If Trent Reznor's name wasn't attached to this project, I wouldn't even give it a second listen. I'm soooo disappointed! I now officially have ZERO enthusiasm for this band.
Active Member
If Trent Reznor's name wasn't attached to this project, I wouldn't even give it a second listen. I'm soooo disappointed! I now officially have ZERO enthusiasm for this band.
Stubby Member
Funny I had the exact opposite thought. Even if Trent wasn't with this project, I would be interested in it, I would probably even love it more since I would have no expectations.Originally Posted by hellospaceboy
Administrator
Ah well. See ya 'round the NIN forums then.
Camera shy
Neither would I, but I'm now glad that his name is attached to it, because I like what I'm hearing.
Anticipation for the full length album will be increasing now I would expect.
Hairy Member
My thoughts exactly. It's a collection of loops by a duo who can do much better (Ross and Reznor, I mean). The only redeeming thing about this entire album is, surprisingly, Mariqueen and her excellent vocals. This isn't different from Nine Inch Nails or the first EP. It's just not good.
If any of you can keep a straight face when hearing Reznor say over and over again "The beginning is the end / Keeps coming round again," then you're more tolerant people than I will ever be.
And now, I will be attacked. *shield up*
Active Member
"I was up above it
But now I'm down in it."
Just saying...
Also, anyone who can say something like Ice Age is just Nine Inch Nails with Mariqueen taking on vocal duties just wants to hate this.
Last edited by BRoswell; 11-08-2012 at 05:08 PM.
Hairy Member
The only difference is that the guy who wrote that was a 20-something year old boy, and this is a 40-something-year-old man, who is also credited for writing "Zero-Sum."
ಠ_ಠ
I'm pretty sure Mariqueen writes all the lyrics for the band.
Active Member
Exactly, so why are you so down on it?
And repetitive lyrics have always been a part of the Nine Inch Nails arsenal in one way or another. That brings me to another point: why does How To Destroy Angels have to change everything or else it's a miserable failure? That's just a ridiculous notion to me. Some things just work, and anybody who expects this to be such a radical departure from Nine Inch Nails have only themselves to blame if they're disappointed. I get it if it's just not your thing and you much prefer the sound of anything from The Fragile or The Downward Spiral, but saying "This is too Nine Inch Nails!" doesn't strike me as something to complain about. Nine Inch Nails IS in the band, no? It's going to sound similar. I mean, when Trent said it was going to be a bit different, did you expect a folk record or something? If so, see my previous point about having no one else to blame. I've seen enough differences in this band to justify seeing it as separate entity that still has one foot in that sound I've grown to love, and I don't see anything wrong with that. If you hate the sound, cool, but this whole business of hating it because it might not be a major difference is fucking ridiculous.
Josh Wink was on HLAH
Fo sheezy, it is the least TR/AR track I've ever heard, this is not a track that can be labelled a Ghosts outtake with lyrics, or whatever else people labelled EP1, this is clearly a unique track with its own sound. Whether or not this will be the "HTDA sound" remains to be seen, but it's original, it's funky and it's fucking good.
Camera shy
I'm liking it. Not really what I was expecting. Not sure what I was expecting though.
Worth reMembering
There are a few sounds that have tickled my NIN ear before. Sleep of Reason ending has Eraser like sounds which lead into The Loop Closes - with an almost Closer like melody. Ice Age has a 14 Ghosts II feel to the rhythm.
It all sounds familiar yet totally different.
Looking forward to the LP next year!
Throbbing Member
It's the Closer hi hat, I'm telling you! (from my earlier post @ 792)
Worth reMembering
hahaha.
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I haven't really delved into Mariqueen's, nor Atticus' back catalog so it is hard for me to draw comparisons how each entity influenced the music of HTDA.
There is definite familiarities in sound from previous work, but it's all bubbling up from the same psyche...
Last edited by somethingelse; 11-08-2012 at 07:06 PM.
Active Member
The loop closes - yup, my vote for most radio ready song.
Mars And Daemons
I wrote this as I went through the tracks:
Ice Age - Fucking mental. Blew my mind away. What's this?! Reznorian Massive Attack because I absolutely love it. 7 minutes? More like 53 minutes short.
On The Wing -I can see clearly now?! What? I need to hear the lyrics of this because it sounds a bit Modwheelmood / Sonoio-ish at the start and I can't really figure them out. From the ninwiki lyrics this sounds really Fragile-esque. It's like TSN/TGWTDT fathered a child with The Fragile.
The Sleep Of Reason Produces Monsters - I tend to wake up with tracks like these (much better than the fog horn I used). Halfway through the song, a cough. Right after my real cough. That was weird. I like the whispering or whatever is going on in the background as it's distracting from the main repetitive them- wait what?! The song ended :|
The Loop Closes -It reminds me of the Portal 2 soundtrack, sans bass line. I really like the layering here. Again, I hear some The Fragile stuff, like Slipping Away. I like the crescendo. Trent has some nice voice action there but overall the track doesn't have that wow thing the previous ones had.
Speaking in Tongues - If this is how Ghosts with lyrics is supposed to sound, then I'm happy. It's dark, cold, repetitive, creepy. It's a soundtrack for traveling to one of those haunted houses in Europe (pick any country, really) and fuck your SO while this is blasting up to eleven.
Stubby Member
One thorough listen so far and all I can say is:
Throbbing Member
Digging it. Can't wait for the lossless files and a good headphone listen. Really like the diversity of the EP. Even The Loop Closes, which sounded fairly GWTDT-ish at first, takes that great left turn with the chanting. So far Speaking In Tongues is the only track I can't quite get a grasp on, but that could definitely change.
And while I don't quite know if this is how they're thinking or planning it -- if three of these songs are essentially "b-sides" from the album, I can't wait for what the album has in store for us.
As for most of you, Ice Age came as a wonderfully pleasant surprise after Keep It Together. I've been listening to Ming & Ping's Chinatown this last week, and I ADORE Mariqueen's vocals on that track. I was hoping either something on this EP or something on the album would capture her vocals as wonderfully, sans distortion or effects. Ice Age did it perfectly.
Last edited by howdidislipinto; 11-08-2012 at 05:37 PM.
Active Member
Im sorry but HTDA now officially = Trent turning on the mics while his kids bang around their fucking tinker toys. I loved the debut Ep and the song from GWTDT but this EP sounds hurried and uninspired.
Trent is still stuck in the film scoring thought process. Maybe these tracks will sound better on the full length but this EP sounds tired and tried. Over usage of the banging and clanking gets old real fucking quick.
Never thought I'd say this because I loved the two previous ventures. But these 6 songs sound like one long song. Not worth the overhype and wait.
Josh Wink was on HLAH
...are you listening to this through Skullcandy headphones or something? Even if you don't like it due to some kind of brain abnormality, the tracks sound NOTHING alike
Active Member
It is not a brain abnormality to think that 1 thing Reznor shits out actually stinks. So don't get your panties in a wad because someone doesn't like something your precious Trent puts out.
Sorry for the double post
Throbbing Member
This EP sounds decidedly un-hurried.
Ice age is the first time Reznor and Co have surprised me in years.
Active Member
Well that's where we will disagree. Ice age is just about 4 mins too long. This album is boring
.com
I liked that post for the Skullcandy bash. Horrible headphones.
On topic, I'm on board with Ice Age being fantastic. Still mostly bored by the rest. I'll listen a few more times but I don't expect that to change for me.
Flaccid Member
There is nothing on this album I don't like. I just want more now.
Throbbing Member
My quick thoughts, with spoilerz:
A vast improvement over the first EP, with a more unified sound, for sure! I was tricked by the album cover, as the songs are a bit warmer than Rob's art lets on. I definitely agree with comparison's of TR's work with Saul; I don't like summing up music like this, but, it's like Niggy Tardust + TGWTDT. It's completely cool. HTDA don't produce Classic, Thematic Songs like "The Fragile," "Something I Can Never Have," or "Zero-Sum" (though "A Drowning" comes close), and I'm fine with that. Lyrics here kind of take a backseat for me.
Josh Wink was on HLAH
If anyone's interested, I think I have it pretty close (though I'm sure the whispered lines at the end have a couple more variation that I can't make out) http://www.ninwiki.com/Speaking_In_Tongues#Lyrics
Stubby Member
I can definitely hear "Speaking in tongues / this has begun" in that last part. Also, this song becomes a lot more sinister when you really listen to the lyrics.
Active Member
well done on ALL the lyric pages. I am so incredibly bad at that. I could supply an endless stream to a "misheard lyrics" thread. I suck.
Flaccid Member
Fucking awesome EP actually, Keep it Together is good and maybe the weakest song on the album. Ice Age is such a great song, didn't except it and love it. none of the songs are bad,
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