Controversial Nine Inch Nails opinions

[elevenism]

I'm on my way to 30 at the moment, but I don't see myself having that issue when I get there. I listen to a lot of different music from a lot of different eras, and I'm not an overly nostalgic person either. If I was, With Teeth and Year Zero would be my favorite albums since they were my first exposure to Nine Inch Nails as a teenager.

I think people fell in love with a certain sound rather than with what Trent has set out to accomplish as a whole with the band, which is why it's so hard for them to get into more recent stuff.

Well see, it's not that for me.
I don't long for trent to sound like he did when i was fourteen.
And i WAS/AM obsessive with year zero (i was 27.)

This isn't just NIN for me, it's ANYTHING.
Part of the theory has to do with the idea that all the brain changes happening when you're young make you more receptive to music.
I'm saying it might even be something physiological.

Like i think that the trilogy is objectively better than Year Zero, but i don't feel as connected to it.

I think back to when Mer de Noms was released. I listened to that album on repeat every day for months.
And that sort of thing just doesn't happen to me anymore.

I'm saying that it's not the quality of the music or what i want out of the music; rather, it's ME. I'm afraid my consciousness isn't as receptive as it used to be.

[Harry Seaward]

It hasn't even been two years since he said that.

/s

[WorzelG]

Well see, it's not that for me.
I don't long for trent to sound like he did when i was fourteen.
And i WAS/AM obsessive with year zero (i was 27.)

This isn't just NIN for me, it's ANYTHING.
Part of the theory has to do with the idea that all the brain changes happening when you're young make you more receptive to music.
I'm saying it might even be something physiological.

Like i think that the trilogy is objectively better than Year Zero, but i don't feel as connected to it.

I think back to when Mer de Noms was released. I listened to that album on repeat every day for months.
And that sort of thing just doesn't happen to me anymore.

I'm saying that it's not the quality of the music or what i want out of the music; rather, it's ME. I'm afraid my consciousness isn't as receptive as it used to be.

Maybe it's different for different people, but I'm 45 and the Meltdown show I went to recently was as much a religious experience as seeing them in 1999 on the Fragility tour. I felt really connected to everyone in a way I haven't felt at a show in years.

[elevenism]

Maybe it's different for different people, but I'm 45 and the Meltdown show I went to recently was as much a religious experience as seeing them in 1999 on the Fragility tour. I felt really connected to everyone in a way I haven't felt at a show in years.

Oh yeah, I'm certain it doesn't happen to everyone.
I'm just saying I'm afraid it's happened to ME and that the study kind of rang true for me and made me a little sad.

That being said, a show is (again, for me,) a whole different ballgame.

[thefragile_jake]

Yeah, I think it all depends on each person individually and where they're at in life. For me, I'm 30 and I still get a thrill out of discovering new music ... either released this year or just stuff lost and forgotten about from my past discovery phase. I still love to go to shows when I can and being a part of live music is always going to be in my DNA forever I hope. I used to joke 10 years ago that I'd probably be that older guy hanging out at all the upcoming new bands' shows and even though I'm only 30 ... I feel like that sometimes, but I honestly wouldn't change it for anything in the world. I feel bad when a lot of my friends who used to be really into discovering new music eventually fall out of wanting to listen to new or challenging stuff, but such is life.

For me, Bad Witch is easily my favorite thing Trent has done since With Teeth. WT was an album that was the "new" Nine Inch Nails release since I became a fan in 2001 so I was all about that record and the anticipation / hype going in ... since then, I've enjoyed or really liked just about everything they've done (sans Year Zero) but Bad Witch is what I have been craving from Trent for awhile.

[Shadaloo]

At 35, I can say for certain it definitely is tougher to connect with new music, but still possible. Part of it's where one is, part of it's our analytical faculties and emotional maturity having developed or changed over the years. I spent so many years staying inside my comfort zone and spinning the same fifteen-twenty bands that nowadays, after forcing myself to branch out and give everything and anything a shot, finding someone that hits the mark for me is nothing short of a revelation.

I spent years following the same industrial rock acts - most of whom I still dig - and then one day all it took was me going back in time and checking out some earlier Cure albums and BAM two years later I live for post-punk.

[Archive_Reports]

giordano's isn't really that bad, it's just not that great compared to a lot of the other pizza available in chicago. lou's deep dish is satisfying without making you want to die, and that's why i'm partial to it. it doesn't feel like too much the way many deep dish pizzas do, particularly giordano's.

my favorite type of pizza is actually detroit deep dish, which is technically what most regions call "pan pizza" baked in a rectangular pan and served with the sauce only as a dipping sauce, not on the pizza. it's...so fucking good. if you're down here any time, i'd recommend trying it from either Longacre (vegan options available) or Fat Chris' (which is like three blocks from my apartment).

The last time I got Giordano's in Chicago my crown broke and I had to drive back to Indianapolis with half a tooth. That said, I absolutely love Giordano's and was relatively unimpressed with LM's.

[vav]

Peaquod's for deep dish or gtfo.

[kaydraven]

I hate Peaquod's. It has no flavor. We got a nice deep dish with all the toppings and veggies we could want and it was so freaking bland. Giordano's is okay; I love it if I get it for free, but Lou Malnati's is way better. But my favorite deep dish comes from Nancy's Pizza.

[Swykk]

I’m a Piece New Haven style guy but I have a wheat allergy so thick crust and deep dish is no longer a smart option for me.

[Oceanic Voyager]

Nine Inch Nails socks go a bit toooo far....

towards my knees

https://www.merchbar.com/rock-altern...machine-socks?

[sweeterthan]

Controversial pizza opinions is a different thread.


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[snaapz]

For me I prefer both the instrument arsenal and the clarity and techniques used when mastering and producing PHM, Broken, TDS, WT, TS.

I feel NIN has become too CGM (Computer Generated Music); there's an organic element missing from NIN these past 10 years. Yes I've seen him hitting the garden with a mallet... which is pretty damn organic.


Additionally the leveling, mastering, and giving each element it's own place and balance seems to be flatter than before.


PS. I am a fan of all TR/AR scoring productions and HTDA... so this is something going on with NIN.

[katara]

For me I prefer both the instrument arsenal and the clarity and techniques used when mastering and producing PHM, Broken, TDS, WT, TS.

I feel NIN has become too CGM (Computer Generated Music); there's an organic element missing from NIN these past 10 years.

So... Ghosts wasn't organic? Ummmm.... how about The Slip, much of which was recorded live by the full band?

Did you somehow miss the Trilogy, whose final chapter was just released? She's Gone Away isn't organic? The Background World?

This current material is in no way different to how previous albums have been recorded. PHM is basically synth-rock. Broken is almost entirely synthesizers and drum machines. TDS is similar but has a bunch of samples mixed in. Now, if you were talking about Hesitation Marks, I'd maybe partially understand, but even that album organically evolves and sonically was inspired by (and recorded on?) the same analogue synths that were used on PHM.

Seriously, the man just released an album which heavily featured saxophone, and you're saying it's not organic? What more could you want?

This seems more like a meme/troll post than anything else.

[snaapz]

^ I did note TS.

Good catch, you're right I forgot about the sax. But I'm more talking about the actual mastering. Things just sound more clear and leveled out on previous albums, compared to HM and TRI. Don't get me wrong I quite enjoy the TRI and I've been spinning it endlessly. Some tracks are crystal clear; many others are not; for example 'Less Than' is one of my all time fav tracks; but it's just not as clear as other hits like Demon Seed for example etc....

[katara]

^ I did note TS.

Good catch, you're right I forgot about the sax. But I'm more talking about the actual mastering. Things just sound more clear and leveled out on previous albums, compared to HM and TRI. Don't get me wrong I quite enjoy the TRI and I've been spinning it endlessly. Some tracks are crystal clear; many others are not; for example 'Less Than' is one of my all time fav tracks; but it's just not as clear as other hits like Demon Seed for example etc....

For whatever reason, TRAR have adopted a lo-fi sound this time around. It's nice to have a change, even if it doesn't flow nicely in a playlist. I feel this ties into TR's vinyl mantra; these things are supposed to experienced as they were originally sequenced from beginning to end without being broken up.

If anything, the kind of distortion we're hearing on songs like Less Than and Shit Mirror is far more organic-sounding than the previous releases, like something recorded off a dodgy reel-to-reel or cassette tape.
That 'crystal clear' mix you're talking about is more sterile, more digital, and ultimately, less organic.

[snaapz]

@katara , touché!

I can respect that and you're right, deep inside I do value that they have taken this direction. However, songs from the 60's recorded in EMI studios have excellent quality; all things considered.

When it comes to Trent Reznor I think of him the same way I think of Stanley Kubrick... everything is planned out, examined, placed, and has its reason.

Maybe it's a reflection of how NIN (body and soul) has been deteriorating since the end of TDS... does TR even put the full NIN on his album covers anymore?

[BRoswell]

Trent's music has always been computer generated music in one way or another. He even talks about it to some extent in the Sound City documentary. Computers are just one of the tools he uses.

[MrLobster]

Trent's music has always been computer generated music in one way or another. He even talks about it to some extent in the Sound City documentary. Computers are just one of the tools he uses.

Bingo.

You don't get the intro to Closer without using computers...

[MrLobster]

does TR even put the full NIN on his album covers anymore?

*looks at "Not The Actual Events" cover*

Yes.

[benoïde]

I don't post here much so maybe this has been discussed before, but does anyone prefer the remixes to the Year Zero album? I didn't like it when it was released and never bothered to listen to the remixes until two days ago when painting a room I'm putting my studio in. I thought I'd give it a listen and I think it's actually way better than the album it's derived from...

[thefragile_jake]

I don't post here much so maybe this has been discussed before, but does anyone prefer the remixes to the Year Zero album? I didn't like it when it was released and never bothered to listen to the remixes until two days ago when painting a room I'm putting my studio in. I thought I'd give it a listen and I think it's actually way better than the album it's derived from...

I completely agree. My main issue with Year Zero is how lifeless at times it feels. Everything feels, sonically, like it just comes across moreso like GarageBand loops as opposed to something like Hesitation Marks which is very digital and drum machine / sample oriented, but feels FAR more organic. I never got into the ARG or the concept behind the album either, but I do know it's immensely loved by a lot of the community. However, I feel the remix album brings new life into songs that I don't typically care for ... particularly with In This Twilight and Capital G.

All in all, I admire the effort of what Year Zero is trying to do ... but I never care to revisit it.

[snaapz]

^That's the beauty with NIN super fans, we all have such different views. Some people love HESITATION... I dont.

I LOVE Y_Z, almost more than TF, and love it way more than TS, HESITATION, TRILOGY... I can understand how some may feel like Y_Z has a reoccurring sound; but for me I love the album, its an amazing story and LOADED with content. More than any other album IMO.

- 'TBOTE' Is a good old fashioned rock song!!
- 'The Good Soldier' is a song I always get lost in... LOVE IT
- Vessel makes me feel awesome
- 'Capital G' gets me singing
- 'My Violent Heart' makes me want to get out my eye liner and wear all black;
- 'The Warning' Is such a good observation of humanity, I love Trents poems
- 'God Given' is a great track
- 'Meet Your Master' is fucking funky and powerful, the NIN that I LOVE! Come on down come on down come on doooWWWwnnnnNNn
- 'TGD' I love the vocals, then the all out destruction at the end.
- 'Zero Sum' - A M A Z I N G

[Fred]

Year Zero was excellent, but I am a huge sucker for concept albums in general.

In a similar vein, I always find that I love Hesitation Marks whenever I listen to it. That album really deserves a better rep.

Can’t remember the last time I listened to Ghosts I-IV or The Slip, though. Both of them sound fairly uninspired when compared to the Trilogy which covers a lot of the same musical ground.

[benoïde]

I completely agree. My main issue with Year Zero is how lifeless at times it feels. Everything feels, sonically, like it just comes across moreso like GarageBand loops as opposed to something like Hesitation Marks which is very digital and drum machine / sample oriented, but feels FAR more organic. I never got into the ARG or the concept behind the album either, but I do know it's immensely loved by a lot of the community. However, I feel the remix album brings new life into songs that I don't typically care for ... particularly with In This Twilight and Capital G.

All in all, I admire the effort of what Year Zero is trying to do ... but I never care to revisit it.

There's one thing the YZ remixes do : it's putting some groove in the music. I really love it when they make the songs danceable, it's always been there in the nin catalog (Sin, Happiness in slavery, Closer, Only etc) and to me, that's one of Trent's talent : putting some groove into industrial music. I'm a drummer and amateur dancer so I guess I'm quite sensitive to that. And yes, I think YZ falls flat in terms of groove, the vocal delivery and the beats in general do not gel so well imo (which might have been the point of the album, it sounds heavy with a purpose maybe).

[snaapz]

*looks at "Not The Actual Events" cover*

Yes.

Where?

[kaydraven]

I actually like Year Zero a lot. I didn't really pay attention to it when I first got it, but when I went back and listened to it recently I thought it was really good! And I loved Hesitation Marks when it came out. It can't compare with Downward Spiral or anything like that, but I thought it was a huge step up from The Slip, which was okay. I'm not a fan of Ghosts. It just can't hold my attention.

[elevenism]

I fucking love the Slip: well, most of it anyway.
1,000,000 and letting you work perfectly together and they're fucking awesome, nasty, classic nin rock songs.

Discipline is groovy as fuck and I love the way it lines up ALMOST perfectly with Echoplex, which is one of my favorite NIN songs of all time.
"My voice just echoes off these walls. I don't eat anything at all "
It may well be the catchiest NIN song.
I love head down but it's just a LITTLE too heart wrenching.

All in all, I don't understand why this album isn't held in higher regard.

[klyrish]

I fucking love the Slip: well, most of it anyway.
1,000,000 and letting you work perfectly together and they're fucking awesome, nasty, classic nin rock songs.

Discipline is groovy as fuck and I love the way it lines up ALMOST perfectly with Echoplex, which is one of my favorite NIN songs of all time.
"My voice just echoes off these walls. I don't eat anything at all "
It may well be the catchiest NIN song.
I love head down but it's just a LITTLE too heart wrenching.

All in all, I don't understand why this album isn't held in higher regard.

It's not that I don't like The Slip, it's just that after hearing most of the songs live, the album almost seems like rushed demos.

[loopcloses]

The Slip is maybe my favorite NIN to listen to, full stop, if not the best album or the one I feel the most strongly about. It's this raw, tight little journey and it's totally unique in hearing NIN that stripped back. There was a very long time that it was my least favorite of the records but once it clicked, it clicked.

Though I will say Bad Witch could threaten it if it doesn't wear off; this record has a sense of real vitality to it and it goes on a similar journey from aggressive to reflective that resonates with me.