Add Violence

[cashpiles (closed)]

More impressions from the music:

The Lovers: the chorus gives me chills. You know NIN is doing it right when it's having the vibration effect on your body.
Not Anymore: The impression I get is that it's a story about someone who keeps getting abducted and hypnotized..... a kind of helpless horrifying feeling really.
The Background World: What is Trent singing buried beneath the "Are you sure this is what you want?" refrain?.. you can hear him singing lines. Something about "now is the time" or "this isn't the time".. something with time....(Edit: critique: the bridge vocal melody that sounds all foggy before the are you sure part isn't really working for me. that's my only critique of the album. it was almost perfect. wow)
Less Than: I love how he snarls "Did it fix what was wrong with you?".. whenever he sings that.. in my mind I expect him to next sing "Didn't think so"... but anyways I love it.. and I just love his singing all throughout Less Than.. His vocals hit at the perfect times and the way he sings the different lines is really awesome.

Like kleiner352 says, This Isn't The Place is a powerhouse... just an amazing song.... love it.

(I really liked Trent from the outset because of his voice.. back when I first got into NIN... He can communicate so much through his vocalizations. )

[implanted_microchip]

The Lovers gets better with every single listen. Such an interesting and layered track. It's great to hear Trent getting so adventurous with his vocal deliveries all over this EP, along with the amount he pushed himself on NTAE, after his fairly safe-sounding vocal takes on Hesitation Marks (outside of Everything). Just about every song here, he's doing something different than the last with his voice. I don't know if it was his own desire or if Atticus helped nudge him towards it, but I'm thrilled to see him pushing himself into new spaces and taking risks in that regard.

The "I know who I am, I know who I am" line is especially skin-crawling. There's such a vibe of nervousness and delusion on The Lovers that is visceral, upsetting and intoxicating all at once. It makes me think a lot of his presentation of addiction on past releases, and follows the twisted romance angle that is typical of substance abuse narratives. I could definitely see it be conceptually dealing with the character present in this trilogy using drugs as an escape from their manufactured reality, which would be wonderfully ironic -- trading one form of escapism for another.

Also, NIN has always made music that felt somewhat cinematic, but with their experience of scoring films in full now, I've found some songs seem even more sweepingly narrative and climactic -- This Isn't the Place really does feel like the emotional culmination point towards the end of a long and expansive film. There's a way that it ebbs and flows and layers on and then backs away again before finishing that's so overpowering, so overwhelming -- it's one of the most emotionally-affecting and effective things I think they've ever done, seriously. It's probably Trent as his most naked and vulnerable vocally across NIN's catalog and is right up there with Home in terms of inner transparency, sincerity and earnestness while not using any anger, rage or angst as a coping or defense mechanism. It's just so raw and real and vivid. For a song that has so many swirls of electronic and synthetic noises, it's extremely human and reaches right into my heart, only for Not Anymore to come in and kick all my sandcastles down.

Does anyone else have a seriously physical reaction to Not Anymore? It makes my guts hurt. Like, actually makes me feel a sense of twisting and psuedo-nausea. Something about that muddy guitar and bass makes me feel anxious and uncomfortable. I love it when NIN dives into the world of unfriendly sounds, but Not Anymore is so unfriendly that it doesn't even offer a cool hook or tether for me -- there's nothing for me to hold onto for stability in it. It feels like a panic attack. Everybody finds The Background World so anxiety-inducing and uncomfortable but that song has lots of beauty, heart and soul to it -- Not Anymore just feels disgusting. It's a good thing, but ... wow. There's nothing they've ever done that's made me so immediately and continuously uncomfortable like this. The only other equivalent is the Broken movie and this doesn't need any visuals to accompany it to induce it.

[Skullton]

after his fairly safe-sounding vocal takes on Hesitation Marks (outside of Everything).

lol wut. Everything was the "safest" song hes probably ever done. it's like shitty pop punk.. I get what he was going for from interviews but man did that just not work out.

[implanted_microchip]

lol wut. Everything was the "safest" song hes probably ever done. it's like shitty pop punk.. I get what he was going for from interviews but man did that just not work out.

Look I have zero interest in having the exact same debate about Everything yet again 4 years on, especially in a thread about a totally different release, but all I was saying was that his vocal delivery on it pushed far outside of the box his voice was living in across that album otherwise. For the most part his vocals on Hesitation Marks are pretty typical NIN and that track tried something different and was a real risk to record and include on that record.

Hearing him explore spoken word and falsetto so much on Add Violence is delightful. As he's aged I think his voice has really lent itself to this kind of sensitivity and these songs prove he can use that end of the spectrum without it softening the blow so to speak -- The Lovers would not be half as unsettling if it was loud, menacing and bombastic vocally. It's the cool, disconnected prettiness of it that makes it so eerie. When I first heard it and he was doing the spoken verses I expected it to pull an I Do Not Want This and instead it became something totally different in that regard structurally.

It feels like Trent and Atticus are making a great deal of effort to push outside of their typical structure as much as possible here on these EPs and all it's been a success to me.

[Skullton]

Look I have zero interest in having the exact same debate about Everything yet again 4 years on, especially in a thread about a totally different release, but all I was saying was that his vocal delivery on it pushed far outside of the box his voice was living in across that album otherwise. For the most part his vocals on Hesitation Marks are pretty typical NIN and that track tried something different and was a real risk to record and include on that record.

Hearing him explore spoken word and falsetto so much on Add Violence is delightful. As he's aged I think his voice has really lent itself to this kind of sensitivity and these songs prove he can use that end of the spectrum without it softening the blow so to speak -- The Lovers would not be half as unsettling if it was loud, menacing and bombastic vocally. It's the cool, disconnected prettiness of it that makes it so eerie. When I first heard it and he was doing the spoken verses I expected it to pull an I Do Not Want This and instead it became something totally different in that regard structurally.

It feels like Trent and Atticus are making a great deal of effort to push outside of their typical structure as much as possible here on these EPs and all it's been a success to me.

lol yeah sorry. listened to HM at the gym today so it was fresh on my mind. Couldn't agree more about this one though. Feels super fresh and interesting

[Harry Seaward]

Damn, I'm glad I checked the nin.wiki lyrics. Every time I listened to Less Than I heard the lyrics as "are you less than .... before?" and apparently that's totally wrong lol. Good thing I realized that before I committed it completely to memory and was never able to unhear it again.

[tony.parente]

On the lyrics on Apple Music The Lovers says [part one]

Has that been discussed yet?

[IndyJ]

On the lyrics on Apple Music The Lovers says [part one]

Has that been discussed yet?

Do you mean the song being part one of two, or part one of the lyrics of the song? Part two starts at "Oh I see you floating there"

[tony.parente]

Do you mean the song being part one of two, or part one of the lyrics of the song? Part two starts at "Oh I see you floating there"

lol I need to go to sleep

[neorev]

I want the physical component to be/include one of two things -

1. A manual/guide of some kind for the cover "machine" (in TOTAL fantasy, I want it to BE a machine, SONOIO-style, heh.)
2. Something that allows you to find hidden details in the NTAE PC. Connecting the three PCs seems like an obvious move.

Sadly I do not have the first physical component. Now prices are up like crazy. Wish I picked one up.

[whiskeyboy]

Does anyone else have a seriously physical reaction to Not Anymore?

Try the whole album. I've never had music hit me the way this EP hits.

[BrewHa]

The Background World reminds me of William Basinski, but much more violent and unsettling. This EP is going to take awhile to digest.

[Ribbitman]

I swear that is "The Persistence of Loss" at the end of The Lovers

[slave2thewage]

The "I know who I am, I know who I am" line is especially skin-crawling. There's such a vibe of nervousness and delusion on The Lovers that is visceral, upsetting and intoxicating all at once. It makes me think a lot of his presentation of addiction on past releases, and follows the twisted romance angle that is typical of substance abuse narratives. I could definitely see it be conceptually dealing with the character present in this trilogy using drugs as an escape from their manufactured reality, which would be wonderfully ironic -- trading one form of escapism for another.

I just came into here to see if people were talking about the lyrics to this one. I described it to a friend - after much sleep deprivation, mind - as "a nightmarish fever dream narrating one of your past relationships". There's just something so ugly yet beautiful in this song that captivates me so much.

[acrid avid jam shred]

I feel like I need to keep listening to the EP just to wrap my head around everything that's going on in each song! I love how it's more ethereal and eerie than NTAE, and Trent's experimental approach to his vocals is so interesting and creative. The Lovers and This Isn't the Place are excellent, and The Background World and Not Anymore's noisy chaos is almost overwhelming.

[perterje]

I really like the new EP, but it still needs to grow a little on me to get to the same level as NTAE. True appreciation is a work in progress, I guess.

After 4-5 listens "Not Anymore" feels like a bad cup of coffee, and I don't even like coffee. This may end up being a good thing, but it's too soon to tell.

I wish "The Background World" had been broken in half, leaving the degenerating loop as its own track. The first half is absolutely fantastic! And I liked hearing the little string instrument sound from Gone Girl's "Clue Two" make a return, or at least that's what it sounded like to me.

As for all the discussions of significance and hidden meanings, I wish it would stop. For someone in this thread to suggest that there is some mythical context that can only be picked up by achieving some elevated state of consciousness (after repeated listenings of both EPs and a bunch of former albums through headphones - in the correct order) is not only rude, but destructive to the enjoyment of a brand new release from the artist we all love enough to even be here. I don't want to get to a point where I listen to this EP, like what I hear, yet worry that I've not been invited into its true significance because I'm too dumb or lazy to perform some secret ritual.

And if this hidden meaning really is to "focus" and "listen closely" because we "didn't even notice", then I don't need repeated listenings. I don't need headphones, or even the music. The lyrics are sufficient.

[ManBurning]

Finally back and unpacked and settled in from my mini trip to Bakersfield. Just sitting down to listen to this EP now.
Currently on the studio version of "The Lovers", what a bizarre track to debut live... This song does not seem like it would go good in a live environment.
In fact, I couldn't really understand what was going on live, but I think the live version sounded more interesting than the studio one. Not sure I dig this track yet.

[Patrick_Nicholas]

For all the speculation that AV is related to Year Zero somehow, I'm not really getting a Year Zero feel in the music itself. Maybe I'm missing something in the lyrics. The closest to Zero would be "The Background World", which comes off to me as more Ghosts than Zero. Sure, the artwork may come off as ARG, but the music itself is a bit different. Coming off at times as ambient with some vocals mixed in, this might need a few more listens. Best track is definitely "The Background World". "Less Than" aside, this doesn't really feel like something to go on tour for without it also being a tour for other releases since the last tour, such as NTAE.

[jmtd]

The songs are palimpsests

[ManBurning]

Finished my first listen.

Kinda mixed about this EP.

Whereas NTAE flows well, this EP is absolutely all over the place. It has a classic NIN single, a couple slower tracks, a punch to the face, and a weird experimental/electronic type track that would fit perfectly on Year Zero.

EP starts off great with "Less Than", but lost me at "the lovers". I started to get back into it again with "This Isn't the Place", and then BANG "Not Anymore" punched me in the face, and I was back in NIN land again, and then the EP ends with "The Background World" which, I was a little worried about hearing at first based on some of the reviews/first impressions, but I love that song. It's awesome. How it would just abruptly go on silent for half a second and start up was annoying at first, but you get used to it. Would love to see someone edit out the silent parts to have it just flow continuously without it stopping.

Time for a second listen, because if a NIN EP ain't sitting right with you after the first listen, you know it's good.

Oh, and there are so many themes about "waking up" between both of these EPs that I am shocked more of the "I'm asleep" type songs weren't played live in bakersfield given the name of the tour.

[raptors661]

Finished my first listen.


EP starts off great with "Less Than", but lost me at "the lovers". I started to get back into it again with "This Isn't the Place", and then BANG "Not Anymore" punched me in the face, and I was back in NIN land again, and then the EP ends with "The Background World" which, I was a little worried about hearing at first based on some of the reviews/first impressions, but I love that song. It's awesome. How it would just abruptly go on silent for half a second and start up was annoying at first, but you get used to it. Would love to see someone edit out the silent parts to have it just flow continuously without it stopping.

I started to do that tonight, but I'm really tired today and totally forgot the "silent" bits turn staticy towards the middle and gets harder and harder to find as the song goes on. I'm going to try again sometime this week.

[Blade3327]

Spent more time with this and I've come up with my own theory. Well, more of a suggestion for digesting this EP. First of all, it helps to think of this as part of a whole together with NTAE. On its own, NTAE is great. Add Violence is iffier. But together, both EPs are strengthened substantially. The thematic motifs, the experimentation, the sheer sonic variety blows HM and WT (though I adore the latter) out of the water.

I perceive these EPs as part of a response to some sort of event. And it feels more natural for NTAE to take place after AV. Why? Because Less Than, AV's opening track, is not only the most sonically accessible of the bunch, but also the most lyrically clear. Trent is making references to external things. Missile trails. Broken, desperate people upsetting order for the hell of it and making demands. We know what these things are. We've seen them on the news. These aren't abstract or introspective concepts.

The Lovers, while more experimental, still feels like it's referring to external concepts. Not as clear as Less Than, but not impossible to understand.

This Isn't The Place is even more experimental with even foggier lyrics.

I'm thinking you can put AV and NTAE next to each other as something similar to TDS -- or David Bowie's Low, Trent's inspiration for that album. The songs start out accessible and traditional, but slowly become more experimental and abstract as they go.

Once we cap off AV, distorting and crumbling away with the end of The Background World, we head right into NTAE, an EP that's much more introspective. Less immediately reactionary, more about processing the event and its consequences some time after it's occurred. NTAE is a more solipsistic record overall, but the sense of narrative isolation grows with each song.

After Branches/Bones leads us in, Dear World sees the narrator questioning the world around them, but within their own head. No more talking to someone outside or referencing external things. Dear World is an analysis of the world from a more isolated, subjective, abstracted place.

She's Gone Away could be about the narrator's last remaining tie to the world they thought they knew, someone or something that revealed itself to be corrupted and has since left the narrator (either physically or mentally).

The Idea of You is a moment of self-reflection, since we haven't quite gotten one yet at this point.

Finally, Burning Bright is the realization that the narrator doesn't need the world -- not the version they pictured nor what it actually is. All the narrator needs is themselves. Cutting ties to everything. Blossoming into something powerful and independent. Free. Fiery. It's the most unapologetically "me, me, me" song since Only.

In summary, the progression of the EPs is about disconnection, subsequent isolation, and the volatile strength that comes with it.

Question is: while I believe NTAE takes place after AV, where will the third EP fit? Will it be between them? Or before? If before, it would need to be the most accessible of all of these to completely match my thoughts above.

[Ribbitman]

Odd,but The Lovers is my least favorite song on here

After listening more, Less Than, TITP, TBW, are classics

[Harry Seaward]

How it would just abruptly go on silent for half a second and start up was annoying at first, but you get used to it. Would love to see someone edit out the silent parts to have it just flow continuously without it stopping.

I started to do that tonight, but I'm really tired today and totally forgot the "silent" bits turn staticy towards the middle and gets harder and harder to find as the song goes on. I'm going to try again sometime this week.

Man, I totally love that aspect of the looping. The brief pause is total 'record skipping' effect and the 'record skipping' trope is so evocative just by itself.

[dtuck90]

I wish they would put up the vinyl pre orders so I could download this EP

[fork.bomb]

I hope there is a radio edit that will be shortened, because it might be otherwise ignored.

The radio edit that played yesterday (July 20) on BBC Radio 6 Music (around ~11:50 BST, iirc) stopped on the "bridge" between the two parts. I was quite curious if the DJ on BBC Radio would play the 7:41 of the loop distorting, but just as expected they had an edit without the second part.

[cashpiles (closed)]

I just came into here to see if people were talking about the lyrics to this one. I described it to a friend - after much sleep deprivation, mind - as "a nightmarish fever dream narrating one of your past relationships". There's just something so ugly yet beautiful in this song that captivates me so much.

Ya for me it's about giving up control of yourself in a relationship and being changed by it or the other person

EDIT:

The places the tracks end and start are fucking perfect. It's so seamless like a rollercoaster ride. The adrenaline carries so heavy from Less Than to The Lovers. Same with Not Anymore to The Background World. such great transitioning. Perfectly executed. You might even interpret the pause before This Isn't The Place as foreshadowing of the pause between each decayig loop in The Background World. Trent and Atticus and team: You guys fucking nailed it so hard this time. I love this album.

The looping of The Background World started scaring me last night in bed before sleep. I had to open my eyes and look around. lol.

I love the part in Not Anymore that feels like a new song has started... last night I forgot that part was the same song..and then the insane chorus kicks in again.. it made me jump.

[Zazzaro703]

Still feel like part of this album could be sung from Dougie "Dale" Coopers point of view. I do wonder if being around David Lynch influenced him in anyway.

[Haysey_Draws]

I've been playing this pretty much non stop since i got the download, and as a result i'm also playing NTAE's along side and getting more out of that then i did when it first came out. AV really compliments NTAE's really well!

[perterje]

I've been playing this pretty much non stop since i got the download, and as a result i'm also playing NTAE's along side and getting more out of that then i did when it first came out. AV really compliments NTAE's really well!

Almost makes me wonder if when EP3 is out, the trilogy should be collected under a common name so they will be unified. He DID call them a trilogy, so they belong together as more than just three EPs released in succession.