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Faceplams: Oh totally, HTDA is such a breath of fresh air, and I like Mariqueen's voice more than Trent's lol. Though I'd be happy with either, of courseOriginally Posted by Volband
Josh Wink was on HLAH
Oh totally, HTDA is such a breath of fresh air, and I like Mariqueen's voice more than Trent's lol. Though I'd be happy with either, of course
Quiet Member
I couldn't disagree more. I would really be shocked if we got a HTDA album before a NIN one even though we just got a NIN one. I think NIN is on the menu... I just have a feeling. I think what HTDA initially did was spark Trent's desire to restart NIN. I'd be really really surprised if he went back to HTDA over NIN. Even in the latest interview he said he put NIN on hold to do Apple Music -- not HTDA.
And yeah, HTDA is nowhere near the greatness of NIN. Just my opinion. Something about Mariqueen's voice that just didn't sit well to me.
Active Member
What, too Yoko Ono for your taste?
We had a NIN album and a new score after the last one. It's time for another HTDA release (a single or an EP at the very least).
Josh Wink was on HLAH
Remember that HTDA isn't Trent's side project, it's a full band. If Trent isn't inspired for HTDA, it doesn't matter as much because MR does the lyrics and TRAR share music duties - he is the only person in charge of NIN, so he can put it on hold, but HTDA is a 4 piece. 5 if you count the wandering minstrel Ally.
And Mariqueen has been hinting since, what, November about something. It might just be the outtakes or whatever are going onto Connect, but it could be something fuller.
Quiet Member
It doesn't work that way. It works however Trent wants it to. Just because we got a NIN album and a score doesn't mean it's now time for HTDA. I'm not saying it won't be HTDA, but I just have a feeling Trent has been at work on NIN; I mean, he's publicly said he has been in three separate video interviews. Of course we can't take him at his word, but it's better than nothing.What, too Yoko Ono for your taste?
We had a NIN album and a new score after the last one. It's time for another HTDA release (a single or an EP at the very least).
Quiet Member
You never know... But my money is on NIN.
Active Member
I couldn't choose between their voice, I could never compare male and female vocals - assuming both are good in their own league. MQ's is soothing, but I really like Trent's voice work as well. He can sound so fucking desperate it chills me to the bone.
My biggest problem with HTDA is that I'd like it to be in the hands of MQ while Trent and the others only assist her. It just sounds way too "NIN-lite with female vox" on many of their songs. I'd like more Fur Lineds for example. Also, I'd like MQ to fully utilize her talents as a singer. Yeah, I really just wished HTDA was more like MQ than Trent, but as promising their initial record was, I was pretty disappointed in Welcome Oblivion. It's just lost its' appeal to me, because even though there are songs there which I really like (especially How Long, which should be the standard for them), it just wasn't as interesting as HTDA (ep). Shoot me in the head but I actually prefer Ladytron's monotone but funky sound and vox, to HTDA's (mostly) monotone sound and vox.
My biggest wish is probably a NIN EP though. I can't see Trent forcing out 10+ tracks again, especially while his creativity is being exhausted by all his other projects. Just make 5 damned good NIN songs and he'd even have time to work on HTDA stuff. Best of both worlds? I think so!
The Slip - Ghosts - LITS tour ?
Last edited by Volband; 07-22-2015 at 02:06 AM.
Quiet Member
Totally agree. I couldn't really get into Welcome Oblivion that much. I gave it a listen and like a couple songs here and there, but I honestly can't remember the last time I listened to it. Never really made an impression. And it did kinda sound NIN-lite with a female vocal. That's a perfect way of putting it.
Josh Wink was on HLAH
I kinda hope they become a 5-piece and bring on Ally to write more. No one would confuse his music for NIN, and he could maybe tone down Trent's trent-ness, to make it less NIN and more HTDA.
Active Member
All of which were before HTDA and his score work.
And no shit it's up to Trent what he does next. Nothing is certain though. Me saying "it's time for a HTDA release" doesn't mean I think/know it's going to happen next.
I'd love that. Alessandro seems flexible when it comes to working on stuff like that. Even if he didn't contribute to every track, it would be nice to get him in there to give a different perspective on things.
Last edited by BRoswell; 07-22-2015 at 02:19 AM.
Quiet Member
Yeah, but if you toned Trent down and made it less like NIN, what would it be? SONOIO with a female vocal????? lol. Either way, I think the end result wouldn't be any more interesting.
Active Member
You say that like it's a bad thing.
Josh Wink was on HLAH
Trent, Atticus, Ally and Mariqueen all writing music would sound a lot less like NIN than Trent, Atticus and Mariqueen. Don't forget Atticus was co-writing music for a female fronted band over a decade ago with 12 Rounds, and Ally's music is FAR broader than just his work on Sonoio.
If you don't like MR's vocals, well, you won't like any HTDA aside from instrumentals probably, but some more musical exploration would be awesome. NIN with female vocals is not what I want, I want Mariqueen's vocals with interesting music.
Active Member
Just be more experimenting goddammit. Welcome Oblivion sounds soooooooooo damn safe it's painful. There's a female singer who could rock it out if she wanted to, and Trent who is well versed in all kinds of genres (he did YZ for fuck's sake!), so it is definitely not the final product one would expect.
Now hold on for a moment...
(agree with MQ+interesting music, it's what I've been saying as well)
Quiet Member
I don't know. The reason why the pairing of Trent and Karen O worked so well in the Immigrant Song cover was because Karen's vocals worked so well with Trent's instrumentals. Karen has this beautiful voice but it's also rough around the edges. Mariqueen's voice is almost too clean and it comes off as sterile. It really doesn't go well with the harsh/dark instrumentals of Trent and his team; at least for me, it sounds pretty disjointed and odd.
Active Member
Agree with the Immigrant Song.
Have no problem at all with mixing black and white though. If it's done well, it can be really interesting.
Josh Wink was on HLAH
Trent and Atticus* instrumentals
And perhaps the juxtaposition of sterile and distorted was the exact thing they wanted?
24.24.1.1397
Since this has kinda turned into random HTDA thoughts, I'll throw in my $0.02 real quick. I thought Q's vocals were better live than on the album because she seemed to put more power behind them. As much as I do enjoy HTDA, and the show I went to was great (partially because of the added strength to her vocals), I'm not a fan of the whisper-singing. Then again, I just had surgery and I'm on some pretty heavy pain meds, so maybe I'm just rambling.
bastard from blue city
You're certainly right about TR's ability with other genres, but I find it hilarious that you cited one of the most monotonous albums, stylewise, in the NIN catalog. Every song is the same exact aesthetic except AVOTT, and these are facets already heavily explored on previous NIN records (except a lot of the beats were made on a laptop on tour). If you're gonna cite a NIN record exemplifying TR's experience with many genres, you should go with TF or Ghosts.
Active Member
@Volband obviously compared YZ to the rest of the catalogue, not as an album itself.
And I think the disengaged singing of Mariqueen combined with the grim music of HTDA worked wonders. It was actually, in my opinion, the only way to treat it. You didn't want anger, or revolt, you needed that "well, quite predictably this is all fucked up to hell, no surprise here" vibe.
Also, you guys keep throwing the "NIN lite" line about HTDA, but that's only because Reznor's involved, you're aware of that I'm sure. If Reznor gave a hand at SONOIO, you would say the exact same thing, even if the music was exactly the same as what Ally's doing by himself. Hell, everyone treated Williams' TRAFONT as if Reznor did all the work when in fact he only worked on half the tracks and gave a hand at producing it...
Every time Reznor's giving a hand everyone acts like he's the real artist behind it and should get full credit.
I'm kinda glad he didn't work on ...Like Clockwork, at least Homme and the guys get proper credit for their album, rather than seeing a bunch of NIN fans going "Well obviously it was great, Reznor made that shit !"
Last edited by Khrz; 07-22-2015 at 08:02 AM.
Active Member
If you played every NIN album for someone who never heard them before, then asked them which album did they find to be the odd one out, they would most probably either say PHM or YZ. The other albums (PHM as the exception) are basic instruments (or some form of them, i.e. different type of guitars, "organic" instruments) supported by synths and other electronical stuff or samples, while YZ is like the exact opposite of it, where almost every song is led by something electronic. Yeah, for example he did Closer and THTF before, which were programming-heavy songs, but releasing a full album like that is certainly not boring.
I mean, you can find the album boring and monotone, but the album was far from safe. Vessel; Me, I'm Not or The Great Destroyer are waaaay more different and extreme than the programming on Heresy or The Becoming for example. Also, I mentioned YZ because it - to me at least - shows that a HTDA record could be so much more than 1. minimalistic programming a'la HM + 2. Ghosts + 3. restrained vocals. It could have heavy, or at least experimentous electronics like on YZ. I like what they did for Parasite for example, and tbh, I dig almost the entire HTDA EP, it's quite versatile while still maintaining some kind of integrity. And even though MQ's vocals are heavily filtered on Fur Lined, it's crazy good when she starts shouting(/screaming?). It really just makes me want to hold on to my headphones dancing, while singing with her, instead of falling asleep, or feeling I'm listening to some kind of 21st century classic music, which might be beautiful, but Jesus, I know these guys could rock my pants so hard, but instead I get a dozen songs like they deliberately tried to sound as minimalistic in every way possible. I mean, it might've been deliberate, but it doesn't make me like the idea.
Last edited by Volband; 07-22-2015 at 08:11 AM.
Active Member
I kind of don't know what you're talking about, to be honest. Every NIN album has been "programming-heavy." All of that "organic" sound you talk about was all manipulated samples, i.e., programmed.
I'm interested in "extreme programming" though!
bastard from blue city
Exactly. There's nothing on YZ not already done on "Ruiner," "I Do Not Want This," "Where is Everybody?," "Underneath It All," etc. I assume a different methodology created it but the aesthetic is constant.
I'm not actually knocking YZ – besides nearly every song opening with the same arrangement – but making the case for its poor use as an example of TR engaging different genres. It uses new tools to do a couple of facets included in most songs on previous records.
Active Member
All right people, if you think Year Zero was not an experimentation in even NIN standards, then I really can't say much. I pop in I Do Not Want This. Then I pop in Vessel. Then I read that you guys are saying these songs are basically the same, nothing new. I mean... no?
Active Member
did I say that?
YZ was an experiment in laptop beats. It was fine. It's not really my cup of tea but I get what he was trying to do.
Active Member
But why can't we settle on that it was pretty much a "wow" even in NIN terms.
Anyway, to make my point simpler: if someone is willing to make a song like The Great Destroyer, I'd expect more than what we can hear on Welcome Oblivion.
Memb, Member, The Membest
...or The inevitable rise and liberation of Niggy Tardust!
Active Member
I'm a fan of Year Zero, but I think a song like Ice Age is more daring than The Great Destroyer.
bastard from blue city
The way the last half of V manipulates the beat and synths, yes, that's the entire bridge of IDNWT. Like a solid minute of that song is the blueprint for most of YZ, except it was done with different methods. And HIS. And then that evolved into a constant, so you get songs like TFOUAD and DS from The Slip looking right back at the middle of IDNWT, saying, "yep, still fun!"
I think it's pretty willing ignorance to say YZ sticks out in the same way PHM does. Even then, the only reason PHM sticks out is because of how dated it sounds; most of the arranging quirks and the ways the melodies work are still the same today. Do you not hear "Closer" in ATL? Hell, do you not hear "Closer" in "Vessel?" It's the same guy with some different software and different additional personnel. That's every NIN album. Saying you don't hear IDNWT in V is objectively silly.
Active Member
????????????????????????????????????????
I personally found the songwriting on YZ to be less than inspiring. if the songwriting was more intricate, maybe I would be more invested in the production. I still don't understand what you're saying.
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