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ine Inch ails - Hesitation Marks |OT|
- Thread starter Sai-kun
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Miss.Selfdestruct
Member
XD best quote to use on the cover.
LOL priceless
The article confirms a lot of speculation and questions about the sound of the new record.
The article confirms a lot of speculation and questions about the sound of the new record.
Hah, I was wondering if I was the only one to think that. It came on and I was looking around my room wondering if the FF noise was coming from somewhere else. Took my headphones off for a second and everything.
As soon as I heard that song the first time...
That said, I think it is easily my favorite song on the album and one of my new favorite Nine Inch Nails tracks.
Liu Kang Baking A Pie
Member
Lazarus and Balthazar.
I get what they're saying in that interview about keeping it subtle and low-key, and it's clear they succeeded in that, but this goddamn drum machine "tssh tssh tssh" droning through every song is ruining everything. The new songs on Still are all quiet and tight as fuck, and that's arguably his best little collection of songs. Quiet NIN can be great, but he shouldn't confuse "soft" with "lazy."
Sub_Level
wants to fuck an Asian grill.
lol
indigo-cyclops
Member
I just can't stand how how prominent the drum sounds are in the mix. It overpowers a lot of the interesting elements of songs. Find My Way is choked out by strange crunching, but it's actually a pretty good tune. I just think the reliance on drum samples like this, for NIN, doesn't make for interesting music. I can get over Trent's reconciliation with his emotions; I applaud it. I know exactly what he went through, experiencing it myself. One can't deny the power those things have on the music [in the past] though. And it will always be hard to not compare.
I also appreciate his attempt at minimalism in both process and result, but again IMO, I think he got way too caught up in it. He's too talented of a musician to restrict himself like that. Maybe it's just speculation, but the album feels like he is trying TOO hard to stick to one formula.
I also appreciate his attempt at minimalism in both process and result, but again IMO, I think he got way too caught up in it. He's too talented of a musician to restrict himself like that. Maybe it's just speculation, but the album feels like he is trying TOO hard to stick to one formula.
Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew
Banned
Disagree. I'm glad that this album is unpredictable. When a song sounds familiar, you enjoy it in the first listen but will start to lose its touch in later plays. Almost every track in HM is out of sync from what we are used to, and it makes you pay more attention to what's happening. Multiple plays give you a great vibe of why this album is more of a fan service than any other album.
I wanted to see what TR's range is, and this album really showcases it. I think "Hesitation Mark" is not about some super formulated album with a deep meaning behind it, but rather its about Trent coming back to what he left behind, and realizing that he has grown out of it.
You can really tell that commercializing the album was the least of his concern, and yet circumstances makes it that way. It did originally started with being the label forcing him to release 2 new tracks for the promised "Greatest Hits" album. 'Everything' being one of the track, you can tell that TR is breaking all boundaries. Those 2 tracks evolved into an entire album.
There are some really great tracks, and there are some really different tracks. Its also an amalgamation of all the artists Trent acquainted with in the last decade, and it really defined his taste in music. He'll gain newer fans with this album for sure.
One or two tracks seem like fillers, but the album is worth a complete listen rather than skipping to the end to understand why its done the way it is.
I dunno, I felt like The Slip was really homogenous and this is more diverse. On The Slip it seemed like he found a cool drum loop, added some standard sad piano or grey guitar, then laid down some verses about disappearing and stuff. There are some standout songs though and I love 1,000,000 and Head Down. But I think Hesistation Marks demonstrates a bigger range of sound.
indigo-cyclops
Member
It's tough to really argue with this, as it's your opinion and interpretation, ya know? Listening to this I just get the feeling that there's a lot missing. It's diverse in that if I had no idea NIN was releasing a new album, and heard any of the songs, I'd do a double-take. That can be a good thing, but this feels like a step backwards for Trent, musically. To be honest I wasn't thrilled with most of the post-Fragile stuff anyway; whether it's The Slip or Year Zero.
When I think about it more I think one of my big problems with NIN is the terribly written, cliched lyrical content. Trent was never a great singer, and these bad lyrics just make it worse.
But it's early in the cycle for this album, so who knows where it will take me.
Spin said:
Yea, no. That's the problem.
Edit: While I'm Still Here is a pretty great song, actually. Well, except for the sax. HA! There's a few really great tracks.
I have to take back what I said earlier. After listening a couple more times with headphones, I'm really loving this album. I feel like it's more in line with Ghosts + his soundtrack work, in that the beats have a very minamlistic sound, but there is actually a lot going on in these tracks. My only gripe is that I feel like, Trent's vocals are kind of just there on a handful of tracks. I wish there was more variety to his vocal melody, but whatever.
I also think the remix of "Find My Way" is much better than the album version (which IMO is kind of plodding). I like the piano and the instrumentation on Find My Way, but the vocals kind of drag. The remix is actually really pretty.
I also think the remix of "Find My Way" is much better than the album version (which IMO is kind of plodding). I like the piano and the instrumentation on Find My Way, but the vocals kind of drag. The remix is actually really pretty.
Kano on the Phone
Member
It's like watching a study in the Kübler-Ross model unfolding before my very eyes.
Step 1) Denial ("lol this isn't really a NIN album")
Step 2) Anger ("seriously, wtf is this boring shit")
Step 3) Bargaining ("come on, I don't want TDS 2, but I wouldn't mind The Fragile 2")
Step 4) Depression ("Various Methods of Escape kind of sounds like a NIN song and I sorta like when he samples a video game...")
Step 5) Acceptance ("after ten thousand listens, this sort of sounds like music, I guess")
Step 1) Denial ("lol this isn't really a NIN album")
Step 2) Anger ("seriously, wtf is this boring shit")
Step 3) Bargaining ("come on, I don't want TDS 2, but I wouldn't mind The Fragile 2")
Step 4) Depression ("Various Methods of Escape kind of sounds like a NIN song and I sorta like when he samples a video game...")
Step 5) Acceptance ("after ten thousand listens, this sort of sounds like music, I guess")
He shit all over Chris Cornell on twitter for doing exactly this and then does it himself. LOL.
Atticus Ross has ruined NIN.
Kano on the Phone
Member
Nailed it. He called out Cornell and then made an album that made me LOL several times at how bad it was just like Scream did. It's fine for an artist to make a turd sometimes, and there's no reason not to just admit that Hesitation Marks is a turd.
Great albums don't require people to tell you why they're great.
if you're just here to troll the album and people who like it, take it somewhere else please. it's getting a little annoying.
Kano on the Phone
Member
I don't get it. I wasn't excusing myself from that statement, so is this just discussion for people who feel the exact same way about the album?
That sounds boring.
kitchenmotors
Banned
It's his schtick. I don't take what he says serious.
Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew
Banned
Oh man. Ice cold. I loved Cornell's first album. I still listen to it almost daily. Scream was very very bad though and not even in the same caliber as this album.
yea bro that's totally what i said, thanks for summing it up.
Kano on the Phone
Member
That was the reference. Trent ethered Cornell on Scream when it came out (rightfully so). He wasn't saying that Cornell sucked, just that it was a bad album, the subtext being that Cornell was capable of much better.
Edit:
No problem, I'm glad we cleared up this misunderstanding.
Haha, you're alright man.
I'm just going to say I think Trent's music and my tastes are divergent. There is some musical elements that are fantastic here, but it just doesn't strike the right chord with me.
And this is coming from someone who once considered himself one of the biggest NIN fans alive...
Just as point of reference...
(hated WT, semi-enjoyed Year Zero and The Slip but they were missing something for me, but my favorite era is Broken/TDS...and the Fragile is up there as well)
TheMan
Member
pretty much, yeah. what a goddamn shame.
Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew
Banned
If there is a complain about this album from my end, its that the vocals in some tracks that end up as good is very bland. Disappointed fits its name, so does a lot other tracks. Some vocals and lyrics are very amateurish, but the transitions are so amazing that its giving me a hard time disliking a track.
I just don't see what you guys are so up in arms about. If anything, this album sounds too much like his others. The songs either sound like they're from PHM/PHM's demo/Fragile/The Slip.
Maybe you guys just forgot how much 80s synth pop influenced him before getting drugged up? I've been a huge fan of every instance of NIN, even when he changes his sound, he retains something from the past so you know it's him. Satellite may be one of his poppiest songs, but I hear some hints of Where Is Everybody in the beat, so it's not totally out of the blue.
The album is kind of like a self-tribute to how awesome he used to be, and while it obviously isn't matching the greatness of his 90s writing, it's as close as he's gotten to making good ol fashioned NIN.
edit:
also just for the record you so know where i'm coming from, my ranking of NIN albums goes Fragile>TDS>>>PHM>YZ>>>>>WT>Slip
Maybe you guys just forgot how much 80s synth pop influenced him before getting drugged up? I've been a huge fan of every instance of NIN, even when he changes his sound, he retains something from the past so you know it's him. Satellite may be one of his poppiest songs, but I hear some hints of Where Is Everybody in the beat, so it's not totally out of the blue.
The album is kind of like a self-tribute to how awesome he used to be, and while it obviously isn't matching the greatness of his 90s writing, it's as close as he's gotten to making good ol fashioned NIN.
edit:
also just for the record you so know where i'm coming from, my ranking of NIN albums goes Fragile>TDS>>>PHM>YZ>>>>>WT>Slip
Trent has never been an amazing lyricist in my mind...he's had his moments though. Laugh all you want, but Closer was amazing, but people will write that off as a shitty song because it attracted a bunch of bandwagon fans (a la Creep and Radiohead).
I really listened to the lyrics in Hesitation Marks, and songs like Disappointed etc., it was like Trent was openly mocking people who didn't like this effort, it was pretty goddamn meta. And if he did that on purpose then I'll give him a nod there, lol.
Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew
Banned
Agree. The whole album is about him subconsciously fucking around with us. Its also a nice tribute to all the bands he grew up listening to.
Kano on the Phone
Member
To me, 1,000,000 is an example that shows that Trent can write when he wants to. That song is a phenomenal "late" NIN song that to me is as good as anything he did in the late 80s/early 90s and it's also what a mature NIN sound should be.
Plasticine
Member
He shit all over Chris Cornell on twitter for doing exactly this and then does it himself. LOL.
Atticus Ross has ruined NIN.
This could totally be a track off Hesitation Marks.
Really? I think 1m is a kick ass song (mostly because the drums are badass), but as good as anything he did? Eh. Echoplex is the highlight off Slip for me, and I'm sure you'll LOVE hearing that you live drum loving son of a bitch.
It's a hard hitting, catchy as fuck tune with crunchy guitar...which I guess is how I like my NIN for the most part.
I like real drums too. I think Trent just leaned too far in one direction this time. Thematically, he rehashed a lot of sounds from WT/Year Zero and I'd wish he'd move on from that.
Kano on the Phone
Member
Echoplex is a great song. It isn't that he can't make a great song without a heavy drum sound, it's that when there's no heavy drum sound, there's generally still some bass and depth to the song. Echoplex feels purposeful and intentional, not just like he's fucking around.
999,999 -> 1,000,000 -> Letting You is as good of a 3 song chain on a NIN album as Pinion -> Wish -> Last.
TheMan
Member
shitty lyrics? check
drum machine? check
nearly 50 year old musician failing to live up a standard set by a younger version of himself? check
yea i get what you mean, like he actually built a song around that badass beat instead of just screwing around on a drum machine until he found something he liked.
but you're craaaaaaaazy for that second statement, broken was so fucking raw. my favorite 3 songs from NIN has to be a warm place>eraser>reptile.
indigo-cyclops
Member
Trent seems disconnected from every part of this album to me really, so I'm confused how you could see any sort of hint. I know what you're saying about past albums, but to me, it seems NIN/Trent stuck with a formula after WT. I don't know what it is, or why, but when I listen to those albums I never gain any clarity on the situation.
And I'm not here to say I want Trent living in despair; I just want him to do what he does best. I personally saw the great benefit in Trent always changing out band members; I believe Atticus Ross and Trent have become way too comfortable. As a fan, it doesn't work for me. If that's cool with other people, I envy you. I just have incredibly high standards for NIN because the music has always been on 'another level' to me. It sucks when things become so detached that I can't grasp it. I had high hopes that this album would be a return to form. Not a form fueled by emotional despair, but self-preservation.
I'm missing the layers, the detailed sonic structure and power of NIN. Maybe I'm just missing something completely here.
Mine too, fuck.
Nope...you described it well. Trent was/is a fucking master at layering, but most of the tracks are missing the power and texture we are used to.
Bobby Roberts
Banned
Satellite, specifically. You could really, really easily mash/blend the two together.
The standout, to me, is "Everything," in that I swear to God he just wrote a 1984 AOR Rock Radio hit. I mean, I can see Ted McGinley from Revenge of the Nerds rocking this in his drop-top Fiero.
No shit.
That sounds like I'm shitting on him, but I'm not. I gotta imagine he was at least KINDA aiming for that, right? And if so - he hit the target.
"Copy of A" sounds like he's doing a Kavinsky imitation, honestly, but I don't mind. It's one of the catchier songs on the album.
Came Back Haunted is a bit of an earworm, but I still end up singing "Hand that Feeds" as soon as it ends. This mix is better than the initial leak (I think, I might be remembering it wrong) but it still feels like it's coming up short.
That's about it so far as remarkable/likable tracks on this album goes. Kind of a miss, overall.
NIN Studio candid. Atticus Ross (L) discusses the sudden appearance of a studio hand carrying a drum set with Trent Reznor (R).
Daaaaaaaaaaaammn.
XANDER CAGE
Member
How many other songs on the album have the first single's fart bass?
Would love to see another organic album like TDS that has some meaty texture and more samples. I remember thinking when hearing The Becoming I loved the electronic sound, but now that I have an album that is pretty much all electronic, I don't like it as much as I should.
edit: BTW, I actually enjoy the sax on that one track...
edit: BTW, I actually enjoy the sax on that one track...
halfway though. I've heard the first two songs before, I guess through promos or whatnot.. they're the worst songs so far too, I can't stand listening to them. This is also coming from someone who loved everything right up till the hand that feeds.. stopped listening then though. I don't mind this album so far but, I'm not sure what I was expecting either.
I was wondering if anyone was going to bring this up. Pretty funny.
AzureSkies
Member
My friend lost his shit when I linked him a FFXIV picture around the same time that the music started playing on the track.
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