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Current lineup of Nine Inch Nails. From left to right: Ilan Rubin, Trent Reznor, Alessandro Cortini, and Robin Finck.
Image source: gekirock.com
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For those of you who are not familiar with Nine Inch Nails, they are an American industrial rock band that was founded in 1988 and are responsible for composing some of the most provoking music of all time. Its principle and founding member, Trent Reznor, is the mastermind behind the group and has become one of the most influential musicians to make a significant impact on music within the last 20 years. His contributions are not limited to the band as he and English composer Atticus Ross also made film scores for The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Gone Girl (the first two scores respectively won an Academy Award and Grammy).
By just naming these achievements, in addition to the years it took to build a respectable reputation, one would have high expectations of Nine Inch Nails when listening to them for the first time. However, these expectations are not always fulfilled and are not due to the band being mediocre, because they are far from that. Hearing them for the first time may seem daunting and unappealing, but don't jump to conclusions just yet because their music is actually an acquired taste.
Although they are growing in popularity with a wider audience, the group isn't the type to be quickly received with the masses. This also seems to apply with their own fans when Hesitation Marks was released in 2013. Several fans were reluctant to accept the direction Trent took with the album's sound and have criticized it to be a major step down since most didn't consider it as good as The Downward Spiral, which is noted to be the band's most critically acclaimed album. As a result, some quickly embraced the album while others were a bit hesitant (no pun intended). Some fans have even mentioned that it sounds somewhat commercial/pop-based, which triggered other fans to retaliate by saying that Trent should return to taking drugs and being depressed so that he can make songs similar to those from The Downward Spiral! But don't count on that any time soon because Trent has since figured himself out and has his life established. This is not necessarily bad nor does it imply that there is an absolute correlation between happiness and an established life of comfort, money, and family (although that seems to be the case nowadays) such that he and Nine Inch Nails are going to stop making the music that helped them to become the influential group that they are today. Instead, this stage in Trent's life shows that he has not lost his touch and is a musician who evolves because, despite the mixed feelings, Hesitation Marks grew onto its listeners and was eventually well-received by the fans.
Even though they are critically acclaimed, how come it took them a while before they finally received attention from a wider audience? The thing that should be known about Nine Inch Nails is that a majority of their songs have very dark undertones to them and are very explicit (and, at times, offensive) that they can be overwhelming for the non-avid listener. This choice of expression isn't everyone's cup of tea since their music is considered to be depressing, aggressive, and angry. But to those who have a certain mindset and have experienced unforgiving sadness, torment, and pure rage, this type of music is their only way of finding empathy and expressing the darkest and most disturbing thoughts that anyone can imagine. Due to the intense nature of the music and its purpose to the listener, its effect can be surprisingly soothing as an outlet to release our inner demons and understand them better as the words we once thought that could not describe them suddenly make sense.
Trent's ability to translate emotions into melodies and lyrics that are thought-provoking and relatable is his greatest strength and is what makes him and Nine Inch Nails stand out from other artists. However, this skill is a double-edged sword because he is almost too good at it that his songs can scare away listeners. This is not a bad thing, but when we take into account the overall atmosphere of his music, the content of the songs can be intimidating and trigger uncomfortable feelings since they force the listener to confront unpleasant emotions and issues. No one, as far as I know, likes to experience feelings of sadness and depression, so listening to Nine Inch Nails might be counter-intuitive to some people (however, there was a study done on music-evoked sadness that might make that last part a misconception). Whether it be a song about feeling lonely in a crowd of people or a song about denouncing man and his sick, twisted motives to exploit others, Nine Inch Nails manages to force the listener to think about the things we deliberately avoid or look down upon by showing there always exists that certain part of a person that's deranged, helpless, and desperate.
The band's growing popularity is far from equilibrium that their legacy is only beginning to form. Their examination and expression of the human condition in its darkest hour is a common theme in many of their songs, which, in turn, can sometimes be difficult to listen to due to their intense nature. This does not mean that they are exclusive because most of their songs are ones that only depressed people can relate to. This is far from their purpose for composing the music the way they do. Aside from writing explicit lyrics and putting together spooky instrumentals to express hidden feelings, Nine Inch Nails demonstrates that the anger that burns inside of us and the hypocrisies we hold are things we have in common and, at the same time, are afraid to acknowledge. It is only when a listener goes through some traumatic experience or dark phase in his/her life that he/she will truly understand and appreciate the lyrics Trent sings and find comfort in the words and sounds of heavy, industrial-inspired guitar riffs and bass progressions.
It is a little hard to predict where Nine Inch Nails will exactly stand in the history of music in the next 10 years. But one thing that can be surely said of them is that they will definitely inspire future bands to borrow their sounds and thus be immortalized and regarded as one of the most influential bands to ever exist.
By just naming these achievements, in addition to the years it took to build a respectable reputation, one would have high expectations of Nine Inch Nails when listening to them for the first time. However, these expectations are not always fulfilled and are not due to the band being mediocre, because they are far from that. Hearing them for the first time may seem daunting and unappealing, but don't jump to conclusions just yet because their music is actually an acquired taste.
Although they are growing in popularity with a wider audience, the group isn't the type to be quickly received with the masses. This also seems to apply with their own fans when Hesitation Marks was released in 2013. Several fans were reluctant to accept the direction Trent took with the album's sound and have criticized it to be a major step down since most didn't consider it as good as The Downward Spiral, which is noted to be the band's most critically acclaimed album. As a result, some quickly embraced the album while others were a bit hesitant (no pun intended). Some fans have even mentioned that it sounds somewhat commercial/pop-based, which triggered other fans to retaliate by saying that Trent should return to taking drugs and being depressed so that he can make songs similar to those from The Downward Spiral! But don't count on that any time soon because Trent has since figured himself out and has his life established. This is not necessarily bad nor does it imply that there is an absolute correlation between happiness and an established life of comfort, money, and family (although that seems to be the case nowadays) such that he and Nine Inch Nails are going to stop making the music that helped them to become the influential group that they are today. Instead, this stage in Trent's life shows that he has not lost his touch and is a musician who evolves because, despite the mixed feelings, Hesitation Marks grew onto its listeners and was eventually well-received by the fans.
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| In addition to serving as Nine Inch Nails' principle member, Trent Reznor is also a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, composer, and record producer. Before creating Nine Inch Nails in 1988, he joined Exotic Birds in 1985 and later contributed on keyboards to the pop band Slam Bamboo. (Bonus: here is a video of Trent singing "Gotta Look Sharp" in his early days). Image source: sticktwiddlers.com |
Even though they are critically acclaimed, how come it took them a while before they finally received attention from a wider audience? The thing that should be known about Nine Inch Nails is that a majority of their songs have very dark undertones to them and are very explicit (and, at times, offensive) that they can be overwhelming for the non-avid listener. This choice of expression isn't everyone's cup of tea since their music is considered to be depressing, aggressive, and angry. But to those who have a certain mindset and have experienced unforgiving sadness, torment, and pure rage, this type of music is their only way of finding empathy and expressing the darkest and most disturbing thoughts that anyone can imagine. Due to the intense nature of the music and its purpose to the listener, its effect can be surprisingly soothing as an outlet to release our inner demons and understand them better as the words we once thought that could not describe them suddenly make sense.
Trent's ability to translate emotions into melodies and lyrics that are thought-provoking and relatable is his greatest strength and is what makes him and Nine Inch Nails stand out from other artists. However, this skill is a double-edged sword because he is almost too good at it that his songs can scare away listeners. This is not a bad thing, but when we take into account the overall atmosphere of his music, the content of the songs can be intimidating and trigger uncomfortable feelings since they force the listener to confront unpleasant emotions and issues. No one, as far as I know, likes to experience feelings of sadness and depression, so listening to Nine Inch Nails might be counter-intuitive to some people (however, there was a study done on music-evoked sadness that might make that last part a misconception). Whether it be a song about feeling lonely in a crowd of people or a song about denouncing man and his sick, twisted motives to exploit others, Nine Inch Nails manages to force the listener to think about the things we deliberately avoid or look down upon by showing there always exists that certain part of a person that's deranged, helpless, and desperate.
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| Nine Inch Nails in 1996 during The Downward Spiral era. It was at this time Trent was struggling with depression and drugs that you can pick up a sense of brokenness when you take a look at his appearance. Image source: gladcarrot.com |
The band's growing popularity is far from equilibrium that their legacy is only beginning to form. Their examination and expression of the human condition in its darkest hour is a common theme in many of their songs, which, in turn, can sometimes be difficult to listen to due to their intense nature. This does not mean that they are exclusive because most of their songs are ones that only depressed people can relate to. This is far from their purpose for composing the music the way they do. Aside from writing explicit lyrics and putting together spooky instrumentals to express hidden feelings, Nine Inch Nails demonstrates that the anger that burns inside of us and the hypocrisies we hold are things we have in common and, at the same time, are afraid to acknowledge. It is only when a listener goes through some traumatic experience or dark phase in his/her life that he/she will truly understand and appreciate the lyrics Trent sings and find comfort in the words and sounds of heavy, industrial-inspired guitar riffs and bass progressions.
It is a little hard to predict where Nine Inch Nails will exactly stand in the history of music in the next 10 years. But one thing that can be surely said of them is that they will definitely inspire future bands to borrow their sounds and thus be immortalized and regarded as one of the most influential bands to ever exist.
Recommended songs:
Every Day is Exactly the Same
Gave Up
Something I Can Never Have (still)
Heresy
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