Random HTDA thoughts

[butter_hole]

Been thinking lately, especially with NINs resurgence and the inevitable pushing aside of HTDA, the next few weeks are about to get fairly "legendary" amongst NIN/TR fans. History has shown us that the events which occur only for a short period, such as the Nights of Nothing shows or the Bridge School Benefit tend to get more attention and a higher status among fans/wiki-editors because there's only so many shows to discuss, only so many bootlegs to get, only so many concert posters, etc.
It's going to be a weird feeling in a couple of years that there was this whole, fully realized tour that just flew past us all in a few short weeks and disappeared (maybe) forever. I feel like HTDAs public perception is going to be a lot higher because of it as well.

Anyway I don't really know what I'm getting at.. Someone tell me I'm not crazy.

[Rudi]

After seeing how the live production works, I think the emphasis on the visuals/effects and the band being shrouded was intentional. This way, with the focus on the effects, TR doesn't stand out as much from anybody else on stage, they can downplay that perception of "Trent's band with his wife & friends." Sure there's moments where Mariqueen or Trent stand out, but those are more vocal cues than anything else.

(Emphasis on random for the next thoughts)
I'm glad they're playing The Believers, I've always thought that was the most interesting track on the first EP.
When they're all jamming during The Loop Closes, I have flashbacks to La Mer from AATCHB.
Love the live arrangements, but I think there's too many spaces filled with "ooohhhhhhhh" or "aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh" as filler. I know they're only 3 shows in but I hope that gets tightened up.

[danzo_rezno]

Can anyone else hear the weird cool dialing sounds in the background of BBB during the chorus?
I love it, I'm back on this song again thanks to the Coachella performance

[ZeroisGreg]

these performances have worked on me. I just wasn't that into HTDA_ originally but the footage from coachella and pomona have really got in my head and now I LOVE IT! The production aspect is so... immersive. Way to go, Rob.

Also, Mariqueen's voice is amazing. She's really fantastic as a singer. I love Trent and NIN and his voice but her vocals polarize his.

I just listened to the Coachella gig and she doesn't sound that great. Hearing her live doesn't really work and if you listen close enough you can hear her pitch is off as well as timing. Now going back to listening to WO her voice is hit and miss. But live it seems more miss than hit. That's my hones opinion. Feel free to bash me for speaking my thoughts.

[Warped_Savant]

ZeroisGreg -- That's, to me, actually funny. I was thinking the exact opposite of you; I prefer her voice live than in the studio.

[jaypayton]

I prefer if her husband was the main vocalist...

[sheepdean]

I prefer if her husband was the main vocalist...

I'd prefer if you sucked my dick but we can't have everything

[ZeroisGreg]

I prefer if her husband was the main vocalist...

Ofcourse that would defeat the whole purpose...right? The HTDA project is supposed to be a different approach. "...we fade away...we fade away".

[gorast]

I prefer if her husband was the main vocalist...

That's called NIN, friend. Wrong forum.

[eversonpoe]

I prefer if her husband was the main vocalist...

i don't know if you're trolling or if you just can't help coming off as rude, but every post i've seen you make has been confrontational. you're not just displaying your opinion, you're stirring the pot and trying to piss people off. if you're not going to add to the discussion, please just stop.

[sweeterthan]

I just listened to the Coachella gig and she doesn't sound that great. Hearing her live doesn't really work and if you listen close enough you can hear her pitch is off as well as timing. Now going back to listening to WO her voice is hit and miss. But live it seems more miss than hit. That's my hones opinion. Feel free to bash me for speaking my thoughts.

certainly everyone is entitled to their opinion but how can you deny the gorgeousness of this:


I just love what they did for their live show. It has changed my perspective on the entire project. Something that i only listened to a few times has now been played over and over since friday. I think i had convinced myself that because it wasn't nin that I wasn't going to love it. When trent worked with Saul Williams, I had a similar preconceived notion of disinterest but that blew me away too.

[dlb]

The live show is what finally changed my perspective on HTDA, aswell after the album had somewhat convinced me already, but not totally. I absolutely adore the visuals and what they have done here. While it has a very LITS-feel to it, I wouldn't really have thought of what they came up with in the end and I think it's pretty much perfect. I've always enjoyed Rob's glitch art and while I wasn't a fan of the YZ art in particular I always had a very soft spot for the with teeth artwork so welcome oblivion and the new show hit home with me.

I'm also not 100% sold on the music itself and I too am of the opinion that there could be a vocalist more fitting, but the whole thing grew on me alot. I'm also quite suprised that the whole first EP found it's way onto the stage, while I always thought that Trent and Co. looked at them as some kind of experiment in which the HDTA project may be heading. As I've always been a sucker for BBB (don't get the hate) I love the way it translates on the stage.

So while I have a lot of good things to say about this (I tend to skip ice age and how long though) I can't help myself, but keep wondering if I would listen to it, if Trent wasn't involved... that's the only bitter taste that did last after all. But mostly I'm enjoying everything I've seen so far.

[jaypayton]

I am giving my opinion which is I do not think HTDA is that great. (its the opinion of a lot of people) Trent in a band with his wife and his photographer/web designer playing keyboards comes off a little....self indulgent...A lot of the interest they are generating is mostly NIN fans who are going to the shows just to see TR on stage again....The stage/lights show is no different than what we saw on LITS and MQ's vocals are average at best...

[Torgo]

I am giving my opinion which is I do not think HTDA is that great. (its the opinion of a lot of people) Trent in a band with his wife and his photographer/web designer playing keyboards comes off a little....self indulgent...A lot of the interest they are generating is mostly NIN fans who are going to the shows just to see TR on stage again....The stage/lights show is no different than what we saw on LITS and MQ's vocals are average at best...

Dude, Rob isn't playing keyboards. He's messing with the live visuals via an interactive board during the show.

[jaypayton]

just the fact Rob is on the stage while they perform is nonsense...He could do that stuff backstage or off by the soundboard.....unless this way he gets to live out his rockstar fantasies by being on stage with everyone else....I had numerous friends make jokes that Rob is now the "Andy Fletcher" of HTDA.....

[orestes]

Man, we really need the peanut gallery member status back.

[sheepdean]

Rob is doing backing vocals and I'm 70% sure a bit of synth (from the Coachella and BTS video, plus the reddit Q&A).

And why should the artist have to hide behind the canvas? Even if he was ONLY doing visuals, the visuals are amazing and he deserves recognition for them.

[orestes]

Because people are only there to see Trent, duh.

[Erik]

@jaypayton Rob is a full fledged band member. Did The Beatles keep George off stage by the soundboard?

[sheepdean]

Trent: writes some music and does backing vocals+synth
Rob: creates all the visuals, helps write music and does backing vocals+synth.

Let's be honest here, Trent is the dead weight of the band of the two.

[Torgo]

Rob is doing backing vocals and I'm 70% sure a bit of synth (from the Coachella and BTS video, plus the reddit Q&A).

Where did you see him performing synths at any live show...?

[sheepdean]

Some of the gear fiddling looked like it was musical, though as there's no closeups on his rigs it's hard to see (he DOES play synth on the record after all)

[eversonpoe]

just the fact Rob is on the stage while they perform is nonsense...He could do that stuff backstage or off by the soundboard.....unless this way he gets to live out his rockstar fantasies by being on stage with everyone else....I had numerous friends make jokes that Rob is now the "Andy Fletcher" of HTDA.....

the problem with this right here (and pretty much everything else you've written) is that you're not just giving your opinion. you're stating your opinion as if it's gospel, and you're doing it in a completely condescending, arrogant tone. you're not actually adding anything to the discussion. and, unfortunately, by wasting my energy arguing with you, neither am i.

so, i'm going to do something constructive and say I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HTDA NEXT WEEK! i haven't watched the whole coachella video or listened to the audio because i'm kind of saving it for after i actually see them.

[jaypayton]

If someone like Robert Smith started a band with his wife and his photographer in the band, it would get crucified....And don't act like HDTA is a separate entity from NIN, developing their own fanbase and creating a name for themselves OUTSIDE of NIN....99 percent of the HDTA "fans" are NIN fans who crossed over...

[sheepdean]

If someone like Robert Smith started a band with his wife and his photographer in the band, it would get crucified....And don't act like HDTA is a separate entity from NIN, developing their own fanbase and creating a name for themselves OUTSIDE of NIN....99 percent of the HDTA "fans" are NIN fans who crossed over...

If Robert Smith's wife can sing, like Mariqueen can, no it wouldn't.

Also you're forgetting Atticus, which is unforgivable enough on the soundtracks, but he's in the videos for this one.

And yeah, this is essentially a supergroup, and supergroups generally have a fanbase that is mainly members of their previous fanbases until they start to grow. I've seen plenty of fans joining from things like Coachella who aren't NIN fans, so it is starting to spread. But you can't expect a band, on their first tour, to instantly have a huge fanbase.

But to repeat: this is a band led by Mariqueen, along with her husband, Trent. Whilst many of the fans wouldn't KNOW about the band without Trent, the band still is clearly fronted by her. What with the lyrics and singing and all.

[Vertigo]

The way I see it is, Trent's found a set of people he really likes working with in Atticus, Alan and Rob (and I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that he likes Mariqueen too), but NIN is typically a highly changable entity, and each new 'era' of it is associated with a new set of producers and collaborators. It's an opportunity to keep working with them in a major way while allowing NIN to continue to evolve. Which makes me glad - he's produced some great stuff with Atticus, but each set of collaborators brings something new and interesting out of his material.
Loved this era, looking forward to the next one.

[dominik]

"You see that VHS filter they put on YouTube? Clearly a rip-off from The Loop Closes."

[fillow]

This calls for Photoshop thread revival. Badly.

[r_z]

this is a band led by Mariqueen, along with her husband, Trent. Whilst many of the fans wouldn't KNOW about the band without Trent, the band still is clearly fronted by her. What with the lyrics and singing and all.

just pointing out, that we dont know, exactly who wrote the lyrics. also, the one's singing aren't always the one's fronting, like in... steering the ship and whatnot. still, the massive amount of interviews i've read/watched throughout the years leaves me no choice but to believe that everyone in this group has an equal say about things. don't even act like you don't know about, how much trent likes to arrange dinners and have meetings to talk about each and every thing and stuff.

that being said, it's obvious to me, that neither rob nor q would be performing at, say, coachella were it not for trent / them having met trent at different points in his life. they're not on that stage for being acceptable singers or good art directors. they're there, because they're related to trent.

i have no problem with it at all though. may they sell their art director as a musical counterpart as much as they want... in the end, all that matters is the music. and it seems like a lot of you love the new record, so there's that.

[botley]

Oh, so that it's merely pure nepotism is OBVIOUS to you. Great. Maybe you can put on your own Coachella-like festival then. One where the headliners all consist of performers who know or are 'related to' other more famous performers, with no regard to their talent or capabilities. Good luck with that.