Stubby Member
Continued: I think some of his sentiment may be that lyrics are the first thing that most listeners pay attention to and connect with, and that lyrics that are too complex or specific to the writer's intention can be a big roadblock to connecting with the music. I dunno... Rebut me. I'm really interested.
Stubby Member
I agree with you, Comrade. In all interviews he is very well-spoken and has a fluid intelligence which comes across clearly and sharply. So it makes little sense that he just goes all DERP MODE when writing lyrics and fails to realize that he's not using bigger, broader vocabulary words. I think it likely is an artistic decision, rather than a shortcoming of songwriting ability.
That said - I DO think it would serve him well, at this point, to broaden his writing and be a bit more literary/poetic in his lyrics. He doesn't have to be as complex as MJK by any means, but the basic rhyme-scheme and continued repetition of the same lyrical themes is at this point just about his only drawback. In every other way it seems he's at the top of his game, especially when it comes to production value. Seems he learned a few things scoring films! HM's production value is off the freaking charts. FLAC + Headphones = audiophile bliss.
Stubby Member
Originally Posted by Brocephus
Maybe I'm bias because I don't agree with your evaluation at all. The sentiment of "Hesitation marks may end up killing NIN" Maybe I'm not understanding your intent but if you look around you see the majority of the fan base has been re-invigorated by Hesitation Marks. It is only the few that are of similar opinion to yours so I guess I see a major jump in your logic. (unless I misunderstand what you are saying)
Last edited by nineismine; 08-31-2013 at 07:23 PM.
Stubby Member
Say what now? My Violent heart is oneof my least favorite NIN tracks ever, and I love HM... which sounds nothing like it. How are you even comparing the two? HM is highly varied within itself, so how could the whole album sound like any one thing in particular, let alone My Violent Heart? Hmmm.....
Active Member
Funny one--I find MVH to be one of the very few good songs from YZ and I quite like HM. I dunno about a clear similarity between the song and the new album, but okay... Maybe. *shrug*
Last edited by Amaro; 08-31-2013 at 06:09 PM.
Stubby Member
Agreed on all counts.
Active Member
I love the shit out of Came Back Haunted still. I really think that David Lynch video did the song more justice for me because it put weird, abstract and almost disturbing visuals in my head every time I hear it...which it was Nine Inch Nails always did to me when I was younger.
Hairy Member
- I like Twist more than Ringfinger
- I love most of Trents lyrics
Flaccid Member
Happy for the Cortini / Aaron North praise in this thread.
I don´t know if it´s controversial at all, but to me Niggy Tardust is a much better "Trent Reznor album" than both YZ and TS. When it comes to songs and production I think in many ways HM has the same sort of flow/warmth. I love that.
I´m also very happy that TR is actually singing again. Bring me more of that falsetto!
Throbbing Member
According to Al Jourgensen's book, that buzz cut in 90 was against TR's will. Apparently, he and Vrenna(?) went through some hazing when they were with the Revolting Cocks, and one night Al bet them that he and one of the other guys (Scaccia, I think) could drink Trent and Chris under the table. Losers had to shave their heads. Al cheated and slipped them something to give himself a leg up. While they were passed out Al set upon them, but he only got Trent's head and one eyebrow done before he woke up, ran to a mirror and started screaming like a girl.
Vertiginous Member
Al Jourgensen, world's nicest guy.
Down, but not out.
I still have yet to check out The Lost Gospels even though I sometimes doubt the truthiness in Al's words. (As I always like to check into Paul Barker's side of the story too.) -And sorry, I don't have any other controversial NIN opinions as of right now. I just want to add to that.-
Active Member
Maybe that story is true, but I always assumed that the reason Trent had a buzz cut at the time was because he had dreadlocks prior and the only way to get rid of them is to chop them off.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Down, but not out.
Oh, I actually came up with one just now. However, it probably would've been a lot more controversial in 2002-2005, so perhaps it really isn't in a way. I'm also among those fans that don't see downloading leaks as a big fuck you to NIN, especially if they're going to buy the actual album anyway. This is coming from a guy that likes to buy albums when he gets into a band's music, and has even gone as far to buy NIN albums for others as presents in the past.
-Edit-
On second thought, I don't think it's even controversial right now, but if it were to have been posted in 2002-2005, it would've been very likely for it to be.
Last edited by Halo Infinity; 09-02-2013 at 07:34 PM. Reason: I forgot to include something yet again. =P
Vertiginous Member
I used to view piracy as a method of sampling albums to decide if I wanted to buy them, but Youtube provides a legal avenue for that now (or Spotify if you enjoy paying money that won't reach the artist).
Active Member
P2P is more reliable than YouTube for sampling music, and with better chances of audio quality options. YouTube is a last resort for me.
Spotify...no comment.
My guess is Trent doesn't even see people downloading his illegally shared music before pre-ordering/ordering as a "fuck you", it's just way it is now. Really now. We can easily try before we buy. Hopefully those kinds of music fans give him what they feel he deserves, to buy or not to buy based on if they like it or not. That simple. (In a perfect world.) That's what I do for every band/artist I sample. Too much music out there, not enough time in life to take it in on the slow.
Last edited by Amaro; 09-02-2013 at 07:38 PM.
Flaccid Member
-Into the Void is NIN's best single.
-Just Like You Imagined and Every Day is Exactly the Same should be setlist staples -- tied for most underrated live renditions.
-Hurt hasn't made for a good show closer since the Fragility era and should be buried in the middle of the setlist. In This Twilight is the best closer NIN has had since that time period.
Throbbing Member
I know that "I'm looking forward to joining you, finally" is a personal song to Reznor, but I think it's time for it to become a live piece. It would add an interesting tone to the set and it would move in a way that hasn't felt as personal since the very first times Hurt was performed.
This current lineup would do it justice, and it would fit perfectly in with the other percussion heavy songs.
Oh, and Happiness in Slavery - never leave that one out.
Stubby Member
Whoa... that IS contrversial.
Really?
That's one of my least favorite NIN tunes ever. Just always rubbed me the wrong way for some reason.
Throbbing Member
I think Trent's lyrics are rad and only after hearing bitching on the boards did I ever even consider that they might "suck". Ive always thought he went for tone and pure feeling as opposed to specific imagery and it was one of the things that drew me to the music. The instrumentation is what draws the picture and the words just hammer the emotion home. I think its obvious that they are purposely vague and ambiguous. He does project specific imagery when he wants to, and I think its always really effective because he does it so sparingly. (Songs like Right Where It Belongs, While Im Still Here, Hurt etc.) It's also no coincidence that those are album closers.
Anyways his words are really really accessible and easy to apply the narrative of your own life/ any fantasy the music makes you think of. Daydreaming while listening to NIN is fucking fantastic for that reason.
Last edited by littlemonkey613; 09-01-2013 at 07:58 PM.
Stubby Member
Would you rather have trent hire a co-writer for lyrics?
i cut him some lack for writing, performing, and producing the whole damn body of recorded and live work (slight exaggeration, but who else does this for such complicated music?)
Throbbing Member
He seems incredibly self conscious about his lyrics in interviews, especially around W_T. So I don't think he thinks of himself as the next Cohen. I seem to remember one interview where he talked about the concept of Bleedthrough being mostly instrumental, because of how he felt about his lyrics.
That said: he is clearly a very intelligent man, and a very articulate one. But there's a huge difference between being able to express your thoughts when you're conversing with someone, and being able to put a feeling, an idea, a memory, an emotion - especially if it's personal - into the incredibly constricted form of lyrical poetry. Just to pull off rhyming without sounding like you dug up a thesaurus is difficult enough. To find images that communicate your ideas, put them into words that you can actually sing to the melody in your head, put those words into a schematic or structure that makes sense... It's quite complex.
Like I said, I love his lyrics. I really, honest to God do. There's depth there, and honesty, and beauty, and it works with the music.
Stubby Member
I think Deep is the best NIN song ever. I really love that song.
Flaccid Member
- Trent's lyrics have been pretty bad since The Fragile era, save for one or two songs on each release
- I think the lyrics to All Time Low are especially bad. Like "Where is Everybody" bad.
- I don't listen to NIN for the lyrics and I actually think All Time Low is an OK song despite the above
- Running is one of my favorite tracks on HM
- Most of the singles in the past 10 years have been my least favorite tracks from their respective releases
- I've been to 4 NIN shows and the show at the Aragon Ballroom during the Wave Goodbye tour was my least favorite.
Last edited by digshake; 09-02-2013 at 02:37 PM. Reason: grammar
I was nobody. Nothing.
WHOA whoa whao @digshake . WTF do you mean "where is everybody" bad? those are some of my favorite lyrics by anybody. do you KNOW the lyrics? man...i'm confused. ok the chorus might get a little gimmicky but the verses are chock full of wholesome lyrical goodness.
And All Time Low isn't OK, it's cunt-ramming awesome, in the vein of David Bowie's Fashion or Manson's "i don't like the drugs the drugs the drugs" or whatever the manson song is called.
As far as the singles being the least favorite songs, i'll see your 10 years and raise you 20
Down, but not out.
I've also figured the same thing as well. It's just that I noticed that the overall opinions of that matter seemed to be more mixed and controversial back in 2002-2005 when Trent barely said anything about being okay with file-sharing. I could also understand why it would be that way during the earlier years of the old ETS considering Trent's stance on Napster back in 1999 wasn't so long ago at the time, where file-sharing in general was really a big fuck you to him at the time too. And as someone that likes to collect CDs, I'd also like to know what I'm getting into before I shell out cash for it since I also know all too well what it's like to get an album I didn't get into, or even like at the slightest. I totally get what you mean by that as well.
24.24.2.3171
So I had the idea that I wanted to trawl through this thread and collect each "controversial" opinion and assign it a numeric value to rate its controversialness. A post in favor of a point is +1, liking that post is a +0.5, facepalming is -0.5. Posting to disagree is a -1 (a facepalm or like on a disagreement-post would be +/- 0.5, etc, etc). The lowest number, in the end, would be the most controversial. (Some fuzzy combining of opinions would of course be necessary in many cases.)
But, er, yeah, that turns out to be a hell of a lot more work than I'm willing to do. Someone else get to it, yeah?
By the time I gave up, though, this one was the clear frontrunner: "NIN is the poor man's Stabbing Westward," with a score of -1.5. (And OSLIN technically went both ways on the argument! Internally controversial!)
Bite me
His lyrics on the first 3 records are the main reason why I love those first 3 records. There's some really great stuff, there. I say this as a really boring English Lit major and Sigma Tau Delta member who studied Milton for a full year.
Stubby Member
Now that is controversial. (Seriously, what is wrong with your ears)
Stubby Member
Well, it was the first time Trent ever used that "sound", that vibe and feel for a track. If someone is relatively new to NIN, Into The Void seems to fit perfectly into their catalog, but when The Fragile first came out, it was very jarring, and while kinda "cool", I never really dug the groove, the music, the lyrics etc. It seemed out of place and kinda random, much as Starfuckers did, which many people have noted.
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