NINE INCH NAILS
All Music and Lyrics by Trent Reznor except "The Eater Of Dreams" composed by Trent Reznor and Alessandro Cortini
Produced by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Alan Moulder
Released September 3, 2013
"I am just a copy of a copy of a copy. Everything I say has come before..." sings Trent Reznor in the song "Copy Of A," during the opening moments from "Hesitation Marks," the first new album from Reznor's alter ego, Nine Inch Nails, in five years.
For an artist who has made a career of voicing boldly naked statements and exploring a self-examination process so self-lacerating that it can often leave bruises upon your speakers and headphones, those lyrics referenced above really struck me and made me stop cold. It is not for any sense of perceived nihilism. But entirely due to the philosophical reality. Certainly, we, as human beings, are all copies of everything that has come before, all experiencing what has already been experienced, and those who follow us will do the same. Yet, and additionally in regards to Nine Inch Nails, it seems as if Trent Reznor is not only confronting his place in the world as an artist but he is also even questioning the validity of Nine Inch Nails' resurrection in the first place.
For those of you keeping score, the musical life of Trent Reznor has taken some sharp twists and turns over the years especially since his victorious battles against depression and his past alcohol and drug addictions. Beginning with the album "With Teeth" (released May 3, 2005), Reznor, who had previously taken as long as five years between albums, began to release increasingly challenging, provocative works at a much more prolific pace, including the political and apocalyptic concept album "Year Zero" (released April 17, 2007), the instrumental double album "Ghosts I-IV" (released March 2, 2008) and finally, the almost garage band sounding album "The Slip" (released May 5, 2008), which was unleashed before embarking upon Nine Inch Nails' hiatus inducing "Wave Goodbye" tour. Since that period, Trent Reznor married Mariqueen Maandig, became a Father to two sons and even formed the band How To Destroy Angels with his wife. And even then, he somehow found the time, alongside his longtime collaborator Atticus Ross, to compose two films scores for Director David Fincher; the Oscar winning "The Social Network" (released September 28, 2010) and the three disc, three hour score to "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" (released December 9, 2011).
Returning to the revival of Nine Inch Nails, and even more specifically the song "Copy Of A," I found those opening lyrics to be a powerfully striking way to begin the new album as the fullness of "Hesitation Marks" confronts this very issue of artistic relevance as one ages, and especially when the artist in question grows healthier. In contrast to earlier Nine Inch Nails material, most notably, the ferocious, nightmarish classic "The Downward Spiral" (released March 8, 1994), which to me still sounds like a baseball bat to the skull, the new album finds Nine Inch Nails at its most inviting and even intoxicating.
The title of "Hesitation Marks" refers to the term of "hesitation wounds," the self-induced marks upon one's body in preparation for one's suicide. While the album broods darkly, I never found the overall spirit of "Hesitation Marks" to be volatile or punishing. It is a spirit of intense questioning and seeking, resulting in sometimes surprising epiphanies and exclamations. While "Copy Of A" fires the first self-exploratory shots, "Came Back Haunted" delves even further into the life beyond Nine Inch Nails only to return and confront the immense shadow of their own legacy as Reznor expresses how he has "said goodbye" but now "I am not who I used to be." The following track "Find My Way" continues the theme to quieter effect while the almost Middle eastern sounding "Disappointed" seems to confront fan, critical and personal expectations head on ("What did you expect? So disappointed with what you get.") and the dazzling "Everything," with its New Order styled guitars and a harmony vocal wash that sounds like it blasted in from Queen's neighborhood, Reznor sings the very words I never thought that I would ever hear upon a Nine Inch Nails album..."...And just who you think you used to be/all begins to bend and break...I am home. I am free."
On a less imaginative or more predictable album, "Hesitation Marks" would conclude with that sentiment of spiritual deliverance but Trent Reznor places it smack dab in the middle of the album, suggesting that worries, laments, confrontations and exhalations are endlessly cyclical...much like being an existential copy of a copy of a copy where everything has indeed been said and done before but it doesn't make it any less wrenching, painful or beautifully life affirming for any individual being on their specific life journey. With that, Trent Reznor has ensured that the concept and integrity of Nine Inch Nails never falls into the trap of becoming a nostalgic money grab and always remains a ferociously creative and vital musical entity by making "Hesitation Marks" the rock and roll illustration of his specific life journey, as well as our collective journey. But a tad more on that a bit later...
One extremely crucial factor of "Hesitation Marks" that has made this album such a strong listening experience is the musical element which has proven to me to be Nine Inch Nails' most rhythmic, and even dance-able album to date. The insistent, and at times, relentless rhythms augment the lyrical spiritual questioning giving then entire album an unshakable pulse that percolates, throbs, pulsates and most importantly grooves triumphantly. It feels like Trent Reznor has truly (and finally) embraced the funk, especially on the neck snapping track "All Time Low" (which features an excellent Reznor falsetto), the slow motion funk of "Various Methods Of Escape" and the outstanding, bass drum driving "Satellite." Without sacrificing any sense of rock and roll grandeur, the pace of the rhythms throughout "Hesitation Marks" give the impression that Trent Reznor is exorcising his demons on the dance floor in his private nightclub but this time, we all get to have a chance to join him behind the velvet rope and exorcise ourselves with him.
One thing that I have greatly appreciated about Trent Reznor as he has grown older is how his music has reflected not only his view of himself but his view of the world around him and "Hesitation Marks" is no exception. This album, much like this year's releases from David Bowie and The Flaming Lips, is as much about us as it is about himself and Nine Inch Nails as again, we are all copies of copies of copies, experiencing revelations and traumas just as everyone that has come before. This more universal quality to Nine Inch Nails has arrived with Reznor's growth as a songwriter and throughout "Hesitation Marks," the songwriting actually feels even tighter than ever before, a texture which also makes Reznor dial down the theatricality and aural bombast to create a work that that showcases a newfound level of subtlety and maturity without squandering any sense of establishing captivating and enveloping moods and tension.
Even though the album has been seamlessly playing on repeat in my car ever since I purchased it, I do think that "Hesitation Marks" just may not be the Nine Inch Nails album that some longtime fans (and internet "trolls") they want due to its more refined approach. But to them, and possibly to even himself, Reznor is proclaiming wisely that it is not 1994 anymore and frankly, why should he ever pretend that it is? We have all grown and moved onwards in our lives and as an artist, why should Trent Reznor not utilize Nine Inch Nails to comment upon the changes we have all existed through, instead of just becoming a lucrative and creatively empty musical jukebox stagnantly playing the same old songs so we can live in the same old memories.
I fell in love with Trent Reznor's musical vision because his music just hit me right at the pinpoint of where I live and since I do not live in the 1990's anymore either and have always entrusted Reznor to be a forward looking musical force, Nine Inch Nails in 2013 is precisely where I wish to be...and am so very thankful to be able to do so at this time.
I urge you, my dear readers and listeners to not hesitate at all if you are thinking about experiencing this album. "Hesitation Marks" by Nine Inch Nails is as purposeful and as intensely personal and universal as anything Trent Reznor has ever been able to deliver. The commitment, the artistry, the drive and the funk all congeal wondrously upon this new release and whatever fire Reznor had to travel trough in order to reach this point, thank the universe that he made it and survived...for we are blessed to have him.
No comments:
Post a Comment