of post-punk and its huge influence in dance and electronic music: 24 Hour Party People (2002, dir. Michael Winterbottom) and Control (2007, dir. Anton Corbijn).
