Not The Actual Events

[Volband]

Try this guys. Right after Black Noise listen to NTAE. I can even hear parts of Black Noise in 6-7 second mark of Branches/Bones.

It's kind of cheating though, isn't it? Let's say Trent knew very well that NTAE will happen, so he ended HM with an outro that segues into it. Fine, but I don't think it proves the argument that NTAE was expected.

- Somewhat Damaged could've been on TDS, yet TF turned out into be an entire different animal; some songs were the absolute opposite of the TDS vibe and industrial madness, like The Great Below.
- The Beginning Of The End could have been a WT song; drum-heavy, no overwhelming effects on the first part, similar guitar settings. Then the record went on to be this electronic, noisy, artifical sounding madness.
- Black Noise's ending could've opened NTAE, but other than Dear World, none of the NTAE songs on HM would made any sense.

I think WT-TS and YZ-HM would actually be at least compareable, even if they sound different. But HM-NTAE...

HM is poppy, upbeat, even the darker songs (Copy Of A, All Time Low) sound like dance hits. Funnily enough, I think Everything could almost make it into NTAE. I'm not only talking about the obvious drum pattern in Brances, but the verses too.

A more agressive next release was definitely a possibility, I mean despite being poppy, HM had some dark themes and moments, but I saw absolutely no sign on HM that Industrial NIN would return, let alone with such an overwhelming force.

You know, I wonder if this record could have accompanied Still back then.

[eversonpoe]

@Volband it's really nice to be agreeing with everything you're saying for a change

i have been punctuating listening to other things with repeated listens of this EP. it's just...it's so good. i love it. i can't wait for the physical component to show up, and even more so, i'm excited about the vinyl.

[HWB]

I didn't try to really make my statement about it being somehow "expected", I myself expected something akin to Hesitation Marks more. I am very happy with the surprise of the darkness of the EP. I just always look for connection between albums as I did between Hesitation Marks and TDS, I sorta thought that this little bit that sounds like ending of Black Noise was sorta of a hint of what the EP could possibly be about. It was just a thing I noticed and wanted to mention, I have no idea if Trent had an idea for NTAE to exist in the future or if he planned something darker. I totally agree with you, I think that this is the darkest NIN Post-Fragile, not just with their themes, with right now don't even seem to be too clear which makes the EP that much more disturbing, but the way the EP sounds like, nothing Post-Fragile, at least yet sounded this menacing and unpleasant, She's Gone Away in particular gave me feeling I felt in The Becoming, sort of a living nightmare.

Even Dear World would kinda stick out on Hesitation Marks, because on that album Trent's vocals pretty mellow and calm while still showing us lyrics with dark themes, in Dear World Trent's vocals sounda almost robotic and dead, far more disturbing than anything else you'd hear on Hesitation Marks.

I am right now really just trying to dwelve into the EP deeper now, Trent did say the lenght suits the story he wanted to tell so I started going deeply into it and such. So I got curious.

Honestly, to tell you the truth, I wasn't sure if Trent was even capable of this anymore, being this dark, scream this much. It just really surprised me. Which is something Trent always managed to do throughout the entirety of discography. I just thought that he would make more stuff like Hesitation Marks, I would be okay with that, but I was shown that NIN can still disturb me and the darkness that Trent presented me with in this new EP doesn't feel dishonest, that is one of the factors I thought why we wouldn't get EP like this in the future, not many artists could still do something like this. NTAE currently has a lot of disturbing curiousity, there are a lot of unpleasant implications, good unpleasant implications, the ones that keep you curious and are still not properly answered.

The physical competenent.
The Still connection
"EP we had to make"
Lyrics content in general

It is just really interesting yet it all sounds very unfriendly and I love that.

[EndlessLoveless]

So upon listening to burning bright again it's clear that the Dandy warhols didn't write it...Josh wink did.

[Dr Channard]

It's kind of cheating though, isn't it? Let's say Trent knew very well that NTAE will happen, so he ended HM with an outro that segues into it. Fine, but I don't think it proves the argument that NTAE was expected.

Unless T-dawg confirms or denies anything, it’s all just speculation. Admittedly, it seems real doubtful that NTAE specifically was already on the slate when production of Black Noise was happening, but closing HM (an album of funky grooves and digital beats) with a few seconds of that ever growing sound of some kind of hellish machinery, that had to serve a purpose at the time. He wouldn’t end the album on that rogue note unless there was a reason for it.

Sure Black Noise may have a solid context within the album. Suicide is a terribly dark thing. If a hesitation wound is what’s left when somebody stops just short of carrying out a suicide, then it makes sense that the album Hesitation Marks would also abruptly cut short on such an incredibly dark note as Black Noise. But the track could have also served as acknowledgment that the sound direction of HM wasn’t going to be the final incarnation of nin. In any event, fast-forward three years and NTAE plugs in quite nicely to Black Noise, whether if by design or accident.

[seasonsinthesky]

So upon listening to burning bright again it's clear that the Dandy warhols didn't write it...Josh wink did.

It's actually Boris feat. The Sisters of Mercy.

[buckaroo]

So, does the fact that the description for NTAE on nin.com still says "You'll have to wait..." mean they haven't gotten around to updating it or that it is part of a larger release?

[Deadpool]

The more I listen to this EP, the more I love it.

The "Break"-esque overlapping vocal production on "Dear World," is magnificent. The vocal production in general is outstanding: it's dirty, unpolished, and often buried in the mix which I love because it forces you to listen intently (as if the stream-of-consciousness, spoken word-style vocals didn't invite that enough already). I only realized a day or 2 ago that the lyrics are embedded in the files, and finally reading them is enormously satisfying. I so rarely seek out lyrics, even for songs & bands I love, but again, the eerie spoken word-style vocals grabbed my attention early on... now that I'm reading them, I personally feel these are some of Trent's best lyrics since WITH_TEETH and some of his most unhinged ever, and I haven't even read them all yet.


Does anyone what know what typeface/font is used for the cover art? I had an idea for a new tattoo that involves the lyrics.

[Kulerage]

Got this in the mail today. Exactly what I expected.

About track 18. I always thought Manson had a county-esque voice.

[Warped_Savant]

Not sure if this was covered previously, but it seems the NTAE FLAC assets were updated with slightly different "Still" artwork.

The original version I received had a timestamp of Dec 20, 2016, 5:54 PM on the jpg & has a little yellow in the lower right corner. The updated version has a timestamp of Dec 24, 2016, 12:00 AM with a slightly different image that doesn't have the yellow for lack of a better description.

I think I'm going to use the White version that Apple Music & the streaming services are using since it fits with the tour announcement imagery... until that physical component arrives.

I've downloaded it again to see if I was able to get the updated one but it was still the same image.
Are you able to post it so that people can see? Would you mind e-mailing me a copy of the image file?

[Dr Channard]

EDIT: Although it should maybe be noted that I have, since Hesitation Marks release, considered "While I'm Still Here" and "Black Noise" to be one contiguous song. I glued them together using Audacity and, if I make reference to one title, I probably mean to indicate both.

Did the exact same thing myself sometime back.





The two tracks really are one piece. It’s kind of interesting though because what happens after the track In Two… another tack that literally splits in two, forming WISH & BN. Sorry, for getting off topic here.

[FULLMETAL]

Are you able to post it so that people can see?

Here's a comparison: http://imgur.com/a/5NSzl

[Ryan]

Here's a comparison: http://imgur.com/a/5NSzl

Thanks, added.

http://www.nin.wiki/Not_The_Actual_Events

[joplinpicasso]

Thanks, added.

http://www.nin.wiki/Not_The_Actual_Events

Honestly, it's just a different re-cropping of the original Carson photo from the plane window. But, we pick things up, we are collectors!

[Ryan]

Honestly, it's just a different re-cropping of the original Carson photo from the plane window. But, we pick things up, we are collectors!

You're god damned right.

[Jon]

I've downloaded it again to see if I was able to get the updated one but it was still the same image.

It doesn't look like they updated the WAV archive at all, or they sent me the "old" link. I received confirmation for my second copy of the physical component on January 5th, and it's still the archive from December 22nd.

[elevenism]

Yes. I'm not sure I'm with his sentiment about "the last couple of NIN releases..." being not as angry and loud as NTAE. HM certainly wasn't, but listen to TS. Those first few songs are loud as fuck. Think Letting You, for example.

Right, and i love me some Anthony Fantano, but talking about the PHM era being heavy and hardcore makes me wonder if he's LISTENED to pretty hate machine.

[xolotl]

I caught that, too! I decided to think that he was referring to the live shows from that era.

I suppose at the time of PHM's release, it was a much harder version of that kind of music than had been seen in the mainstream. Obviously there was plenty of harder stuff going on at the time from other bands, but it was pretty fierce for something actually getting radio play.

[eversonpoe]

I suppose at the time of PHM's release, it was a much harder version of that kind of music than had been seen in the mainstream. Obviously there was plenty of harder stuff going on at the time from other bands, but it was pretty fierce for something actually getting radio play.

i've always thought of PHM as the companion album to Tears For Fears' "songs from the big chair" because it's like its louder, heavier cousin.

[joplinpicasso]

i've always thought of phm as the companion album to tears for fears' "songs from the big chair" because it's like its louder, heavier cousin.

this.

Seriously, "Shout" could easily be on PHM and "That's What I Get" (and the Purest Feeling demos) could easily be on SFTBC.

[Kooler Than Jesus]

I forgot to mention that the other day. I've been wondering about that, too. Given the pace of the Discography overhaul, I'm assuming it means nothing...but hoping it means something surprising and cool, that we'll discover when people get their physical components. Like non-Still​ cover art.

I've thought the same thing since the ep was released, that the digital cover couldn't possibly be the actual artwork, that once the vinyls and the "physical components" arrive we'll see the actual definitive artwork for this release.

I've even thought that maybe this digital ep is just an advance of what the buyers will actually receive, a full album with original artwork called "The Actual Events" or something else, that Trent had to release something before 2016 ended because he said so and decided to release this as an advance like "An Omen" was an advance of "Welcome Oblivion", but people will not have to buy 2 things because by buying "NTAE" they were actually buying the full surprise album, and the ep's title and cover are just clues/hints.

This is just wishful thinking, but I just can't believe that Trent hired a new art director whose work is just to copypaste Rob's work for previous albums. I know Bowie used the "Heroes" cover for "The Next Day", but it would be too soon to try to do something similar, and for me it would be incredibly cheap and ridiculous, tbh.

[joplinpicasso]

copypaste Rob's work for previous albums

I've posted this elsewhere, but the original is a David Carson photograph. Technically, Rob just copypasted Carson's work, then.

[henryeatscereal]

i've always thought of PHM as the companion album to Tears For Fears' "songs from the big chair" because it's like its louder, heavier cousin.

Interesting comparison, i guess that explains why i love "Songs from the Big Chair" so much...

[HWB]

I always wondered why we got so much artworks of this album which are quite samilliar, and then I thought maybe we are supposed to do something with it.

So I played around and got curious, what you are seeing here is all the covers being used as an "overlay" on top of the "Still/Not The Actual Events" artworks, I put The Black/White on top of it as overlay.

I slightly put the made two of the artworks transparent so they fit into each other, this is what came up.

I also have various versions of this.

http://image.prntscr.com/image/13c68...f5e77f91a4.png

http://image.prntscr.com/image/145a9...55037da147.png

http://image.prntscr.com/image/adabd...5c393ad509.png


Not sure what to think, thoughts? Just a fun little thing I did when bored.

[sweeterthan]

Anytime I experience extended periods of silence over the last few weeks, the synth from "she's gone away" starts playing in my head over and over and over. It is a welcomed change from the paw patrol theme song.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[joplinpicasso]

Wow, thanks, friend! I'll either keep using the black artwork from FB or this one here:

[SchwarzerAbt]

Wow, thanks, friend! I'll either keep using the black artwork from FB or this one here:

So do these jags above the text bear any meaning? They look a little bit like factories or the Sidney Opera House. Do we have any theories yet?

[Kulerage]

Anytime I experience extended periods of silence over the last few weeks, the synth from "she's gone away" starts playing in my head over and over and over. It is a welcomed change from the paw patrol theme song.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for getting the synth line in MY head now

[HWB]

I don't know what about you guys but I can't unhear Trent's vocals "She's gone..she's gone away...aaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAaa-aaaaaaaaa..aaaaah..."

[SchwarzerAbt]

Please, please, someone: Come up with a Sydney Opera House/ARG theory.

It all leads up to the Fight Club musical which will have its debut in Australia this summer. And Spoiler: even the title of the EP fits the plot of the film somehow.