halo twenty eight. hesitation marks. 09.03.2013

[Mr.Metheus]

My new headphones just showed up- HELLO BASS! And I'm picking out all sorts of neat little details that I hadn't noticed before.

[snaapz]

Hearing that HM > YZ is impressive! I consider YZ to be one of the best written and produced halos.

[Khrz]

Yeah, sure, he mentioned that in an interview, but where do you see that IN THE LYRICS?

Well, listen to them and imagine the man from TDS twenty years later, still struggling with his demons eating his life away and trying to kick them out of his head. The songs will make much more sense with that perspective. For instance, Copy of A is basically that guy thinking "Shit, gotta get my life together, kick the habit, like all those xeroxed losers outside..."

[homphgomph]

Torrent sites blocked at work - logmein to my machine at home, album comes down in minutes - I email myself all the tracks and listen all the way through (on WMP) - its awesome... then I give a second listen through on the iphone and proceed to kick myself for not doing that first.

Crafty! Nice work!

[Collin]

This is his best record since The Fragile. My only complaint would be that a few tracks overstay their welcome. Find My Way, All Time Low, Disappointed and even Came Back Haunted are all great tracks that go on about a minute longer then they really should. A tighter edit would have helped this section flow better. Still, a great album.

[october_midnight]

The opening of Satellite turned up to ear-shattering levels in my car almost made me swerve in to a tree.

[kel]

i like it. it's a consistently good pop record.

yep.

[screwdriver]

Also, does anyone else find the remix of Find My Way actually really really gorgeous?

eh, its not for me... I find it a little too obvious and not-trying-too-hard. I say that as a fan of the artist who did the remix.

[Bachy]

On a side note, I absolutely love the teaser that was composed for the album which Rob tweeted earlier.

I may like it better than both The Fragile and Year Zero teasers.

[pinkfloid]

sometimes on a first listen, emotions get the best of you and you want to say its the best album ever just because you're so happy it's out..I remember thinking Delta Machine was one of the best Depeche albums after the first listen lol...its going to need 5-7 listens to be objective...

and yet you spew a bunch of crap after hearing Everything only a couple of times I know it can be hard to take your own advice sometimes but still...lol!

[BlurredLine]

Just like the guitar solo at the end of The Line Begins to Blur, the end of I Would for You isn't technically amazing, but I just love how it ends with that aggressive guitar in to calm piano notes. Love. This. Album.

[Ray1971]

I really dig Satellite. Fuck it what am I saying I dig all of HM!

[pinkfloid]

At the beginning of In Two, I keep expecting Gave Up to start.

I thought I was the only one!! I'm actually enjoying hearing little bits and pieces of instrumentation from the earlier incarnations of NIN...keeps the album familiar yet still fresh. BTW, I was really hoping for In Two to keep going....just as it builds up *tape splice* just like the olden days

[NIN64]

I would for you is fucking top shelf...

[MaliceMizery]

I would for you is fucking top shelf...

Already placed with the rest of my top favorite nin tracks. As soon as I heard it the first time I was like YES. This! THIS!

I cannot wait to hear this song live.

[pinkfloid]

The sax honks at the end of While I'm Still Here sound just like the sort of horns that David Byrne and St. Vincent utilized for Love This Giant. I can't deal.

I giggled to myself upon hearing the Skronk, Phlub! of the Sax....pretty neat

[Paper Street]

Maybe it's where I am in my life in comparison to some of you, with a lot of personal taste thrown in, but Everything is quickly becoming one of my favorites on the album.

[Star]

nevermind....

[Wolfkiller]

I hate all of you. Can't believe this leaked on the one day I wouldn't be home to enjoy it. ;p

[TheKert]

1. 'all time low' makes excellent use of the final fantasy NES intro music... cracking me up a bit.

Loved that and surprised I had to look this hard to find another comment on that. I'm not sure if it's a direct sample or not, at the end when the rest of the music fades out it sounds slightly different, but it might be. Totally had a fan boy freakout there.

[nineismine]

About 5-6 songs into it, not blown away, I like some ideas from each song, but they all drone on a little too long. The 5-6 minute tracks feel like they could lose 60-90 seconds and be better for it.

I can't say I agree, listening to the longer tracks I found myself relishing the extra minute or so of the song. Most of the longer songs are actually building throughout the song.

[pinkfloid]

Okay, in all seriousness- these songs have more variety than ANYTHING he has done since The Fragile. Quiet parts, loud parts, unique instruments, soundscapes, interesting vocal deliveries, explosions of raw emotion and power.... it has ALL those layers. There is some complex stuff going on here- the songs carry so much tension, and have a bit of unpredictability to them that pretty much ensures that it will hold up over repeat listens. Yeah, this is more overtly poppy than anything he has done, but it's done expertly. It sounds like a very matured version of NIN, led by a guy that has a more sophisticated view of the world than "everything fucking sucks my life sucks fuck you all" and though I'm sure most of us have related to that outlook before and could have related to it again now, its goddamn amazing to see Trent at the point in his life where he could make this album. It has it's dark corners, to be sure, but this is a much more grown up NIN.

You pretty much summed it up for me...the only thing that's missing for me is a bit more variety in tempos (lots of slower stuff, which I like, but part of what I loved about TDS and earlier albums was that specific variety...also more guitars! but that's nitpicking in today's musical environment). Easy 8-8.5 so far....we shall see how the album ages.

Also, am I the only one who can't wait to hear the Everything Remix??!

[pinkfloid]

the second time through, its even better! I have to admit over the years I've become a huuuge music person and NIN kind of left that "favorite band" thing even though its always been up there on this list, mostly just because I'm not angry enough to identify with some of my favorite NIN albums anymore....every now and again I get in a mood for Broken or TDS or The Fragile but its very rare. This is exactly what I wanted from a new NIN album.

Nailed it! I was sad growing out of the whole mid 90s to early 2000's NIN scene because they were such a formative band in my musical development. Those albums always hold a special place in my heart but I do find it hard to identify with them today and feel the same desire to inhabit their worlds for long periods of time. Maybe I'll listen to them 3-4 times a year or so. But this album is just something I can see myself listening to at any random point in the future. I'm glad Trent rose above his old angry/angsty self enough to record something like this. I'm very interested to see where he goes from here.

[snaapz]

I wonder how TR feels about this leak. If he had plans to release any other tracks via radio or vevo... it's down the drain for the most part.

[Highfilter]

Haven't been this excited for an album in a long time. Absolutely love the album and can't wait to sit down and run it through the main system at home. And Tension in Vancouver can't come soon enough! Hope he tells us they're here to have a bad time and then whips out the sax.

Also, does anyone else find the remix of Find My Way actually really really gorgeous?

Reminds me Philip Glass / Beck's "NYC: 73 - 78", topped with Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Wicked stand-alone track / something interesting to listen to.

[pinkfloid]

Everything feels like a turd in an otherwise very fucking cool NIN punchbowl. I don't love every track, but I think this is the strongest body of work since The Fragile, maybe in time I'll start to like it more than the 89-99 material, too early to tell.

It's worth inclusion simply for the fact the albums otherwise slow pace would be a bit monotonous if not for its inclusion. Also it's very guitar-centric which is absent from much of the album.

[AlanMorlock]

The ending of Black Noise reminds me of the ending of Batman Begins - you just know after that there was going to be a sequel.

My goodness - that record was fantastic.

Actually, I'd say the way it cuts out reminds me more of Inception.

[AlanMorlock]

It's worth inclusion simply for the fact the albums otherwise slow pace would be a bit monotonous if not for its inclusion. Also it's very guitar-centric which is absent from much of the album.

Too bad none of that adds up to good song.

[nineismine]

I think my least favorite song on the album is Disappointed.
I just can't get into that grating sound when he says "Can I ask you something..."

Hopefully, as I listen to it i'll like it more and more.

Thats actually one of my favorite parts. I love that song so much the sentiment really can be applied to alot of real world situations (at least in my world) .

[exilajei]

Can we get some more love for Running? Hard to say if it's my absolute favourite from an album filled with so many great songs, but it really is akin to a mash up of Shaking the Habitual-era Knife percussion and Radiohead circa Kid A, and that's fucking dope.