More than three decades have passed since Joy Division emerged from the cultural rubble of post-industrial Manchester, England, to rechannel punk rock's sound and fury into something more sublime.

Over the group's three-year existence, its lyrics connected with fans by conveying emotional isolation and existential despair while the music arrived with the visceral impact of shattering glass. Joy Division recorded just 50 songs: darkly propulsive rock anthems and atmospheric soundscapes of a kind of glacial grandeur, serene and severe.

Now, 27 years after the group's charismatic lead singer and songwriter, Ian Curtis, hanged himself at age 23, the band is having a "moment." After years as a cult phenomenon, Joy Division's influence is suddenly turning up all over pop culture.

But why Joy Division? Why now? In an era that has post-punk cultural touchstones such as skinny ties, danceable rock and distrust of the government making a comeback, many of those participating in the band's revival seem more apt to frame debate around what Joy Division isn't than to provide a new raison d'etre for its current resurgence.

"When people revisit it, there's no cultural kitsch. It's so pared down, it's not retro," said Grant Gee, director of the new documentary "Joy Division."

Added Anton Corbijn, director of the elegantly shot Curtis biopic "Control": "Joy Division doesn't feel fashionable in any way. It defined an era, but it doesn't really come from that era."

Co-produced and directed by the music-video ace and art photographer, "Control" traces Curtis' internal conflicts as a family man who struggled to reconcile his fragmented existence as a rock star and closet intellectual prone to epileptic seizures.

"Control" cleaned up at last year's Cannes Film Festival, winning the Regards Jeunes prize for best first or second directed feature and the Europa Cinema award for best European film being shown out of competition for the Palme d'Or.

Last month, music-video helmer Gee's rockumentary — which details the group's fast rise and sudden end from the perspective of band members and those close to them — was acquired by the Weinstein Co. at the Toronto Film Festival. Although a release date hasn't been set, "Joy Division" has caused a stir among band faithful for including a first-ever interview with Annik Honore, Curtis' mistress during his final days.

Moreover, it's almost impossible to turn on modern-rock radio without hearing the sonic debt owed Joy Division by a who's who of buzz bands such as the Killers, Interpol, Bloc Party, the National and Moving Units.

"It's not like the hipsters have united and decided, 'This is the best band,' " said Brian Aubert, singer-guitarist of indie-rock group the Silversun Pickups, which covered Joy Division's "Shadowplay" on an early demo tape. "It's always been the best band. A band you found out about through other people. It was never pushed on you."

Until now. Rhino Records is releasing deluxe editions of Joy Division's studio albums, "Unknown Pleasures" and "Closer," and "Still," a compilation of rare recordings; Joy Division ringtones, a vinyl box set and the soundtrack to "Control," which includes unreleased music by New Order, the band composed of Joy Division's three remaining members.

Tom Atencio has managed New Order in North America for more than 20 years in addition to administering Joy Division's catalog on this continent and executive producing "Joy Division." He places the band's purity of purpose against the disposable nature of most pop music today.

"We live in a time of 'American Idol' where, if you're a kid, you are force-fed pop music that is a direct descendant of a hit from six months ago," Atencio said. "(Joy Division) weren't seeking the idolatry of a rock stage. This music was something they needed to express.

Blame the dearth of archival Joy Division information — Curtis was notoriously media-averse — for its continuing mystique. "Bands now, you know every biographical detail," Gee said. "With Joy Division, there was one audio tape and one major print interview ... if you're discovering (the band) now, you have to work to fill in the gaps with your imagination. The image draws you in."

Toward that end, look no further than the fashion runway for evidence that Joy Division's military-inspired "look" — buttoned-up shirts, trench coats, suit trousers — is indisputably now.

And the band's influence is felt even further afield. This year, the U.K. restaurant chain Yo! Sushi began offering a boxed meal named in honor of Joy Division's most famous song. The Love Will Tear Us Apart features salmon and tuna.