Nine Inch Nails

Draconysius · 10-20-2007, 12:53 PM

I've had a shaky relationship with the Ninnies. They were really the first band I became obsessed over. I heard "Closer" and "Head Like a Hole" on the radio growing up. I soon purchased Things Falling Apart, And All That Could Have Been, the Downward Spiral, and Pretty Hate Machine and played those ad nauseam. I guess I abandoned them two years ago because not only was I pissed at them going in a mainstream direction on "With Teeth" but I was afraid they weren't a goth band. XD

So recently I stumbled upon "Things Falling Apart" while searching Soulseek. It was the first NIN album I ever heard. So I downloaded it, and fell in love again. I couldn't deny it anymore; I fuckin' love NIN. I always have. Nowadays I'm strong enough to admit liking them. Hell, I'll admit I like Fleetwood Mac. As for their genre, I have no fucking idea. They're not industrial (old or nu school) and they're not just rock or electronica. Coincidentally though, it's always those artists which defy definition I end up liking the most. SO... your opinions on them.

Stormtrooper of Death · 10-20-2007, 01:19 PM

Well I've never liked them at all. Frankly I think KMFDM is much better. In my opinion NIN just took a recycled sound and people fell in love with it. There are other bands I'd rather listen to.

Green.Lady · 10-20-2007, 02:19 PM

Wow, Stormtrooper just ruined my happiness after reading about that epiphany.

I'll pretend I didn't read his message.

I think that's really great, and I couldn't see your point more! I've never liked NIN but I think it's fantastic that you're being so true to yourself. I don't understand why some people think you're somehow not as worthy if you don't have a spotless playlist. I see it every day in every group, the 'punk kids' bitching at each other if they have a Green Day song... a friend of mine even pretended to be joking about liking trip-hop to impress a girl. I don't think we should look at the genres, if we like the music, we should listen to it, regardless of what subculture we identify with. NIN may have 'sold out' according to some but who the fuck cares? Bands set out to make money and they found success and should be proud of themselves.

So good on ya, mate!

Your post brightened my day.

Oh, and I love Fleetwood Mac. Stevie Nicks rocks my sox.

MaguMan · 10-20-2007, 02:22 PM

I don't understand why it's taboo to like Nine Inch Nails. Back in the 90s, they were the shit. "The Downward Spiral," is what I personally revere as Reznor's creative peak. It was very dark and very raw in sound that made that album what it was, and really, it's what paved the way for the rest of his career in music.

After, "The Fragile," I sort of lost interest as his music took on a radically different form. I'm still a huge fan of the early work and listen intently to new releases to see if the changes in style ever circle back around to my interests again.

LadyLucretia · 10-20-2007, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaguMan

I don't understand why it's taboo to like Nine Inch Nails. Back in the 90s, they were the shit.

I think their popularity was the problem. They had too many fans, many of whom were overly worshipful of NIN while ignoring many of their predecessors and influences (who often eclipsed NIN in talent). So the band got associated with all of these musically narrow minded kids, many of whom were crossovers from the metal scene. I don't think that the industrial scene even wants to stand behind NIN these days because no one wants to be associated with their fan base. I consider them a good band that was ruined by too many bad fans. Doesn't alter the quality of their music, but it does alter perception of their credibility.

dreamydancer · 10-20-2007, 09:18 PM

I still listen to them sometimes when I'm alone even though I talk a lot of shit about them. I actually like their new stuff. Yes, it's a lot different from their original sound but it tickles my fancy so there's no denying that I like it.

That's a very good attitude to have, Drac. I can listen to what ever the fuck I want to!!!

Steppenwolf · 10-21-2007, 03:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LadyLucretia

I think their popularity was the problem. They had too many fans, many of whom were overly worshipful of NIN while ignoring many of their predecessors and influences (who often eclipsed NIN in talent). So the band got associated with all of these musically narrow minded kids, many of whom were crossovers from the metal scene. I don't think that the industrial scene even wants to stand behind NIN these days because no one wants to be associated with their fan base. I consider them a good band that was ruined by too many bad fans. Doesn't alter the quality of their music, but it does alter perception of their credibility.

You're right . But those folks are one-track-minded teens very similar to MManson fans , they need some kind of new hero ... i bet on 70's a lot of young teens were absolutely obsessed with David Bowie and ignoring a lot of great bands who never got a chance to become popular , don't you think?

To me , NIN was my first industrial band , I've got all the records but I also listen to Skinny Puppy and some old forgotten guy called Henry Rollins :-P ...

But heh , back to topic : I don't like NIn ... I fucking love them , and I honestly don't give a damm if that seems to anyone so uncool or ungoth or whatever ... I'll respect every opinion , sure , and I'll still give every new band a try , but that doesn't mean that I've got to hide ... And why? Is "the downward spiral" a pice of shit to you? Or maybe "Broken" is not good enough? And "with teeth" was misunderstood . Just listen to "Everyday is exactly the same" or "Right where it belongs" ... I'm not saying that is not popular music , I'm saying to me are great songs . Garbage were also popular . And The Beatles . And Metallica ... And David Bowie .

Beneath the Shadows · 10-21-2007, 03:46 AM

I love NIN. Or, at least, I used to. I still love their older stuff. Which means, simply, everything up to, and including, The Fragile. I know, a lot of people say that The Downward Spiral was there last non-mainstream album, but I really couldn't care less what other people though about the topic. When I listen to music, it's not because other people think one way or the other, but rather because I myself like it. And I liked Fragile.

I didn't, however, like With Teeth too much. It was boring to listen to. That's not something I say much. As for the new album, which I haven't even bothered to learn the name of, what I've heard of it so far sound just like With Teeth, so I'm not too pleased.

maggot · 10-21-2007, 06:43 AM

Their first album was a Skinny Puppy rip off.

They have a few good songs, but I'm not really too into them.

wonderland · 10-21-2007, 06:54 AM

LadyLucretia, you said precisely what I wanted to say, but couldn't articulate. You win at words.

KontanKarite · 10-21-2007, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maggot

Their first album was a Skinny Puppy rip off.

They have a few good songs, but I'm not really too into them.

I'm still convinced this statement is true.

As I said before, I was at the club once and this "new" DJ started spinning what I thought was Puppy. Come to find out, it was NIN. Of course I wouldn't know because when I was a young whipper snapper, I never got into any of the bands that all the kids were listening to. It was in an odd way, a matter of my own teen-aged angsty principals.

Stormtrooper of Death · 10-21-2007, 09:33 AM

Well Steppenwolf, Henry Rollins is one of my heros. He's not forgotten.

spoon! · 10-21-2007, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steppenwolf

But heh , back to topic : I don't like NIn ... I fucking love them , and I honestly don't give a damm if that seems to anyone so uncool or ungoth or whatever ... I'll respect every opinion , sure , and I'll still give every new band a try , but that doesn't mean that I've got to hide ... And why? Is "the downward spiral" a pice of shit to you? Or maybe "Broken" is not good enough? And "with teeth" was misunderstood . Just listen to "Everyday is exactly the same" or "Right where it belongs" ... I'm not saying that is not popular music , I'm saying to me are great songs . Garbage were also popular . And The Beatles . And Metallica ... And David Bowie .

It makes me smile when I read a comment putting, NIN, The Beatles, Garbage, AND Metallica all in the same sentence.

NIN may not be my most favorite band, but dammit the groove on "Closer" is just wayyy too cool to just not mention.

MaguMan · 10-21-2007, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LadyLucretia

Doesn't alter the quality of their music, but it does alter perception of their credibility.

Credibility towards what though? The genre of industrial music? Industrial is industrial, IMHO. His music in recent times has sort of alerted it's way out of that genre into more of an alternative rock sort-of vibe, but the older albums still ring true to being industrial.

You can't really help who makes up your fan base. Groups like, "Death in June," for all of their German and Nazi references in music, have quite a few neo-Nazi followers that give them a bad name in the public press. As a fan though, I wouldn't say that really discredits them for anything beyond inadvertently attracting a bunch of white supremacist goof-asses. Now if that were literally their target audience, that would be a different matter. Marilyn Manson literally targets a bunch of dumbass teens, at least in recent times. That's his shtick and he's welcome to it, but I don't necessarily think Trent Reznor was really in the business in the 90s and early 2000s to target any particular fan base with record sales. Not with all of Reznor's stiff attempts to battle record labels and the music industrial in general.

I mean, those are just my views.

MaguMan · 10-21-2007, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maggot

Their first album was a Skinny Puppy rip off.

Personally, I never felt Skinny Puppy was anywhere near as conventional as Nine Inch Nails, at any point in time. SP didn't really have any real song structures and took more of an avant garde approach to the genre. Reznor's music, on the other hand, was more formulaic, especially with the first album.

A rip-off... not how I would describe it. "Down In It," was admittedly attributed to the influence of a Skinny Puppy song, but the rest of the album was by and large more synth-pop than anything.

In my opinion, most industrial bands now-a-days that use samples from movies and television shows and the ones that distort the shit out of the vocals appear to me as more blatant rip-offs than an album like, "Pretty Little Hate Machine."

KontanKarite · 10-21-2007, 03:43 PM

You know, I have grown rather bored of that kind of thing. You hear it far far too much these days.

What ever happened to interesting industrial like Thrill Kill and KMFDM?

I mean, is that stuff pretty much over with or something?

Rorschach Twin · 10-22-2007, 02:42 PM

I've always liked Nine Inch Nails. I wouldn't say they're industrial, or gothic though. I mean, they have debatable commonalities, but I just don't try to say that they are. It's similar to Tool; people always debate whether or not they're progressive. When you get down to it, they're just a really arty rock band. (actually, Nine Inch Nails is really only one person.)

Steppenwolf · 10-23-2007, 05:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rorschach Twin

I've always liked Nine Inch Nails. I wouldn't say they're industrial, or gothic though. I mean, they have debatable commonalities, but I just don't try to say that they are. It's similar to Tool; people always debate whether or not they're progressive. When you get down to it, they're just a really arty rock band. (actually, Nine Inch Nails is really only one person.)

... arty-rock-band? ... what the hell does the shit mean? ... And only one person? Are you sure? ...

Rorschach Twin · 10-23-2007, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steppenwolf

... arty-rock-band? ... what the hell does the shit mean? ... And only one person? Are you sure? ...

Yes, I'm sure about the one person part. On the albums, most of the instrumentation is done by Trent Reznor. He is the only official member, but there are members that play with him live, of course.

I describe them as arty because of the way their music is more artistic and represents a vision, where a lot of rock bands just make music. The albums follow a concept. I would really just call NIN industrial-alternative rock, because that's really the easiest way to describe them.

Steppenwolf · 10-23-2007, 02:15 PM

When I think on members I usually count everyone who helps on a band : Playing live , being co-writers of lyrics and so on ... Yes , you can say Trent is "the boss" , but I'm still counting people like Chris Vrenna (a good and creative musician imho), or the guys collaborating with the remixes and so on ...

You can't say it's all Trent ... Then why is the band called NIN? It may be not a normal band , it's more a project from a guy who makes 80% of the music/text ... But don't forget the 20% : They made a good job .

NIN was a bit of "arty band" long ago , but it seems that they are not arty anymore ... I got the Year Zero , but inside got no photos like the downward spiral : They dissapointed me ...

The actual videos are not very ... artistic ... (I'm thinking on the happy days of Broken and happiness in slavery , yes ...) . Do you think the visual part of NIN is nowadays worth enough?

I disagree ...

NIN are industrial , yes . But if you are thinking about dollars , they're not "alternative" anymore ... By the way a lot of people missuses the "alternative" label , not that I'm pointing at you , but it's true ...

zeronegativeplus · 01-03-2008, 08:03 AM

I am currently making a Nine Inch Nails tribute and Violent Radiance was the best name that I could come up with. My musical name is Velvet Black and I still have not signed to a record label, I am doing this project first in order to musically train myself. Let me know what you think about this whole thing, I know there are quite a few NIN tributes out there but Trent Reznor's influence has played a strong key in my life so I figured out what the hell, let's fucking do this!

Kanedawg · 01-03-2008, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Green.Lady

Wow, Stormtrooper just ruined my happiness after reading about that epiphany.

I'll pretend I didn't read his message.

I think that's really great, and I couldn't see your point more! I've never liked NIN but I think it's fantastic that you're being so true to yourself. I don't understand why some people think you're somehow not as worthy if you don't have a spotless playlist. I see it every day in every group, the 'punk kids' bitching at each other if they have a Green Day song... a friend of mine even pretended to be joking about liking trip-hop to impress a girl. I don't think we should look at the genres, if we like the music, we should listen to it, regardless of what subculture we identify with. NIN may have 'sold out' according to some but who the fuck cares? Bands set out to make money and they found success and should be proud of themselves.

So good on ya, mate!

Your post brightened my day.

Oh, and I love Fleetwood Mac. Stevie Nicks rocks my sox.

I agree, Green Lady. Like what you like. It is largely if not entirely subjective anyway. I like a range of stuff that is sure to alienate any chip on the shoulder purest out there.

Kanedawg · 01-03-2008, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zeronegativeplus

I am currently making a Nine Inch Nails tribute and Violent Radiance was the best name that I could come up with. My musical name is Velvet Black and I still have not signed to a record label, I am doing this project first in order to musically train myself. Let me know what you think about this whole thing, I know there are quite a few NIN tributes out there but Trent Reznor's influence has played a strong key in my life so I figured out what the hell, let's fucking do this!

Good for you, Zero. As an aside, I loved Reznor's remix of, I think it was Symphony of Destruction. Would love to find it.

zeronegativeplus · 01-03-2008, 09:12 AM

Here is the songlist of what I've got, all songs have already been shaped up, right now I'm in the process of perfecting them, the next step will be adding my voice, I'm taking this whole thing as a big challenge.

01. The becoming 149.8 bpm 5:27 G m
02. All the pigs, all lined up 134.9 bpm 7:31 F m
03. Sin 127.9 bpm 4:31 G#m
04. The hand that feeds 127.9 bpm 3:31 G m
05. Heresy 115.9 bpm 3:51 F m
06. Head like a hole 114.9 bpm 4:52 E m
07. Ringfinger 107.9 bpm 5:44 C m
08. Down in it 104.9 bpm 3:44 A m
09. In this together 99.9 bpm 7:16 D m
10. Into the void 94.8 bpm 4:45 C m
11. Sanctified 105.8 bpm 5:32 E m
12. Something I can never have 110.1 bpm 6:13 C m
13. A warm place 147.8 bpm 3:34 D m
14. Closer 89.9 bpm 6:13 C m

Kanedawg · 01-03-2008, 10:43 AM

Awesome. I was doing really well with a mixed media project of visual art and video relating to a dark fantasy novel. Made significant progress. Will need to get back on the horse.

Keep on with your own work.