Transmission_音乐专辑
Transmission
流派: 摇滚
介质: 黑胶
专辑简介
Picking out an exact moment of Joy Division at the sheer peak of its collective power can never be agreed on by fans, but if there's a strong candidate, "Transmission" would have to be it. It's not merely for the sharp performance but especially Martin Hannett's legendary production, which drop-kicked the tight-riffing number into a futuristic setting of space and action needed to fill silence. Starting with distant keyboards like a lost moan, it takes shape around Peter Hook's direct bass line and then gets kicked up even further by the sudden echoed smack of Stephen Morris's drums. Bernard Sumner's simple but devastating riff provides the counterpoint, and at the center of the straightforward charge is Ian Curtis, celebrating the power of music and activity as a near-literal electric force for connection -- "touching from a distance/further all the time." After an amazing instrumental break, Sumner's overdubs along with a skittering, nervous synth part adding even more of a thick surge to the music, the final jaw-dropping verse finds Curtis in perverse excelsis, his sudden scream of "And we could DANCE!" a perfectly timed moment of tension and blessed release. That the song ends on a slowing, breath-catching coda seems only appropriate after the jaw-dropping heights scaled -- in recording, arranging, writing, and delivery, "Transmission" has a power few other songs share.
The B-side to the awesome "Transmission," "Novelty" could only suffer in comparison (indeed, some fans consider it the least essential Joy Division song ever). Certainly when one considers the precise, perfect construction of "Transmission," "Novelty" takes on more of a romp feeling in ways - not necessarily a cheery one, more an exploration in the not-always-appreciated heavy metal roots of the group (check the opening guitar part from Bernard Sumner). Stephen Morris's drums sound absolutely massive and take the central part in the mix; when towards the end he adds extra bass drum pound the feeling is even more apocalyptic. Ian Curtis reflects on the idea of trying to get past temporary thrills for a more central meaning in life - it's a good performance but not necessarily one of his best. If there's a moment to watch for, check the heavily phased guitar breakdowns between the mixes; Sumner shows some definite art here, capturing that feeling of trying to aim for an unattainable height. -- Allmusic
关键词：Transmission
