Controversial Nine Inch Nails opinions

[pinata89]

My favorite tracks on HM are Disappointed, Find My Way and Various Methods. My main issue with the album is the lack of analog instruments and the fact that almost every track on the album starts with some generic and cheesy drum machine beat.

This.

I feel like Hesitation Marks could have been so much better with some use of actual instruments here and there. I think the only song with a small segment of acoustic drums is "Various Methods of Escape" starting at the outro. Hell, I would have been happy if he would have sampled real drums sounds. This album is just a little too electronic, at times.

[r_k_f]

This.

I feel like Hesitation Marks could have been so much better with some use of actual instruments here and there. I think the only song with a small segment of acoustic drums is "Various Methods of Escape" starting at the outro. Hell, I would have been happy if he would have sampled real drums sounds. This album is just a little too electronic, at times.

Not enough drums means not enough actual instruments? How do you feel about The Slip or Year Zero?

[tony.parente]

Not enough drums means not enough actual instruments? How do you feel about The Slip or Year Zero?

The slip was probably the most analog album since with teeth. And Year Zero was different because it was good.

[pinata89]

Not enough drums means not enough actual instruments? How do you feel about The Slip or Year Zero?

Right, not enough actual instruments.

On the albums in question here, I find The Slip definitely more in the vein of what I enjoy with production and instrument choice (fuzzy guitars, acoustic drums, etc.). However, the content and actual songwriting is a little lacking and not as fleshed out as some of the previous albums. Feels kind of thrown together, to me at least.

Year Zero: this particular album is actually very focused conceptually, and I feel that it thematically fits the mold of an electronic sound base. So, to an extent, I grant it a handicap on use of actual instruments. With that said, it sounds like it may have been idealized with real instruments in mind during the songwriting stage--and actually features some real instruments on select tracks... whereas Hesitation Marks sounds like it was written entirely with a drum machine using minimal settings.

[Damian]

Because he talked about God one way, and then God another isn't anything I called evolved. Oooohh, he hated god, and now he talks to god. He's been talking about God since day one and I don't care that he has beliefs but saying because he went thru the typical nihilistic 20-something and came out of it - that's hardly an evolution. Just different sides of the same construct. Then again, we shouldn't be talking about evolution and TR's lyrics in the same subject. The one man who really sing about the same shit and nothing at all.

[sheepdean]

@Damian so what would you call evolution in a musician?

[BenAkenobi]

There's no argument that "All Time Low" is a highlight of album. It starts a real nice sequence of three songs. And later down the road we have good stuff too: VMOE, IWFY and "In two". It's a little more than a handful but still less than half of album. Speaking of "diehards", i'd be honoured to call myself one but i'm not quite there yet, probably because i could easily "sit through Pretty Hate Machine, Broken, Ghosts & Year Zero" any day and enjoy all of it.

[sheepdean]

I wonder if Trent dislikes it, or doesn't want to risk playing it to a crowd that could potentially boo it

[Ryan]

I wonder if Trent dislikes it, or doesn't want to risk playing it to a crowd that could potentially boo it

I think if he opened the song in a much lower and more subdued vocal octave it would work really well live.

[aggroculture]

I think if he opened the song in a much lower and more subdued vocal octave it would work really well live.

Or drag it out, make the whole song ugly and slow.

[Joy Prevention Hotline]

I think if he opened the song in a much lower and more subdued vocal octave it would work really well live.

Or drag it out, make the whole song ugly and slow.

Yup, make it unrecognizable at first, until it dawns on people and somebody yells "Oh my God it's the rainbows song LOL" (yes, actually says "LOL") and he gets beaten to death by the people around him.

Then we can get serious about enjoying it.

[BRoswell]

If they performed the Autolux version (minus the crazy voice pitching), it would be fantastic.

[pinata89]

If they performed the Autolux version (minus the crazy voice pitching), it would be fantastic.

Exactly! This remix trumps the album version so much, in my opinion. The acoustic drums drive the groove so much more than the electro-beat on the album track.

[simonn]

Trent's onstage moves were stolen from Gary Numan. That is all.

[pinata89]

Controversial NIN Opinion:

Further Down the Spiral is pretty awesome (I like Things Falling Apart better)...however, with that said, it seems kind of heavy on remixes of "Mr. Self Destruct" (which is one of my favorite all-time NIN tunes)....I honestly can't find a terribly noticeable difference between "Self Destruction, Final" being a combination of the first two ("The Art of Self Destruction, Part I" and "Self Destruction, Part II").

[m15a]

Controversial NIN Opinion:

Further Down the Spiral is pretty awesome (I like Things Falling Apart better)...however, with that said, it seems kind of heavy on remixes of "Mr. Self Destruct" (which is one of my favorite all-time NIN tunes)....I honestly can't find a terribly noticeable difference between "Self Destruction, Final" being a combination of the first two ("The Art of Self Destruction, Part I" and "Self Destruction, Part II").

oooh. saying that there are a lot of remixes of Mr. Self Destruct on FDTS? very controversial. careful with that opinion or you might get banned. sorry, just joking. just doesn't sound very controversial.

personally, i don't exactly mind having a lot of similar remixes, but i won't exactly choose to listen to something like the HLAH single over and over. *but* i totally did do that when i was in high school.

EDIT: I just listened to Part One, Part Two, and Final in a row. Actually, I feel like there's definitely enough variety to make it worth listening to. I don't know about Part Three, though. Not really sure why it was included instead of Part Two.

[pinata89]

oooh. saying that there are a lot of remixes of Mr. Self Destruct on FDTS? very controversial. careful with that opinion or you might get banned. sorry, just joking. just doesn't sound very controversial.

personally, i don't exactly mind having a lot of similar remixes, but i won't exactly choose to listen to something like the HLAH single over and over. *but* i totally did do that when i was in high school.

EDIT: I just listened to Part One, Part Two, and Final in a row. Actually, I feel like there's definitely enough variety to make it worth listening to. I don't know about Part Three, though. Not really sure why it was included instead of Part Two.

Sorry it wasn't controversial enough...

I never said I didn't like the remixes...I really like them quite a great deal, actually. I've been in the air all day for work and Further Down the Spiral is all I've listened to...awesome album. And I agree, Things Falling Apart has a lot of less likable "Starfuckers, Inc." remixes. I guess I'm just impartial to The Fragile era, so those remixes are more interesting to me.

[screwdriver]

Controversial NIN Opinion:

Further Down the Spiral is pretty awesome (I like Things Falling Apart better)...however, with that said, it seems kind of heavy on remixes of "Mr. Self Destruct" (which is one of my favorite all-time NIN tunes)....I honestly can't find a terribly noticeable difference between "Self Destruction, Final" being a combination of the first two ("The Art of Self Destruction, Part I" and "Self Destruction, Part II").

I feel you, though I guess I found the Self Destruct remixes more interesting than the Starfuckers remixes on TFA. (ignoring Clouser's.)

[fillow]

I feel you, though I guess I found the Self Destruct remixes more interesting than the Starfuckers remixes on TFA. (ignoring Clouser's.)

They just shouldn't have make so many of them. There is a Part One, and then there is Part Two which sounds pretty much the same as Part Three which sounds pretty much the same as Final (more or less of course). Too much repetition in the latter three.

[Joy Prevention Hotline]

Nah, I like the deconstructed Mr Self Destruct(s) better than the original.

[Krazy]

Regarding "Everything" played live in recent posts: give it the "hard rock" treatment ala WT (drums instead of shit generic beat like tony pointed out already with HM, etc.) and it might be a decent tune in concert, and maybe have had Robin do his own thing with the guitar parts along with Trent having his "angry voice" at the beginning rather than barking it out and his voice crack right away from a note he can't hit.

Just my opinion, but the song broken down isn't horrible- was just executed/produced poorly/whatever in the studio and ended up in the middle of HM making fans think "WTF is this?"

[Throw_it_away9]

Regarding "Everything" played live in recent posts: give it the "hard rock" treatment ala WT (drums instead of shit generic beat like tony pointed out already with HM, etc.) and it might be a decent tune in concert, and maybe have had Robin do his own thing with the guitar parts along with Trent having his "angry voice" at the beginning rather than barking it out and his voice crack right away from a note he can't hit.

Just my opinion, but the song broken down isn't horrible- was just executed/produced poorly/whatever in the studio and ended up in the middle of HM making fans think "WTF is this?"

Agreed! Everything live has potential! Not that I ever think it's going to happen. Que sera, sera.

[sheepdean]

I think fans who refer to releases by Halo number rather than title are being deliberately elitist dicks (not aimed at anyone in this forum) (yet)

[BenAkenobi]

You're lucky, trust me. Halo this, halo that is nothing compared to reading nin album titles spelled in another language! Спиралька, Фрагила, Госты...

[implanted_microchip]

The Sam Fog vs. Carlos D mix of Everyday Is Exactly the Same makes the original look poor in comparison. The El-P mix of Only from the same single does the same, too. But seriously, that Everyday remix is absolutely stunning.

[Joy Prevention Hotline]

I think fans who refer to releases by Halo number rather than title are being deliberately elitist dicks (not aimed at anyone in this forum) (yet)

There are people who do that?

But seriously, that Everyday remix is absolutely stunning.

Realizing I still haven't heard that one. YouTube to the rescue …

Eh. The vocal manipulations are a bit much.

[Halo Infinity]

The Sam Fog vs. Carlos D mix of Everyday Is Exactly the Same makes the original look poor in comparison. The El-P mix of Only from the same single does the same, too. But seriously, that Everyday remix is absolutely stunning.

In that case, I thought you'd love this.

[Jon]

Not specifically Nine Inch Nails, but related nonetheless.

I have been of the opinion for quite a while now that the Quake Soundtrack was done by not only Trent Reznor, but Peter Christopherson as well.

[seasonsinthesky]

I have been of the opinion for quite a while now that the Quake Soundtrack was done by not only Trent Reznor, but Peter Christopherson as well.

so TR made music with one of his heroes/influences/friends and didn't credit him? just felt like being a dick?

actually more like: it takes Sleazy to push TR into making incredibly dark ambient music? ("Corona Radiata," among others, would have words with thee.)

[Jon]

so TR made music with one of his heroes/influences/friends and didn't credit him? just felt like being a dick?

actually more like: it takes Sleazy to push TR into making incredibly dark ambient music? ("Corona Radiata," among others, would have words with thee.)

Whoa there, hold on. No malicious intent was intended.

Peter Christopherson may have been simply lumped in with the "Nine Inch Nails" portion of the Quake credits. Perhaps Sleazy didn't want to be credited directly. I don't know, and I don't want you to think I take this as fact—just a feeling.

I find the second part of that to be offensive to TR and myself. Corona Radiata has been my favorite song on The Slip since my first full listen. TGWTDT is my favorite piece of work since The Fragile. TR has absolutely no problems putting on his big boy pants and making some unsettling, even beautiful, dark music.

Again, I never meant to imply there was anything "screwy" going on.