Sigil 04_: Welcome oblivion

[gorast]

From Rob:

"@BStecke (https://twitter.com/BStecke) It's not the "whole" album, it's bonus tracks that fit better in the vinyl format. Just like The Fragile."

[BenAkenobi]

Maybe those two are simply renamed Sleep of reason and Speaking in tongues, not sure how much sense in that, and i'm trying not to believe so

[sheepdean]

Wouldn't be the first time a modified track's gotten a new name

[Frozen Beach]

So when he means "just like the fragile", does he also mean that some of the tracks may have longer/alternative crossfades?

[sheepdean]

Vinyl normally is slightly different in those terms anyway

[Deadpool]

Anyone else think the title track will be a mostly instrumental interlude? I don't care what it is, it's simply a hunch. I actually like the idea of it being being a weird, lyric-less thing since I've come to really enjoy 'The sleep of reason...' Speaking of which, I'm a little surprised I just realized the possibility of 'The wake-up' being a modified version of 'sleep of reason' - y'know, since Mariqueen whispers that creepy "wake up!" at the end of the song (which I love). Hmmm.

[simonn]

Anyone else considering the possibility that there's a video for every song on the album? 4 before they've even released the thing is quite a lot, though obviously three related to the EP. I recall Trent did mention lots of videos (I'm paraphrasing) when he gave a big update two or three months ago.

[r_z]

From Rob:

"It's not the "whole" album, it's bonus tracks that fit better in the vinyl format. Just like The Fragile."

evil vinyl format. glad to see someone finally has the guts to face its despotic reign by bombing it with bonus songs. the choir will support your endeavors, smartass music people! the choir will shut the fuck up. the choir will gladly buy any halo or sigil or whateveryounamethosethingsyouretryingtomakeintocol lectorsitems.

[gorast]

evil vinyl format. glad to see someone finally has the guts to face its despotic reign by bombing it with bonus songs. the choir will support your endeavors, smartass music people! the choir will shut the fuck up. the choir will gladly buy any halo or sigil or whateveryounamethosethingsyouretryingtomakeintocol lectorsitems.
Alright then.

[botley]

From Rob:

"@BStecke (https://twitter.com/BStecke) It's not the "whole" album, it's bonus tracks that fit better in the vinyl format. Just like The Fragile."
I don't want to make this into a big deal; the last time I engaged Rob on twitter about HTDA, it was over something as trivial as the wording of a tweet about their Instagram account, and I got a bunch of blowback. It's their band, they can do what they like, I'm just some irascible Canadian who doesn't know the first thing about how to promote music. But I know what I like to see when I decide to buy from an artist, in terms of how they approach salesmanship.

If the bonus tracks are ONLY on vinyl because they 'fit better' in that format, and only that format, why are they duplicating it only on ANOTHER PHYSICAL FORMAT instead of offering that version as a download? Just seems like a silly gimmick. Give us a FLAC download version of the vinyl tracklist that we can buy and I'll buy it. Instead I'm going to find those tracks somewhere else.

...this is coming from someone who bought the WITT single.

[Deepvoid]

I'm sure they are aware of that. I never bought vinyls, never will. If there are bonus tracks that are only available through purchase of the vinyl edition, I'll find them elsewhere.

[sheepdean]

The ETS community isn't exactly known for not sharing music

[MrSlfDstruct]

I'm personally back and forth on buying the vinyl. I consider myself a collector, but not to the point of being a completist. I try to have a physical version of all of the songs available for any official release if it's available, but I personally just have no use for the vinyl, despite it being really, really good looking. I guess I'm content with Rob's response in that the album isn't incomplete without the extra tracks, but then that collector kicks in . . .

[ZeroisGreg]

How do I remove the vocals from 'How long"?

[BRoswell]

Take a knife and cut along the bottom of the song. The vocals should just fall out on their own.

[sheepdean]

How do I remove the vocals from 'How long"?
Wait for HTDA to release the multitracks, at their current track record you should have them by 2026

[ZeroisGreg]

Come on guys, I'm serious. I've applied Channel conversion using a vocal cut preset and inverted one channel but it seems the vocals are too interwoven for removal.

[BRoswell]

There's not much you can do unless they release the multitracks.

[ZeroisGreg]

There's not much you can do unless they release the multitracks.

Is multi-track releasing allowed by their label?

[sheepdean]

Can't you just enjoy the song? And labels love multitracks, though they often want to charge for them

[ZeroisGreg]

Can't you just enjoy the song? That's difficult to do with these kind of vocals. They don't belong (in my opinion) no matter what style or approach. Bring in Dave Gahan, Shirley Manson, Alison Moyet, or even Peter Gabriel.

[ZeroisGreg]

That's difficult to do with these kind of vocals. They don't belong (in my opinion) no matter what style or approach. Bring in Dave Gahan, Shirley Manson, Alison Moyet, or even Peter Gabriel.
adding...Annie Lennox, Nick Cave, or perhaps Jarvis Cocker.

[BRoswell]

Or how about someone whose vocal style would actually fit with the music. Her voice fits the song perfectly in my opinion.

[sheepdean]

Oh, so you have all those singers on hand to record the vocals for you? That's neat.

[BRoswell]

I'm still struggling to see what's so offensive about Mariqueen's vocals in the first place, but that's just me.

[butter_hole]

I'm still struggling to see what's so offensive about Mariqueen's vocals in the first place, but that's just me.
they're offensive because they're not trents and how dare they.

[sheepdean]

In some people's minds, Trent wrote all the music and lyrics, and everyone else in the band just plays what he tells them

[FernandoDante]

opinions and stuff

[slave2thewage]

adding...Annie Lennox, Nick Cave, or perhaps Jarvis Cocker.
Such a modern taste in music you've got there.

[Fred]

Yeah, the 80-90's want their idols back, and Phil Collins is really sad about not being on your little list. I personally like Mariqueen's vocals, and this is possibly my favourite HTDA track so far. If you don't feel the same way, then fine. It's a matter of taste, but for the love of God, don't make it into more than that.

[dzaver]

Come on guys, I'm serious. I've applied Channel conversion using a vocal cut preset and inverted one channel but it seems the vocals are too interwoven for removal.

ahhh. whatever

[Henrie_Schnee]

Yeah, wait for the Multitracks and then get YOUR girlfriends/wives to sing...

But seriously, there's this school of thought about the certain appeal of having women sing in songs who cannot actually sing... how should I put it... as well as the song is intended to be? And I think this really started with Nico on Velvet Undergrounds Banana-record... so, yeah, time has shown that this approach can also lead to success & great art. Especially today, I see this trend re-emerge in the neo/synthi/80s revival bands like The XX, How to Destroy Angels, Bat for Lashes, Crystal Castles and, to a lesser extend, Ladytron... I mean, especially The XX, they're popular as fuck & that girl might have breath, but her voice has as much passion as an episode of The Office.

So, yeah, I can see why people wouldn't like Mariqueens voice... but c'est la vie. Wait for the multitracks!

[butter_hole]

But seriously, there's this school of thought about the certain appeal of having women sing in songs who cannot actually sing... how should I put it... as well as the song is intended to be? And I think this really started with Nico on Velvet Undergrounds Banana-record... so, yeah, time has shown that this approach can also lead to success & great art. Especially today, I see this trend re-emerge in the neo/synthi/80s revival bands like The XX, How to Destroy Angels, Bat for Lashes, Crystal Castles and, to a lesser extend, Ladytron... I mean, especially The XX, they're popular as fuck & that girl might have breath, but her voice has as much passion as an episode of The Office.
the fuck is this? get your hearing checked, man.

[Henrie_Schnee]

So what? Opinion.

[ItsJustDave]

So what? Opinion.

Opinion? You called it a "school of thought". Clearly insinuating that there is a conscious decision being made to have "women sing in songs who cannot actually sing... how should I put it... as well as the song is intended to be?". That's not opinion, so drop the cop out and own it.

[Henrie_Schnee]

Opinion? You called it a "school of thought". Clearly insinuating that there is a conscious decision being made to have "women sing in songs who cannot actually sing... how should I put it... as well as the song is intended to be?". That's not opinion, so drop the cop out and own it.

Yeah. Sorry. No native speaker, just trying to get the right expressions. My point: I say it is AS fashionable today with modern/dark "electronica" AS it was in the days of post-punk and early synth-pop. Second point: People found it "chic" back then; so people will find it "chic" today. Third point: With "no passion"/"bad singer" singer I'm merely saying that they are no trained, high class vocalist with a wide range of styles, big octave range, unique voice, etc... YET they're voices fit the music perfectly (sense of modern alienation, hauntingess, lots of echo... this kind of stuff). Not trying to start another shitstorm here, seriously.

[Max Leo]

In some people's minds, Trent wrote all the music and lyrics, and everyone else in the band just plays what he tells them
I remember reading that Q was the lyricist, but to be honest, the lyrics sound a lot, maybe too much, like Trent's.

There are certain words that should be erased from the Reznor's family dictionary from now on, too many "hands and knees", "seeing through myself", "slip away", "fade away", "what you are told", "can/can't you see", "holding on", "the beginning is/of the end", "zeros and ones", etc... I hope there is not a single "nothing can stop me/us now" on Welcome Oblivion ffs. XD

Call it recurring lyrics, but they are becoming tiresome in NIN, and those are mostly TR's recurring lyrics (and too many else I didn't mention) which some people are starting to see as a worrisome and laughable lack of vocabulary, but if Q is writing HTDA's lyrics I don't really understand why the whole band doesn't try to correct or slightly change the stuff that sounds too "reznorish".

I don't mean to be harsh, this is just a friendly advice I would give them to not be constantly compared with NIN, and at least I'm not criticizing Q's vocals (which I mostly like) but her lyrics (which I suspect are at least co-written by Trent). XD

[carpenoctem]

But seriously, there's this school of thought about the certain appeal of having women sing in songs who cannot actually sing... how should I put it... as well as the song is intended to be? And I think this really started with Nico on Velvet Undergrounds Banana-record... so, yeah, time has shown that this approach can also lead to success & great art. Especially today, I see this trend re-emerge in the neo/synthi/80s revival bands like The XX, How to Destroy Angels, Bat for Lashes, Crystal Castles and, to a lesser extend, Ladytron... I mean, especially The XX, they're popular as fuck & that girl might have breath, but her voice has as much passion as an episode of The Office.

This is just nuts. I know it's your opinion, but how you can't be moved by the male/female trade-off of the xx is crazy to me - Romy is essential to that band's whole approach. Also, Bat For Lashes is a project all about female identity - there is NO WAY a man could sing Natasha's songs any better than her. The duet she did with Scott Walker only served to highlight how truly central to the music she is.

This is now off-topic, so I'll get back to what we can all agree on: we want another Nine Inch Nails record with Trent's vocals as the main focus, and Welcome Oblivion is not going to be that record. So some of us will be disappointed until 2014, I guess.

[tyrannus]

The vinyl version of Welcome oblivion is down to $26 bucks on amazon. Just ordered it. 1 month to go.

[sheepdean]

The vinyl version of Welcome oblivion is down to $26 bucks on amazon. Just ordered it. 1 month to go.
I'm still holding out for HTDA's website

[BenAkenobi]

well, i'm agreeing with some opinions above, about voice. she sounded alright on the 2010 EP, that was solid, and i can't find a flaw there.
but not so much on all these new songs where she's expanding her range (IYLSE, ice age, how long) there are moments that bring me down to earth while i want to be up in the sky with that music (just like it was with 2010 EP).
the pictures in my imagination suddenly get cracked by reality. these kinds of vocalizing ("o-o-o-ocean, uo-uo-uohh" and the like) do remind me of singing while taking shower.
this is kind of frivolous, but hey maybe that's a concept, to let her loose, to make her slip away? do they want music to just be "okay" and not "fucking outstanding"? their choice i guess.
in my mind i try to find explanations for this while with good music i just listen and enjoy without "back thoughts".

[laci]

According to Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Oblivion-Vinyl-Destroy-Angels/dp/B00B1OWEX0/ref=mb_oe_l), the vinyl version of the album will be a 3 disc set. Nice.

[ManOfAtom]

According to Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Oblivion-Vinyl-Destroy-Angels/dp/B00B1OWEX0/ref=mb_oe_l), the vinyl version of the album will be a 3 disc set. Nice.

two records and a CD.

[laci]

According to Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Oblivion-Vinyl-Destroy-Angels/dp/B00B1OWEX0/ref=mb_oe_l), the vinyl version of the album will be a 3 disc set. Nice.
Oh, sorry, that's true.
Thanks for your help! :)

[spahn]

Q's vocals, imo, are getting better and better. i think she nails it in How Long?, no pun intended. I can just imagine how awesome it would be to see her up on stage singing the songs live.

[Scarlet Siren]

I'm still holding out for HTDA's website

Do you think there will be a better package via the website? My mouse his hovering over the 'buy now with 1 click' button....

[sheepdean]

Not a better package (Rob's already said that), but the band gets a bigger cut from buying through them, plus the instant download of the album on release day thing. If the cost is the same (or only a tiny bit more), I'll buy through HTDA. Otherwise, Amazon - as they're signed now, there's no risk of them selling out, so ordering now won't differ from ordering in May.

[jessamineny]

Shipping from Topspin is quite expensive, though.

[sheepdean]

Indeed it is - I'll not place my order until the site's live though, just in case. And I'd value that digital download at £5, so that's an acceptable amount to cost more than Amazon.

[witte]

Japanese release: "bonus track" (not 'tracks') (http://www.ebay.com/itm/HOW-TO-DESTROY-ANGELS-WELCOME-OBLIVION-JAPAN-CD-BONUS-TRACK-E78-/350710269991?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item51a7f60827)

[sheepdean]

Yeah I'm gonna take an eBay listing with a pinch of salt considering they don't even have the item yet, and don't even have the Obi on the album art

[gorast]

You sure that's not just a quirk in the ebay listing?

Well now this post looks supremely dumb because I didn't realize there was another page.

[jjaks]

Japanese release: "bonus track" (not 'tracks') (http://www.ebay.com/itm/HOW-TO-DESTROY-ANGELS-WELCOME-OBLIVION-JAPAN-CD-BONUS-TRACK-E78-/350710269991?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item51a7f60827)
HMV and Japanese Sony Music Shop have no mention about extra tracks.
http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/artist_How-To-Destroy-Angels_000000000438169/item_Welcome-Oblivion_5296179
http://www.sonymusicshop.jp/m/item/itemShw.php?site=S&ima=5901&dS2SPH=1&cd=SICP000003731

[blassster]

Amazon Canada store (http://www.amazon.ca/Welcome-Oblivion-Vinyl-Destroy-Angels/dp/B00B1OWEX0/) is about double the price of the .com site (searched ets and didn't see this mentioned). Glad I pre-ordered when it was lower.

[carpenoctem]

We're now a good amount of the way into February and I can't stop myself from wondering when Welcome Oblivion is going to leak. God, how long has it been since we've had the pleasure of anticipating a Reznor leak from someone not Reznor?

[gorast]

I'm gonna say a week before March 5.

[Ryan]

How does everyone plan on sequencing the tracks once this is out?

The CD version has a different track order to the vinyl version. Even if you were to slip the two vinyl bonus tracks onto the CD version, you're going to have a third, entirely different track arrangement.

CD:



"The Wake-Up"
"Keep It Together (http://www.ninwiki.com/Keep_It_Together)"
"And The Sky Began To Scream"
"Welcome Oblivion"
"Ice Age (http://www.ninwiki.com/Ice_Age)"
"On The Wing (http://www.ninwiki.com/On_The_Wing)"
"Too Late, All Gone"
"How Long?"
"Strings And Attractors"
"We Fade Away"
"Recursive Self-Improvement"
"The Loop Closes"
"Hallowed Ground"


Vinyl:



"The Wake-Up"
"Keep It Together"
"And The Sky Began To Scream"
"Ice Age"
"Welcome Oblivion"
"On The Wing"
"Too Late, All Gone"
"The Province Of Fear"
"How Long?"
"Strings And Attractors"
"Recursive Self-Improvement"
"Unintended Consequences"
"We Fade Away"
"The Loop Closes"
"Hallowed Ground"


I was thinking of maybe just going with the entire vinyl version arrangement to avoid too much confusion.

[gorast]

That's what I intended to do once I had the bonus tracks, unless the segues are weird.

[BenAkenobi]

Weird segues are a necessity! One of the main selling points if you will.

[Vertigo]

Do we know where the vinyl's sides start and finish?

[kdrcraig]

I was just planning on ripping the white label CD of the vinyl version.

[shagg_187]

I was just planning on ripping the white label CD of the vinyl version.

Yep. White CD is the definitive version.

[jessamineny]

If it's the definitive version, why aren't they distributing it on all the CDs and all the downloads? Wouldn't they want everyone to hear the definitive version? How would it be in their interests to withhold it from the vast majority of consumers of their art?

[gorast]

It might be the definitive version for us, the people who want all fifteen tracks, but it might not be the definitive version for the band itself (from Rob's response regarding it, I would argue that this is exactly the case); this would bring us right back to the discussion that spanned the last few pages, though.

[AgentofChaos]

^You mean, like a loop? Heh.

Hardest, but a fun part for me is going to be where to place Sleep of Reason and Speaking in Tongues as I feel like they would be crucial to an HTDA mix.

Are we certain that WTO and Ice Age are flipped in each version btw or is it possible that's just a typo?

[sheepdean]

That's grabbed from the official press release, so if it's a typo, the onus isn't on ninwiki.

[jessamineny]

Just tack them on at the end as "bonus tracks," along with "Province of Fear" and "Unintended Consequences" if you want.

[carpenoctem]

I'm gonna try a half dozen times listening to each grouping and decide which one I like best. It may be that the vinyl version is too long for my taste; maybe I'll lump Province of Fear and Unintended Consequences in with the extra tracks on An Omen for a little palate cleanser EP. Plus I'll be listening to the CD a lot in the car (didn't Trent say something about how good it sounds in the car on Twitter?) so I might just get stuck on that version. I am both thrilled and slightly irritated that there are different sequences to listen to it because I don't know the best one, and I really want to listen to it the best way.

[butter_hole]

WTO and Ice Age would be swapped because of the length of Ice Age, I'd say. Happens sometimes, notably on Panda Bear's Person Pitch: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Person_Pitch#Vinyl

[eversonpoe]

WTO

what is WTO? is it a play on "on the wing" or am i some kind of idiot?

[my voice just]

it`s some kind of conspiracy idiot acronym (CIA) for Welcome Oblivion, i presume

also
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WTO_(disambiguation)

[eversonpoe]

it`s some kind of conspiracy idiot acronym (CIA) for Welcome Oblivion, i presume

also
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WTO_(disambiguation)

hahaha...

no, but really, the album (and title track) are "Welcome Oblivion," not "welcome TO oblivion" so why are people abbreviating it as such?

[Henrie_Schnee]

The other day, I tried to burn something like a "Crash Course in NIN" for a friend of mine whose soul I plan to win for team Trent... so anyway, at this occasion it occurred to me for the very first time HOW FUCKING HARD IT IS to make a good order/sequence with NIN-songs, especially if you try to balance the hard/pounding songs with the quiet/melancholy stuff; having to deal with all those seques at the beginning and end... so yeah, I can kind of see why making the final tracklist for a new NIN/HTDA-release can be a tough decision.

Back on topic: I'll do it as I did with The Fragile, having the "CD" rip as my everyday fix and savoring the vinyl version for those very special moments...

[Ryan]

savoring the vinyl version for those very special moments...

Goodness me...

[staleincense]

it`s some kind of conspiracy idiot acronym (CIA) for Welcome Oblivion, i presume

also
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WTO_(disambiguation)
My god, HTDA is spreading propaganda for the World Toilet Organization! What shall we do!?

[ImTheWiseJanitor]

Christ. I can't get over what an awesome deal that vinyl is. Alternate(ish) tracklisting with bonus songs, a CD copy of that same version, and a digital copy that I can rip from the CD. I'd be silly NOT to get in on that.

[sheepdean]

Christ. I can't get over what an awesome deal that vinyl is. Alternate(ish) tracklisting with bonus songs, a CD copy of that same version, and a digital copy that I can rip from the CD. I'd be silly NOT to get in on that.
Whilst I agree, that totally read like an infomercial

[ImTheWiseJanitor]

Whilst I agree, that totally read like an infomercial

Only 4 easy payments of $49.95!

[plusminus]

Didn't they say the site to buy directly from them would be up mid-February? Should be up soon if it is still on schedule.

[sheepdean]

I'd assume preorders and tour dates will come at once

[Henrie_Schnee]

In the freelance IT-world (i.e. what Rob is doing), 'mid-february' is industry talk for "whenever my bag of haze runs out."

[wizfan]

Two weeks left! Can't wait!

[sheepdean]

http://vine.co/v/br3dezrK7l5

[The Reason Being]

Beatz!!!!!

[Shnoorum]

http://vine.co/v/br3dezrK7l5

Well this is weird. I'm hoping maybe Welcome Oblivion is possibly the next single? I'm assuming this is probably just promoting the actual album but I'm an optimistic fool

[Santos L Halper]

another new vine video: http://vine.co/v/brLTtAw1FOv

[jessamineny]

I guess it was inevitable. Vine: It's for Cockteasing.™

[gorast]

So does this mean they're going to put up their pre-order sometime within the next fucking year?

[sheepdean]

Is there a way to browse a user's full vine profile without buying an iProduct?

[spahn]

Another vine video. *sigh*

[blassster]

http://vine.co/v/b6mW3bdTZ9h

[wizfan]

That sounds like Atticus is slapping dat bass.

[sheepdean]

Seriously, I get that the band loves new tech, but using a service that only people with apple products can use properly is kinda annoying.

Not to mention, what the fuck is the point of vine

[nodylnai]

"It's out there if you look closely"

[Ghostofme]

wakey wakey... ian c rogers Tweet. http://fistfulayen.com/ian/Hackday2013/htda.mp3

[screwdriver]

wakey wakey... ian c rodgers Tweet. http://fistfulayen.com/ian/Hackday2013/htda.mp3

holy shit this is amazing

[Ghostofme]

check his tweet.. rogers.. call the #.

[RJK]

What was the name of the track when you call? I missed it.

[jessamineny]

too slowwwwwwww

[jrdsctt]

I just got a text message from Trent...

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BDbADvuCEAEuQSA.jpg:large

[jrdsctt]

I believe the song is And the sky began to scream

[jrdsctt]

Also, this is probably the best new HTDA song I have heard yet. Wow.

[Shnoorum]

Holy shit awesome cool. I saw that tweet reposted on their page ages ago and had no idea what it was about. Didn't think much of it. I'm a happy puppy now

[thefragile_jake]

wakey wakey... ian c rogers Tweet. http://fistfulayen.com/ian/Hackday2013/htda.mp3

I think Trent's vocals at the end were the only thing I really enjoyed about this song. Meh. Oh well.

[sheepdean]

Vine: Apple only
Weird text thing: US only

Why do people, be it labels or whatever, seem to think their fanbase are basically exactly the same as them

[jhulud]

I believe the song is And the sky began to scream

Yup. That's how it's showing when I moved the downloaded track to my iTunes.

[sheepdean]

It's labelled as side A too, so this is the vinyl mix, if there's a difference between the CD and Vinyl mixes

[somewhat_]

If you press 2 (and 2 again, then press the # sign) and leave Trent a message he then introduces himself and the track as "And the Sky Began to Scream" and then it plays over the phone (of course it sounds much better if you just download the track from the text you receive).

[sheepdean]

So what is this service called? I want to write it up on ninwiki but I have no idea how to describe it.

[howdidislipinto]

Wow. Best HTDA track so far, in my opinion. Love the build up, and of all the songs since An Omen that seem to be going for that spooky, unsettling vibe, this one achieved it best. Love it.

[jhulud]

So what is this service called? I want to write it up on ninwiki but I have no idea how to describe it.

This article will help a bit.

http://www.twilio.com/blog/2013/02/music-hack-day-app-lets-you-unlock-new-tracks-from-beastie-boys-and-trent-reznor.html

[sheepdean]

Cheers - got some lyrics up on ninwiki, can't figure out Mariqueen's whispered lyrics though http://www.ninwiki.com/And_The_Sky_Began_To_Scream

[Henrie_Schnee]

http://vine.co/v/b6mW3bdTZ9h

The Vessels are coming!

[Fragilicity]

Holy fuckberry pie, got them goosebumps on this one. I'm in, bring on the album.

[Camille]

Cool track, sounds good.

[JamesCmuse]

I want to fucking listen. I hate this bullshit. Because I'm not an apple user and live outside the US, I don't get to listen. Fuck that.

[ItsJustDave]

I want to fucking listen. I hate this bullshit. Because I'm not an apple user and live outside the US, I don't get to listen. Fuck that.

I'm confused. Do you mean to say that the mp3 linked in this thread does not work for you?

[JamesCmuse]

I didn't even see it. I must have missed it when reading the thread. Apologies for the display of aggression, and cheers for making me look again! That's embarrassing :(

[seasonsinthesky]

really into this one right away, the structure is very cool and it's as effective as the creepy pieces on the self-titled EP. An Omen has been growing on me too.

[Conrad Lienert]

Just to clarify, are the Vine clips only a couple of seconds long? Or are they meant to be playing the whole song?

[Shnoorum]

Dear fucking lord this is badass. Think it may have taken my number 1 spot. Her singing plus the general rythm is incredible. I love Trents sort of chanting at the end aswell. The name of the track got me dying to hear it, I'm glad I wasn't let down

[plusminus]

Just to clarify, are the Vine clips only a couple of seconds long? Or are they meant to be playing the whole song?

Only a couple seconds. It is a video equivalent of a .gif picture, short and sweet.

[jessamineny]

Just to clarify, are the Vine clips only a couple of seconds long? Or are they meant to be playing the whole song?

Six seconds is the maximum. It's owned by Twitter.

[fortheloveofgod]

Love it. Year zero all over again. Was getting worry there thought we would have to link all the vine clips together to make a song.

[Shnoorum]

Just to clarify, are the Vine clips only a couple of seconds long? Or are they meant to be playing the whole song?

We're all going on about this http://fistfulayen.com/ian/Hackday2013/htda.mp3

Just incase you missed it

[Collin]

Reminds me of a more adventurous version of Keep It Together, structure-wise. I love the eerie little synth line at the 1:25 mark. Seems like the kind of song that will fit better in the context of the album, not as much as a standalone single (also like KIT, IMO). Not my favorite of the HTDA songs released thus far, but definitely has a cool atmosphere and Trent's part at the end is pretty badass.

[Conrad Lienert]

We're all going on about this http://fistfulayen.com/ian/Hackday2013/htda.mp3

Just incase you missed it

Haha, thanks. I've only listened to it about 6 times so far. Cheers all, for clarifying.

[ZeroisGreg]

very interesting....especially so close to the meteorite that hit Russia and made a 'scream' which broke many windows and injured some.

[gorast]

That's a pretty cool way to distribute a track. Sucks that it's US only, but it'd probably take way more than a day to set something like that up.

The beat of the track is my favorite so far. Not crazy about the vocals. Good song overall.

[Ghostofme]

I just got a text message from Trent...

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BDbADvuCEAEuQSA.jpg:large


Man, I totally forgot to FaceTime with Trent when he sent me that.. #worstfriendever

[Shnoorum]

Mariqueens whispered lyrics just before Trent starts singing I think she may be saying "All this time. All alone". Could be wrong. Very hard to make out

[Merriweather]

The iTunes preorder looks to have the tracks from the self-titled EP tacked onto the end of the album for some reason.

[sheepdean]

"iTunes exclusive!!!111one!"

[carpenoctem]

This is insane. Anyone getting Aphex Twin vibes? Only a lot more coherent and sexy.

[Collin]

HTDA's twitter just posted this, "@destroyangels Tomorrow..."

live dates?

[my voice just]

https://vine.co/v/b6KAiKgxJVX
https://vine.co/v/b6qHujdUL6U
and a new video

or all this vineshit is just a snippets of live videos, that will accompany the shows

[gorast]

Goddamn Vine is irritating as shit on a desktop. Fucking videos play for half a second.

I really hope they put up those pre-orders tomorrow. Along with live dates, I guess.

[Conrad Lienert]

So, how many listens of "And the sky began to scream" are we up to, everyone???

I think I'm nearing 20!

[Highly Psychological]

Yeah i like this one too, some trippy hazy sex vibes going on. With the exception of Mariqueens vocals this to my ears sounds the closest yet they have come to sounding like (late period) Coil. Very nice.

[Deadpool]

Mmmm bring on the pre-order options and live dates! 'Bout time!

'And the sky...' is pretty damn awesome. I like Mariqueen's melody a lot, and Trent's bit at the end is most definitely badass - his lyrics remind of the extended lyrics from The Collector ("I am building/Something terrible/With all of this"), which is a great thing in my book.

[sheepdean]

ATSBTS sounds like ants bats

[BenAkenobi]

was just thinking almost the same thing. Ats Bts... Goin Nuts with Trents projects Abbrs

also, fun to see LAME encoder parameters in file tags of this and How Long. especially contradicting "-v" and "-b 320" switches. wish they also used "-k" switch for the best quality

[/nerd]

[Fragilicity]

Love it. Year zero all over again.

I get the same vibe, I've been waiting for this "sound" for a long, long time.

[BRoswell]

That ending...wow. Loved it. The album can't come out soon enough.

Also, I don't know why, but I was reminded of the Fight Club soundtrack listening to this. I think it was the strange woodwind sound.

[sheepdean]

If anyone can't DL it for some reason, http://fuckyeahatticusross.tumblr.com/post/43456418110/sheepdean-and-the-sky-began-to-scream-how-to

[uroboros]

"The Sky begins to Scream" has turned my copious saliva into a rabid froth. I...need...this. Between the harrowing beauty of Nick Cave's "Push the Sky Away" & the catastrophic darkness of How to Destroy Angel's "Welcome Oblivion" I may just become undone completely. Look for me in the deepest & dankest ward in a few weeks.

Asides:

Staggering that we have 40 minutes of music from these sessions so far.
& "Is this truly YZ's spiritual successor?" he wondered aloud.

[wizfan]

Friggin' love it!

[fortheloveofgod]

Spotify is listing the first EP as bonus tracks as well.

[BenAkenobi]

now that is error of their ways, first EP is awesome and deserves bonus tracks itself

[laci]

Uhm, here's the stream of the full album: http://pitchfork.com/advance/33-welcome-oblivion/

[Reznor2112]

DAMMIT ^^^ u beat me!
The stream also includes album artwork and notes. Allesandro Cortini is on the album...


EDIT: Oh my fucking god, its amazing!

[spahn]

a live show of this album would be so fucking awesome.

[Demogorgon]

anyone ripping this? i tried a couple of things and they don't seem to work.

[Reznor2112]

anyone ripping this? i tried a couple of things and they don't seem to work.

Trying the same thing...

Why does album have to be so damn good???

[NIN64]

A rip will have to do until the 5th when I buy the CD w/digital download. I wish it wasn't just streaming. I'm about to get onto a 4 hour plane ride, and I would love to have this on my iPod. . .

[dominik]

the fucking album is streaming on pitchfork

edit: whoops sorry i didn't see you already posted it

[jhulud]

Pre-orders from the band are up on their site now. With a few shirts too.

I have to wait to get home to order as for some reason, the store is blocked on my work laptop. Great.

[thetourist]

Oh, how I hate bands who stream their albums prior to release.

[Callahan]

What? no super deluxe limited, signed, gold plated edition??

Seriously though, I was actually kind of expected some sort of limited edition version, we've been getting a few of those over the past few years.

[NIN64]

Too Late, All Gone my favorite track so far. Damn. . .

[dlb]

I'm quite shocked about how I'm enjoying this so far after feeling somewhat disapointed by an omen. 4 tracks in and I hope the excitement is here to stay! And I love Trent's post! :D

[spahn]

in for cd+vinyl. 46.99 after shipping and taxes and all that jazz.

[dzaver]

whats the difference between standard mail (7.99$) and standard (22$)... the shipping cost is really a difference

[echoespaul]

"And the sky began to scream" & "Too late, all gone" are two of the best tracks for me. Just the right mix of Trent and Mariqueen.

[DVYDRNS]

okay. so This is nice and drony... I actually am digging what i'm hearing here.

good job guys.

[shagg_187]

Uhm, here's the stream of the full album: http://pitchfork.com/advance/33-welcome-oblivion/

"How to destroyer angels_, the project of Trent Reznor, Mariqueen Maandig, Rob Sheridan, and Atticus Ross, are releasing their debut album, Welcome oblivion, on March 5 via Columbia."


lol.

[Wolfkiller]

Pre-order in, listening now. Can't wait!

[sheepdean]

The title track has given me a huge erection

[Fred]

Oh, how I hate bands who stream their albums prior to release.

Oh, how I hate people who can't think "I'll just shut the fuck up and not listen to this." It's like you people are just actively looking for something that'll justify your "i h8 htda cuz hes not on drux n e moar"-bullshit. We get it. Go listen to "Starfuckers, Inc." or something.

I like what I'm hearing so far. I liked "An Omen", but the more energetic songs are great as well.

[kbo]

If you order the vinyl package, do you receive the bonus tracks IN the digital download, or are they JUST on the white label cd and vinyl. Does anyone know the bitrate of them?

[Reznor2112]

Any luck on a rip?

[NIN64]

Any luck on a rip?

Have not found one yet. Constantly hitting F5 on all the usual sources. . .

[Sutekh]

Ah what, the tracks from the EP are all on this LP?

I wasn't paying attention

[Demogorgon]

If you order the vinyl package, do you receive the bonus tracks IN the digital download, or are they JUST on the white label cd and vinyl. Does anyone know the bitrate of them? well, if they're on cd it should be an easy option to just rip them as FLAC and convert them to whatever bit rate afterwards.

[Reznor2112]

Ah what, the tracks from the EP are all on this LP?

I wasn't paying attention

All but The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters & Speaking in Tounges



And just a thought...imo David Fincher is the best thing to happen to TR

[NIN64]

Hallowed Ground is pretty damn good too. . .

[dzaver]

I love it!

[baudolino]

The order system seem pretty corrupted! I see addresses from previous customers as my own?!

[witte]

almost 1200 people on line on ETS.

"i don't like HTDA"
FYA :)



The order system seem pretty corrupted! I see addresses from previous customers as my own?!
No problem if it's sent to me.
If you pay.... ;)

[spahn]

The order system seem pretty corrupted! I see addresses from previous customers as my own?!

i noticed that too and i shot @htda, trent and rob a tweet advising them of such. hopefully they fix soon.


UPDATE: as per Rob's reply to my tweet: Yeah, someone else pointed that out. Not cool, I've alerted them to fix it asap.

[Leviathant]

@nine_inch_nerd (http://www.echoingthesound.org/community/member.php?u=82) That's the idiot web developer behind Thom Yorke's AMOK player scraping our site. If I had more time, I'd throw up some server rules to display dongs on the AMOK background anytime it tries to scrape ETS, but I'm listening through Welcome Oblivion now, and I gotta say, I'm up to "Too Late, All Gone" and I'm getting that "Why do I even bother trying to make music" feeling again. This album's much better than the previous work they've put out. I've always been a bit reluctant with HTDA, it never really kept my attention, but this has sold me. I think I'm even going to pre-order.

[sheepdean]

I've put all the album credits onto ninwiki but I have to go out ... half an hour ago, so anyone who was hoping for transcribed lyrics is gonna have to wait a couple hours I'm afraid :P

[R-Dot-Yung]

Im 3 tracks in and Im pretty fucking happy

[jessamineny]

If you order the vinyl package, do you receive the bonus tracks IN the digital download, or are they JUST on the white label cd and vinyl. Does anyone know the bitrate of them?

Last we heard from Rob, the bonus tracks are not included in the digital downloads... even the download that's bundled with the vinyl.

According to the preorder site, the downloads are 320 kbps MP3, FLAC 24/96 HD, PDF booklet.

[Satyr]

You appear to be able to stream the album in its entirety. Link is on HTDA homepage.

[Reznor2112]

For anyone wondering about the vinyl:
http://s12.postimage.org/kkv92sby5/tweet.png

[thetourist]

haha, you're funny!


Oh, how I hate people who can't think "I'll just shut the fuck up and not listen to this." It's like you people are just actively looking for something that'll justify your "i h8 htda cuz hes not on drux n e moar"-bullshit. We get it. Go listen to "Starfuckers, Inc." or something.

I like what I'm hearing so far. I liked "An Omen", but the more energetic songs are great as well.

[Scarlet Siren]

Can't wait to listen to this, unfortunately I'm at work and have plans when I finish up so won't get home until quite late. FML!

[sheepdean]

Strings and Attractors sounds exactly like I expected it to. I'm onto Ally's track in 1 minute wooooooooo
#liveblogging

[gdmt]

any rip so far? guys? ;_;

[Mataxia]

Has anyone found a way to rip it? I've been trying but none of my usual methods are working. I just want to be able to listen to it in the car.

[slave2thewage]

"Too late, all gone" is fucking brilliant.

[gdmt]

PM me for a link to teh rip.

[Reznor2112]

PM me for a link to teh rip.

How the hell do you download it from this site?

[Fragilicity]

That was one hell of a Russian adventure, thank god for Google Chrome...

[cabezas]

i just reserved the vinyl, i have the 312th! (and the two bonus tracks)

[cabezas]

c'mon, post some mirrors!

[kbo]

Ok...so the white cd has the bonus tracks though?? Or just the actual vinyl record?

[witte]

Mr Cortini was involved in 'we fade away', that's why he was in Trent's studio during the Sitek remix...
Nothing to do with NIN.

[BrewHa]

How the hell do you download it from this site?

http://www.2buzzy.com/how-to-download-from-ifolder-ru/
(http://www.2buzzy.com/how-to-download-from-ifolder-ru/)
Halfway through, loving it so far!

[DigitalChaos]

Really wish they would allow you to play this via mobile device. That's the only reason I am trying to rip it. Ripping has been a very limited success. I have a few tracks. Going to just record line audio pretty damn soon (source is 128kbs quality).

[Collin]

I love this LP so far, after only 2 listens.

Highlights include:

Strings and Attractors- sooo sexy. I hope this is the next single
Too Late, All Gone- another badass poppy track, reminds of much more refined and clearer version of BBB. It showcases HTDA at their best.
Welcome Oblivion- great vibe, love the way the chorus hits
We Fade Away- love the way this one builds and settles
Also, The Wake Up is one of the better intro tracks Trent has ever done, and Hallowed Ground is a really beautiful closer
Only track that I don't necessarily like is Recursive Self-Improvment.

and I still love Ice Age, How Long? and On The Wing, too.
kinda weird that of all these great tracks, Keep It Together was chosen as the lead single...

[gdmt]

sorry for no-mirrorish thing, i've got one of a hell slow connection here, here are 4 steps that will lead you to final captcha: 1. http://i.imgur.com/0P72ACn.png 2. http://i.imgur.com/Hu3UBnZ.png 3. http://i.imgur.com/hepd4Pu.png 4. http://i.imgur.com/iUa6iHN.png

[DigitalChaos]

you guys are going to get a rare form of Russian computer AIDS with that shit

[DVYDRNS]

working on it...

[BrewHa]

Strings and attractors......WOW

[blackholesun]

I use that Russian site all the time. It's fine, just slow.

[Jinsai]

well, I guess I'll throw in my two cents and agree that the album is pretty awesome

[gorast]

Holy shit. This album is awesome. Hit me way harder than An omen did.

I love how long all the tracks are, too. Too Late, All Gone might be my favorite of the new tracks so far, though the title track is close behind. Maybe now people will stop saying Q can't sing beyond a whisper.

[Fragilicity]

yeah, I'm honestly blown away, I didn't have any real expectations so I'm enjoying the hell out of it. The Loop Closes is still one of my favorites.

[Reznor2112]

Ok...so the white cd has the bonus tracks though?? Or just the actual vinyl record?

White label CD comes in a slip case with the entire vinyl album including bonus tracks according to Rob

[Q-NeilL]

i'm sorry - another russian's site: PM me for the link :D

[gorast]

Reminds me, I preordered the CD, vinyl, and a t-shirt earlier. I'm a little disappointed in the t-shirt selection, but I snagged one anyway.

68 dollars. Hurts so good.

[Magtig]

This band is really starting to find its voice on this record, but they're entering a very harsh world, and it's one that already has Trent Reznor's previous work ingrained into its perspective. It's a fragile position to be in because it feels like he is finally moving forward again with this album. HDA takes abstract and minimal electronic music towards pop in the same way that Pretty Hate Machine took industrial towards pop. Purists of all stripes will likely hate it for the same reasons that many others will be drawn in. A pop version of Autechre (amongst others) with a female singer? Sign me up. I hope they weather the storm.

[Alpha 60]

I’m wondering if the white label cd will be 75 or 80 mins long because I think this ablum clocks a lil over 70 minutes. So the two other tracks are either pretty short or the white label is longer than 75 minutes.

[richardp]

I have Amazon Prime so I went ahead and just ordered the vinyl from them to avoid the shipping costs. Really hoping the white label cd still comes with it.

But in terms of the album quality, not to go into great detail with saying the same stuff everyone else has said already, I'll just say it's well worth the 3 year wait for THIS album, and the 5 year wait for a non-soundtrack album.

[Collin]

I’m wondering if the white label cd will be 75 or 80 mins long because I think this ablum clocks a lil over 70 minutes. So the two other tracks are either pretty short or the white label is longer than 75 minutes.

I thought of this too, but after putting the album into Itunes it ends up coming out to 67 Min. and If I remember correctly CD's can fit roughly 80, so theres about 12-13 min of wiggle room for those two tracks.

[gorny540]

Am I the only one still annoyed they haven't released the tour dates yet, need to know if I'm going to see this band in the foreseeable future or not. And I haven't listened to the album yet, waiting til later tonight when I have a free hour or so, but I'm sure its great

[BenAkenobi]

it was suggested (and i began to hope) it would work better in album, but The_ Loop_ Closes_ still sticks out like a sore thumb_™ :(
other than that, an amzaing record. almost as good as Conditions of my parole by Puscifer
now even stronger hoping for a local CD release because importing sucks big time lately

--edit--
oh levels of xenophobia here today
--end of edit--

[Henrie_Schnee]

I won't even bother listening to the stream, so I went straight ahead and downloaded a rip (on a non-russian site, though). Only problem is, all the songs kinda skip at the beginning. Fixed it by setting the starting time to 0:04, but that's no long term-solution until the release of this awesome fucker...

Which is a long way of saying: Please pm me, too, if you'd be so kind.

[frankie teardrop]

can't even get the album to stream via pitchfork on firefox... so if there's something to listen to in a private message, i would be most grateful!

[gorast]

The copy I have has that dumb skipping at the beginning, too. I substituted in the legit copies of And the sky... and How long? to avoid it, and did what you did for the others. I can't wait for the high-quality downloads to drop into my inbox on March 5.

[AgentofChaos]

Wasn't incredibly anticipating this release but I did preorder the vinyl this morning. Now coming in to this thread, my excitement levels have increased ten fold. I can't listen to the stream at work, but I did finally hear And the Sky Began to Scream and god damn that was tasty.

[sheepdean]

As much as I've always wanted to learn, I don't speak Russian. So ... little help?

[fortheloveofgod]

Highlights include everything that wasn't on the EP. Though I like the flow now and hearing the whole picture of all the songs intertwined.

[Reznor2112]

The Russian rip I have has the beginning skips as well. If anyone could please PM a link to a rip that doesnt have skips I'd love you forever.

[andreiuc88]

Yes, I would also love a rip that doesn't skip at the beginning :D

[Henrie_Schnee]

Errrrrrrrrr... did you guys see that the Pitchfork-Stream is full of hidden .mp4s?

Edit:
On closer inspetion, they seem to be snippets from Ice Age & The Loop Closes-videos. Superficial inspection revelead no ARG-clous, though....

[jessamineny]

No. Enlighten us.

[konkelo]

Errrrrrrrrr... did you guys see that the Pitchfork-Stream is full of hidden .mp4s?

Tell me more :)

Hi all btw. After one listen I really enjoyed the album! Already spent rest of my money for the vinyl preorder. I'd rather eat the vinyl than food :)

[Henrie_Schnee]

No. Enlighten us.

I use the Flashgot extension in Firefox, it's my weapon of choice for ripping. On this site however, I only see these videos (in .ogv and .mp4). Strange. Maybe they're supposed to play where these big white holes are left in the artwork?

[scorpiusdiamond]

The liner notes that describe it as being recorded by Blumpy who did the live sound mixes... does that suggest that some of it may have been done live?
Oh yeah, god damn this is rad. I was really ill today and this cheered me up a hundred fold.

[JessicaSarahS]

This is a pretty sexy release! :D And the sky began to scream, We fade away, and Welcome Oblivion are immediate favorites and I still love How long.

[Furie_Zacharias]

This. Is. Epic.

Some real eargasm material!

[DigitalChaos]

Errrrrrrrrr... did you guys see that the Pitchfork-Stream is full of hidden .mp4s?

Edit:
On closer inspetion, they seem to be snippets from Ice Age & The Loop Closes-videos. Superficial inspection revelead no ARG-clous, though....
By hidden do you mean displaying in full screen on your browser in a rotation as the music plays?

[littlemonkey613]

Fucking brilliant. Also this was made in the perfect time. Everyone getting big in the electronic/rock world refuses to go for a darker aesthetic. Well! Trent is happy to fill that spot! And better than anyone else could fucking even hope to.

[sukey]

This album is fucking good. I had low expectations - I downloaded all the EPs but I've hardly listened to them - but this is an entirely different beast. A much better one. Just frustrated I can't download it from them right now to have it to carry around.

[DigitalChaos]

the 4sec skip (actually just a restart) are because of the crazy RTMP streaming they are doing. I couldn't find a good way to rip the RTMP stream but somehow the russians did. However they weren't perfect! :)
Almost certain you can just chop off the first ~4sec of the songs.

[Max Leo]

I would love a pm with the "no-skips" album if it's possible, I've not listened to this yet because I don't want to do it streaming it on my laptop (poor sound on it) and so far I've only found a rip in a russian site ("m****boom") and I guess that it has those skips in the songs that you were talking about.

[sheepdean]

The thing is only streaming at 192kbps, listening on your laptop won't make much difference

[dlb]

Wow, I didn't think that I'd say that, but they won me over with this one. This is a superb album and I really can not wait to hold a physical copy in my hands in 2 weeks time. The title track, strings and attractors and the sky began to scream are my favorites as I ran through the record a couple more times. I'm curious how the vinyl tracks will sound.

Still, ice age and how long do absolutely nothing for me. I'm glad that the album is pretty much different than these tracks.

Damn you Trent, you did it once again! :D

[DigitalChaos]

We Fade Away at ~4:20 reminds me of The New Flesh at 0:45

[Trains]

This is a really, really cool album. Especially with the visuals to complement the songs. Funky, glitchy, subtle, catchy and (in places) heavy as fuck. Awesome.

[arsenic]

I love this album. I preordered the vinyl just after the first listen.
If anyone could drop me a PM with a link to the skip-free rips that would be very appreciated!

Congrats to everybody involved in this project! The visuals are amazing too

[GoodSoldier333]

I'll have to agree with what one of the users before me said. Love this thing to death except for Ice Age and How Long...the two songs they chose to shine more attention to with the vids.

[sukey]

The Pitchfork player keeps stopping in the middle of songs so I have to restart. Bloody annoying, so if someone could PM me a link to the rip I would love you forever!

[Max Leo]

The thing is only streaming at 192kbps, listening on your laptop won't make much difference

Yeah, I guess the mp3s are not the best quality, I'm not an audiophile obsessed about this kind of stuff, but the main problem with my laptop is the volume, which is too low, it's not connected to any kind of good speakers and its own speakers just suck, so I would rather have a decent rip for my usb stick that I can just connect to my tv and from there I'll have a much better listening even if the mp3s are not the best possible quality. ;)

Sooo, I would appreciate any kind of mp3 rip please, I promise I'll buy the CD when it's out. XD

[konstantin]

looks like somebody ripped the 192Kbps stream already

[Max Leo]

looks like somebody ripped the 192Kbps stream already
Who? XD Don't be shy, tell me with a pm if you are kind enough, please. XD

[jac740]

Yes, i really need that pm with the download link. The pitchfork player is really terrible!