Random NIN Thoughts

[blassster]

Since The Gathering of the Nine (and the later concert), I've been thinking about NIN more than I have in a while. I'm talking about thoughts while doing random things around the house, taking a dump, etc. Mostly because I haven't liked much of the stuff from the EP trilogy and the later soundtracks I've heard (skipped some for the movies I didn't care to see - I know, some day I'll listen).

Still, NIN will always be my #1. Even with what I've said above and the songs not hitting me so strongly, I still recognize that TR/AR are at the top of their game. There's new stuff that I really do like (Locusts is incredible, for example).

But now I just want every one of them to get in the same studio together for a full album. For me I'd just like it to be shaken up a bit with more than just (seemingly) session musicians.

It was said elsewhere on here, but it was incredible seeing them appear on stage and immediately inhabit the same presence as they had in the 90s, just as if not a single day had passed. Not many bands can do this, let alone with such vitality. They even move the same. It was quite a treat.

Super bizarre - but I've mentioned this before and want it more than ever after seeing them banter during the talk - I want them to be in a heist movie, Oceans 11 style.

[Indefinite_Cure]

Hey guys!

I've recently started a Post graduate degree in computer music composition and I had to chose an artist that I considered offers a "radical" sonic experience to write a small essay. I thought why not share it here!

Here is the translated short essay (translated from French):

"
Artist: Trent Reznor.

Links:



(especially the intro)

(very contrasting with the two previous videos)

(composition played on automatic piano in a sound installation at Banksy’s Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem)

His group, Nine Inch Nails, founded in 1988, has been part of my musical universe since I was little and I have long followed the work of its sole founder, Trent Reznor.

A radical experience

What makes it a radical sound experience for me is the great experimental diversity that the artist can offer us while maintaining its pop music sensitivity. He likes, by his own admission, to push the sound experience of his pieces until their coherence threatens to collapse. What struck me about the first video, on which we only see the second part of the piece, is precisely that we switch from a song with a very pop character with harmonic sequence and catchy melody to something much more centered on texture and rhythm. Even the rhythm sometimes seems to crumble. Although quite calculated, this portion of the piece features a lot of improvisation and the performance varied from night to night while maintaining consistency with the visuals.

On the second video, we are offered a completely new introduction compared to what is on the album from which the piece is. Once again, it is the atmosphere and the sound texture that are at the center of the musical experience and the rhythm gradually takes its place. The sound is very rich and it is easy to be completely immersed in the atmosphere. In my opinion, this is a great way to start a show in a way to say "it's the music that is at the center of this performance". The lights on stage are also heavily dimmed. What is radical for me in this video is that an artist who has made his mark with rock/pop/industrial hits starts a show with ambient. Again here, there is a lot of improvisation in the introduction which makes it possible to do something different with each performance.

The third video shows a much more ambient piece and I personally find that although there is a harmonic progression and a melody, these take up so little space that we tend to focus on the texture. It's very personal, but I think we're at the limit. Again, this demonstrates the diversity that the artist can offer. The last video also shows a composition played in a sound installation for automatic piano, work done in collaboration with Atticus Ross with whom he has also composed several film soundtracks and won several awards including two Oscars and a Golden Globe .

Link to my practice

What attracts me in these works is precisely the fact of playing at the limit between textural music and popular music. I myself aspire to play on this boundary and blur the line between the two. I also like the coherence between the visual, the performance and the sound experience, especially in the first video. I love that an artist as established as him does not compromise in order to please his audience and continues to experiment. It is for me an inspiring artistic integrity.


"

[tony.parente]

The last time I saw NIN was 9 years ago today according to my FB memories. What a great show.

[elevenism]

The last time I saw NIN was 9 years ago today according to my FB memories. What a great show.

That was around the last time I saw your mother.

[Tiger_Stealth]

Most banger song on each album/EP in my opinion (not necessarily best, but most fun/energetic):

PHM: Sin

Broken: Last

TDS: Heresy

The Fragile: Starfuckers

With Teeth: You Know What You Are

Year Zero: Meet Your Master

The Slip: Letting You

Hesitation Marks: I Would For You

NTAE: Branches/Bones

Add Violence: Less Than

Bad Witch: Shit Mirror

What are your pics?

[Prick]

Most banger song on each album/EP in my opinion (not necessarily best, but most fun/energetic):

PHM: Sin

Broken: Last

TDS: Heresy

The Fragile: Starfuckers

With Teeth: You Know What You Are

Year Zero: Meet Your Master

The Slip: Letting You

Hesitation Marks: I Would For You

NTAE: Branches/Bones

Add Violence: Less Than

Bad Witch: Shit Mirror

What are your pics?

Bangers (by your definition) > Favourites
PHM: Kinda I Want To > Twist
Broken: Happiness In Slavery > Happiness In Slavery (Remix)
TDS: Eraser > All The Pigs, All Lined Up
Fragile: 10 Miles High > 10 Miles High
With Teeth: Getting Smaller > RWIBV2
Year Zero: Vessel > Vessel
Slip: Letting You > Letting You
HM: Everything > In Two
NTAE: Branches/Bones > She's Gone
AV: Not Anymore > Not Anymore
BW: Ahead Of Ourselves > Ahead Of Ourselves

[Tiger_Stealth]

NIN album/EP closers ranked

Hurt > Right Where It Belongs > Over and Out > Burning Bright (Field on Fire) > Zero-Sum > Ringfinger > The Background World > Ripe (with decay) > Demon Seed > Black Noise > Suck

[Tiger_Stealth]

NIN album/EP openers ranked:

Mr. Self Destruct > Somewhat Damaged > Head Like A Hole > Pinion/Wish > Branches/Bones > Shit Mirror > Copy of A > 1,000,000 > Less Than > All the love in the world > Hyperpower!

[snichols]

Like you said, not necessarily my favorites, but bangers:

PHM: HLAH
Broken: Wish
TDS: MOTP
The Fragile: No, You Don't
WT: You know what you are
Year Zero: Survivalism
The Slip: 1,000,000
HM: In Two
NTAE: Branches/Bones
Add Violence: Less Than
Bad Witch: Ahead of Ourselves

[snichols]

closers:

The Background World
Demon SeedBurning Bright
Zero Sum
Ringfinger
Black Noise
Hurt
Over and Out
Right where it belongs
Ripe
Suck

[snichols]

openers:

Somewhat Damaged
Branches/Bones
Pinion/Wish
Less Than
Mr. Self Destruct
HLAH
1,000,000
Hyperpower
Copy of A
All the love in the world
Shit Mirror

[BRoswell]

Bangers (And Mash):
Pretty Hate Machine - Head Like A Hole
Broken - Happiness In Slavery
The Downward Spiral - Ruiner
The Fragile - Starfuckers, Inc.
With Teeth - Getting Smaller
Year Zero - Meet Your Master
Ghosts I-IV - 35 Ghosts IV
The Slip - Discipline
Hesitation Marks - Everything
Not The Actual Events - Branches/Bones
Add Violence - Less Than
Bad Witch - Shit Mirror
Ghosts V-VI - Run Like Hell

[elevenism]

Bangers (And Mash):
Pretty Hate Machine - Head Like A Hole
Broken - Happiness In Slavery
The Downward Spiral - Ruiner
The Fragile - Starfuckers, Inc.
With Teeth - Getting Smaller
Year Zero - Meet Your Master
Ghosts I-IV - 35 Ghosts IV
The Slip - Discipline
Hesitation Marks - Everything
Not The Actual Events - Branches/Bones
Add Violence - Less Than
Bad Witch - Shit Mirror
Ghosts V-VI - Run Like Hell

I dig your list; mine is different, but I wanna play:

PHM: The Only Time (does Get Down/Make Love count?)
Broken: Gave Up, period.
Fixed:Wish (Remix)
TDS: The Mister Self Destruct (followed closely by I Am the Ruiner, and, fuck, also The I Do Not Want This).
The Fragile: Somewhat Damaged (or Please)
Awitha Teetha: Love is Not Enough
Year Zero: The Good Soldier/Vessel (it's all one thing to me).
Ghosts: 3 Ghosts I
The Slip: 1,000,000 (which draws power from both 999,999 and Letting You)
Hesitations, Mark: All Time Low

Now. I consider the trilogy one thing, but I'll follow suit

NATE: The Idea of You
Add Violins: Not Anymore
Bad Witch: Ahead of Ourselves (good GOD. I'm a part time Junglist, so, yeah).

Ghosts the new one: I've really...idk. I've LISTENED to it several times, but I just haven't paid attention to which song is which

[Endlessly]

From NIN Spotting:

According to weird people on tumblr they airbrushed out an ear piercing in the Marvin cover. Truly a loss everywhere for middle aged guys with pierced ears I guess

[Sailor]

From NIN Spotting:

I think it’s about time for Mr. Reznor to return to the septum piercing lifestyle. Very important to me and my culture. His kids need to know that he’s cool.

[Tiger_Stealth]

The climax of Ahead of Ourselves with the crazy electronics ramping up feels like it is summoning the "Bad Witch" and she's about to kill me.

[Sailor]

The climax of Ahead of Ourselves with the crazy electronics ramping up feels like it is summoning the "Bad Witch" and she's about to kill me.

Made me think of this for whatever reason. Here. You’ve earned it [EDIT SORRY THIS WASNT SUPPOSED TO BE SO BIG GOOD LORD]

[Prick]

Do we have a collection thread somewhere?

[Pyract]

Do we have a collection thread somewhere?

https://www.echoingthesound.org/comm...ur-collection!

[Prick]

https://www.echoingthesound.org/comm...ur-collection!

thx I'm dumb

[chuckrh]

After 2 NIN shows in September other shows kind of pale in comparison. I went to Roger Waters a few weeks ago & it was good but that's almost more of a theater production. I'd had the tickets for 3 years. Then I went to Afghan Whigs & Pink Mountaintops last night. I've been a huge Whigs for fan for years & hadn't seen them for a real long time. It was ok but I ended up leaving early. The tickets weren't much but I just wasn't feeling it. As he's gotten older Greg Dulli has gotten less nuanced. Most of it was super loud & it was hard to pick out what was being played in the din. In comparison NIN was of course loud but you could still hear what eveyone was playing. I'm not buying many concert tickets these days & this one was a little disappointing. I have 1 more show this year, Flaming Lips next month. They should still be good but I hope they've changed things up some. Have seen them a lot over the years. It would be hard to top the recent NIN tour though.

[Sailor]

If anyone in the world still cares about tumblr, I have a dumb little blog for weird YouTube comments on NIN videos and other miscellaneous stuff of that nature:

https://www.tumblr.com/nincomments

There’s been kind of a trend with blogs like this for other bands like Ween and Talking Heads and I’ve noticed that NIN tends to tap into a particularly strange part of random people’s brains so I thought. Hey. Why not man.

[Prick]

Hey man, nice blog

[Lerxto]

https://oldwolves.bandcamp.com/album/purdy-hate-machine

I randomly came across this album, and thought it was nice.
There's no chance Trent will go folk/blues/country, but this reminded me of how much I'd love to see another acoustic/stripped-down album a la Still.

[BRoswell]

There's no chance Trent will go folk/blues/country...

I mean, it's not entirely out of the question. HTDA's Ice Age is pretty folksy/country in its own way, and Trent did quote a Hank Williams song in While I'm Still Here.

[leftshoe18]

There's no chance Trent will go folk/blues/country

Maybe he will if he will if he feels like winning another Country Music Association Award.

[butter_hole]

https://oldwolves.bandcamp.com/album/purdy-hate-machine

I randomly came across this album, and thought it was nice.
There's no chance Trent will go folk/blues/country, but this reminded me of how much I'd love to see another acoustic/stripped-down album a la Still.

This is GREAT

[SchwarzerAbt]

https://oldwolves.bandcamp.com/album/purdy-hate-machine

I randomly came across this album, and thought it was nice.
There's no chance Trent will go folk/blues/country, but this reminded me of how much I'd love to see another acoustic/stripped-down album a la Still.

That's actually pretty cool. Thanks for the find!

[imail724]

This is really good.

[chuckrh]

I was thinking about Trent's comments after Cleveland regarding the end of the CB&I cycle. Not wanting to put words in Trent's mouth but it almost sounded like he's already thinking about future concepts in regards to touring/concerts. I'm certainly there wherever he wants to go. I will say that after the 2 NIN shows I saw everything else is kind of pale in comparison. The only show I have tickets for the rest of this year is Flaming Lips/Particle Kid mid-November. It's a makeup show for a COVID postponement so I've had the tickets a real long time. I'm sure the Lips will be excellent as they always are & I'm very interested in seeing Particle Kid. I heard a tape of him opening the Outlaw Music Festival & he was great. Mostly just him & an electric guitar. I keep preaching that his album is the best of the year. One of those records where you hear new things every time you listen. Sorry to get off topic a little. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long to see what Trent comes up with.