I think there is some really beautiful music out there, and there is one band I know of that you can rely upon to produce deep, touching songs, songs that make you think, stop still and ponder life for a few moments. Well at least, that is the effect they have upn myself. The band I'm talking about is Elbow, Guy Garvey and co have in the last few years made some of the best songs I have ever heard.

To prove my point, you only need listen to arguably their best album Cast of Thousands, there are songs there that exemplify the beauty of their music.

Elbow - Ribcage
Typical of Elbow, build the song from an almost silent start to a crescendo of sound that is possibly the best album opener around.

Elbow - Grace Under Pressure
This is an anthem, Guy Garvey's vocals are simply stunning, the gospel choir backing helps to lift this and

Both of the above songs are just so touching, they can give me goosebumps.

Of course there are other songs in the world that hold a beauty, are musically beautiful works of art, though some can hold a mere beauty in the words, in the voice of the singer and the best examples of this are my most loved bands, Radiohead and Joy Division.

Radiohead - Idioteque
The lyrics are chilling, the music almost mechanical yet to me this song is beautiful, Thom Yorke's voice building the song with the beat and unique electronice sounds accompanying his amazingly talented voice.

Joy Division - Isolation
It's not the music that makes this special, it's solely Ian Curtis singing. It's indescribable how much this amongst the other Joy Division songs affects me, it's here there is an admittance of self loathing and his regret shines through, "Mother I tried please believe me/I'm doing the best that I can/I'm ashamed of the things I've been put through/I'm ashamed of the person I am" The music may sound a bit dated but still.

I've put the labels as happy and depressed because these songs bring forth both emotions I think, they're contemplative, making any listener really think I believe. These are no badly written pop rock songs to storm the charts, this is music of the highest calibre.

In his wikipedia article, there are a few songs that are claimed as being written about Ian Curtis or his suicide, I was intrigued as to what they may sound like.

New Order - ICB (it stands for Ian Curtis Buried)
With the name wouldn't it be better as ICC (Ian Curtis Cremated), as he was, though they could be refering to the burial of his ashes. I think this was written to sound like Joy Division, just has that essence, though it was from New Order's first album.

Alkaline Trio - Help Me
This is the latest song tribute and I quite like it, I do like a couple of previous Alkaline Trio songs, yet to me it could very well be entirely unrelated to Ian, to me the lyrics don't really reflect him in anyway.

U2 - A Day without me

OMD - Statues


Psychic TV - I.C Water


Thursday - Ian Curtis
This is not that old really and it is alright i guess, though not exactly to my own tastes I have to admit.

Xiu Xiu - Ian Curtis Wish list
To be honest - I don't like this at all

The Cure - Primary


New Order - Elegia (This is a fan-made video)


Sumo (Luca Prodan) - Divididos por la Felicidad
This is rather a strange song, the lyrics, to me are really striking and the brief information about Luca Prodan I gathered from his wikipedia article makes out that he had a life just as interesting as Ian, with his heroin addiction he sounds like a predeccessor of Peter Doherty.

To be honest I am a rather cynical person, it would take something very strong to make me feel emotional, perhaps a sense of danger or the death of a relative or close friend. Something like that could make me cry.

These tracks make me feel really, and I mean really emotional, I don't know why particularly either, but for the weaker minded I warn that you may feel upset.

The whole of Laura Marling's brilliant debut album, 'Alas I Cannot Swim', it's so upsetting I think, her voice is just amazing, every song struck a chord with me I think, it is definitely an album people need to hear!

Laura Marling - My Manic and I
Be sure to buy the album: play.com/amazon.co.uk (I don't normally include such links but it is highly recommended)

Another soloist, Dev Hynes AKA Lightspeed Champion. This is my favourite song of his, even though the 10 minute running time can get a bit boring, the first half of the song definitely stands out, I'd like to have a version of the edit used for the video which contained, IMO, the best part of the song. It's an emotional song to me, though



MP3: Lightspeed Champion - Midnight Surprise

As well as those, a big variety of Joy Division songs can upset me, only one does it really well and that is the anthemic 'Atmosphere', its use at the end of 'Control' was the closest to tears a film has brought me I think.

Joy Division - Atmosphere

I'm feeling rather blue at the current time, perhaps even depressed you could say, well when I feel like this music helps, even if they make me more upset. Crying helps too!

A few songs that I listen too if upset

Radiohead - Reckoner It just makes me reflect, makes me feel possibly worse, its a song i don't know how I lived without, I'm not trying to sound melodramatic but this song helps and hinders in equal measure, I love the song and in particualr Thom Yorke's voice.

Joy Division - Love will tear us apart I think this song needs no introduction at all to be honest, it haunts me with Ian Curtis' voice and I love every second of it even if it is the only song by Joy Division given any recognition

Apoligies for excessive Joy Division in the last few posts aswell

Well I've finished my proper school time now, only have to go back for exams, the results and the prom which is not at the school so technically don't count.

Its been a very fun five years at Winton, with plenty of downs for me but majoritively it's been good.

We had a leaver's assembly with a powerpoint of a selection of incredibly humourous pictures from throughout the last few years, though the selection of accompanying music to me was not good, that's how I've linked to posting it here, see I think these songs are better!

The Libertines - Don't Look Back Into the Sun

Joy Division - Atmosphere

I admit it, I am obsessed with Joy Division and most particularly doomed front man Ian Curtis. Who can blame me? I bought 'Control' after its many shimmering reviews and thoroughly enjoyed it, the way Curtis is played by Sam Riley made me admire this singer who fought against everything holding him back to produce music. Then again it made me hate him aswell, the way he treats his wife Deborah is almost sickening and he knows it too, see the regret in his tears after she discovers his affair. Of course, thats just a dramatised film. I then went out and bough 'Touching from a Distance' the biography of Ian written by Deborah.

With that book, I took in as much information as I could, it is testament to the bravery of Deborah Curtis to dig up all the information and reveal hsi secrets, writing mostly unbiased opinions on his actions. It is a sad book, you'd be easily fooled to believing this was the life of an unfortunate Coronation Street character or the like because of the amount of drama and the events involved with Ian Curtis.

After both the film and the book I have come to see Ian Curtis as an idol, to me he is one of my heroes and that is for the music. In the film Control the cast excellently perform the songs themselves really capturing the live essence of Joy Division. Take a look at the performance of 'Dead Souls' below



I've painted 'HATE' onto the back of my backpack, Curtis' attempt at being a punk, (I didn't really want to buy a donkey jacket) and painted two portraits of Curtis for my GCSE art exam piece. They both turned out really good, along with my substanial explanations on why he was relevant to the project.

The music reaches out to me and I really enjoy nearly all of thier songs that just show Ian's emotions truly. Reading the lyrics at the back of 'Touching from a Distance' reveals how secretive he is, I think as no one took the lyrics seriously before his death he used the songs to vent his feelings that he would otherwise hide away.

Here are a few tracks, 'No love lost' is the ultimate track to listen to while walking!

Joy Division - No Love Lost
Joy Division - Disorder
Joy Division - Colony