Confession. I'm a NIN novice. Industrial has never been my cup of tea. After all it's music for goths, weirdoes and people who think The Matrix is real. Cyber-punks in Hollywood movies are always listening to NIN, especially if you happen to pop by for a "quick hack" or to borrow some black market bugging equipment. Its coz they're into technology you see, and they're really, really intense.
NIN main-man Trent Reznor seems now more focused on the movies than his band. He's created the soundtracks for the last two David Fincher movies: The Social Network and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. The latter even features a hacker in a NIN t-shirt. Point proven.
PRETTY HATE MACHINE was his debut NIN album and it's surprisingly accessible. It's dare I say it, quite poppy. Closer to Depeche Mode or a POP WILL EAT ITSELF than industrial darklords like Ministry.
It's laced with distortion effects, synths, samples, drum loops, scratches but is also much more melodic than you might imagine. Although those melodies do sound like they've been spewed up from the pits of hell. It's Goth Electro rather than Hardcore Industrial. The faster tracks you could even dance to. Though I've not tried it myself.
The production is really excellent. Largely produced by Reznor himself but with input from the likes of uber-producer Flood (U2, New Order, Depeche Mode) and dub-producer Adrian Sherwood (remixer for PWEI, Coldcut and Primal Scream). Its deep and textured. You can hear the layers of sound really clearly. Sounds great played loud through your headphones. Though I'm not sure the lady next to me on this train agrees.
Reznor's confessional, angst-ridden lyrics delivered with menace and venom. He's not got the biggest or strongest voice but as the old saying goes it's not the size that counts, it's what you do with it. He gives a committed performance.
Standout tracks are the single and genre classic 'Head Like A Hole', the turbo-charged adrenaline-ride 'Sin' and also 'Sanctified' with its Gregorian chants, bomb explosion and samples from Midnight Express. The latter sounds a bit like Joy Division's 'Dead Souls' which incidentally, NIN covered on the excellent Crow soundtrack. The slow tracks on PRETTY HATE MACHINE are also very compelling. Check out 'Something I Can Never Have' for Reznor's sense of theatrical drama.
PRETTY HATE MACHINE is a discordant, harrowing, angst-ridden thrill-ride. And although it's probably not a word you'd associate with NIN, a 'pleasant' surprise. Give it a go.
BTW cheers to Gary for the album suggestion. Incidentally Gary doesn't think The Matrix is real. But he was a legendary Goth!
HEAD LIKE A HOLE
SIN
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