As someone who's mostly into alternative music (especially from the 90s), it's really interesting to see you talk about artists that don't fully fit "electronic" label. And NIN is one of my favorites. I also really loved the outdoor walk Vlog style of video.
Well, this is a very pleasant surprise. I like Nine Inch Nail’s music a lot. A Downward Spiral, Pretty Hate Machine, and Ghosts I-IV have always been my favorite albums from them.
Indeed, I think that a lot of Spiral could have possibly grown on him, it makes sense why he listed Closer, Hurt and Warm Place as the only songs he liked as those are the most easily accessible tracks on that record.
on the other hand Spiral is the album out of all of these which I've listened to the most thanks to a few "maybe I'll get it this time" attempts over the years and it's still one of my least favorites, so eh I think I'll just settle with that album not being my thing The Fragile does seem like it's actively benefitting from repeat visits though, so there is that
i've been waiting for you to listen to NIN for a while now lol, had a feeling that most of it wouldn't really be your thing but glad to know that you enjoyed Hesitation Marks and The Slip at least, they're lowkey my favourites
Cool video! I too am a big fan of the ambient/instrumental side of NIN. You are correct that Ghosts I-IV is essentially a collection of demos. One thing I want to add about that album was that it was released with a Creative Commons license, which means the songs were available for anyone to sample or use in podcasts or films without feat of being sued. I also think it was a moment in Trent's career where he proved his potential as a film composer and showed that he was no longer such a perfectionist, taking years and years to finish a new album. The 2005-08 period was a real whirlwind for fans who were used to NIN taking forever to release new music!
One release that would be up your alley is The Perfect Drug Remixes EP as it is heavily electronic in different ways. The remix artists are Meat Beat Manifesto, Plug, Spacetime Continuum and The Orb. NIN does its own remix that really makes its own "abstract" thing: more spacey and spread out with different elements. The Fragile was my entry point into NIN and I loved how it was sprawling and encompassing of different ideas. Some cuts I like more than others but I'm not one to insist on turning a double album into a single. Also, the vinyl sequencing seems to be the more definitive version than the initial CD configuration back in 1999. Aside from the different fade-in/fade-outs to accompany the different vinyl sides, you also have the inclusion of "10 Miles High" and "The New Flesh" and "Ripe (With Decay)" becomes just "Ripe" (or the outro is dropped). Ghosts I-IV was purposefully "underdeveloped" where it was made in the spur of the moment and not trying to "overanalyse"/"overedit" (something that TR was trying out at the time). Basically, I hear it as an aural sketchpad. It also was a kind of statement of his own independence from any other labels and it does serve as a kind of precursor to what he and Atticus Ross would do in their film scores in a few short years. In general, I like how "genreless" NIN has been. Never afraid to try styles, mix styles and use any and all instruments available. And as you pointed out, NIN made synths and electronic instruments still relevant and even cool at a time when they were not looked on very favourably.
Really nice to see the new Ghosts albums getting some love. I started listening to NIN when I was more into rock and metal while nowadays I mostly listen to their ambient, atmospheric stuff. That's probably why The Fragile is still my favourite album of theirs as it combines the harsh industrial stuff and the atmospheric feeling of a certain environment (if that makes any sense lmao) in such a good way.
I respect the hell out of you for doing this! I've gone on record saying Nine Inch Nails is one of, if not, my favorite arists, although Klayton often competes with him for that title and currently has it... more on him in a bit, but knowing how much of a blind spot and how much this genre isn't really your thing... as I said I respect the hell out of it. I was actually super tempted to Patreon request Ghosts V, because it is one of the various albums I use to fall asleep, and I figured if you were going to love any NIN album it would be either Ghosts V or Ghosts VI... I was right lol. I've fallen in love both Ghosts V & VI and they are personal favorites of mine as well at this point. For the record, Ghosts I-IV was literally a demos collection that they sold to fans, but people but people bought the hell out of them and they ended up making The Slip the same year, and releasing it for free because Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross love their fans... seriously NIN has a crazy fanbase that is crazy talented and they embrace it... one of their fans made a goddamn concert film from one of their tours... and Trent Reznor fought to keep the upload on UA-cam and even promoted it on his twitter lol. Also, I dig the love for The Slip, it's not a very popular album in the NIN community, like at all. There is a NIN release that you skipped over I feel like you might wanna check out, you don't have to if you don't want to, it's called Still... it's basically NIN's equivalent to Celldweller's Offworld where it is a collection of some stripped back versions of previous tracks, a single new song and some ambient pieces. Simply put, I think it's goregous, but it is also a massive downer... still And All That Could've Been is probably my favorite NIN song... despite being one of the most depressing songs I've ever heard in my life... but I just love it so much. I could go on about that song for hours probably lol. Honestly, I don't have a whole lot to say about this video. I'm super glad you made it, I feel like this is something that you had to do at one point or another and I'm so glad that you did. However, I'd like to say one more thing: People often compare the works of Klayton to that of Trent Reznor... and I think your reactions to their respective catalogues proves that they have VERY different appeals lol. For example, I personally think that Klayton goes way, way, way harder on the metal stuff than Trent Reznor ever did (and spoiler alert Satellites is going EVEN HARDER in that direction) to the point where I would call him an Industrial Metal artist more often than NIN... but he also focuses way more on the electronic side, and has also kept his pop instincts as, in my opinion, he's way better at writing hooks, and seems to be having at lot more fun with his music compared to Trent, which as a result makes his music a lot more fun to listen to. I will freely admit, albums like The Downward Spiral are not pleasant to sit through... but they're also not supposed to be. With that in mind, I love both artists, but as I just said, they both fill very different niches and I feel like this comparison needs to stop. Anyways, great video, I enjoyed this! I love hearing outside perspectives on things like this, especially if it's something I hold very near and dear to my heart! Thank you!
Been meaning to get into Nine Inch Nails for a while now! I really liked both the most recent Ghosts albums and The Downward Spiral, so I will probably dig a fair few albums of theirs!
I love seeing stuff like this. I'm a NIN fanboy but I know I get guaranteed authenticity from someone who is not a fan of the harder edged style that they bring. I have grown tired of pandering reaction videos of people boppin' their heads and pretending to enjoy absolutely everything they hear just to get views. I'd rather hear a thoughtful analysis of someone who may not be a fan - way more interesting. If everyone agreed, the world would be a boring place!
I really appreciate your takes, as always! I've been meaning to get back into NIN for a while and this gives me a lot of directions to explore. Thanks, Wonky Angle!! : )
It's fascinating to see what people with different tastes get out of the same artist. As someone who's spent a lot of time listening to NIN's discography, I actually find myself coming back to Year Zero most often. Something about that raw, up tempo, electronic punch in the eardrums sound is very satisfying on repeat listens for me. 🤣 I appreciate ghosts I-VI but find those albums a little long in the tooth, and I don't find myself recalling specific moments or sounds I want to particularly return to. Their movie soundtracks, while instrumental as well, I do find myself going back to often though.
Have you checked out Trent Reznor’s side project ‘How to destroy angels?’ Might be more up your alley, more focus on the idm/downtempo side of Nine Inch Nails.
As a lifelong NIN (and electronic and metal fan) The fragile is his best album. It was a double album to how he felt about his grandmother dying. Bad Witch was supposed to be the third EP in the trilogy, but due to the streaming algorithm, Trent changed it to an LP (since EPs get shuffled to the background) so it would actually gain traction and go to the front page for publicity on streaming services
funny I would've thought the year zero would've been one of your favorites, it might be one of his most electronic albums, it's atleast very glitchy but maybe it's been a while since I've heard it and I'm forgetting all the rock elements
Did you listen to Still? Not the live album portion, just the disc 2 portion which is 9 tracks, mostly versions of their previously released (as of 2002) tracks that are more stripped down. It's a very nice album, if you haven't heard it you should check it out! Definitely give at least The Day The World Went Away and Leaving Hope off that album a listen :)
If you're unfamiliar with Alessandro Cortini (their live synth player) and his own solo music, I can't recommend it enough. It's probably a bit more up your alley!
I am not a great fan of NIN. I have listened to most of the albums just once. But I have to say, I enjoyed the songs of this band in somewhat different way, I enjoy other bands' creations. You see, I am a very electro-industrial, and industrial metal guy, somewhat a noise guy too. But NIN are doing those genres different to other bands. I would say, that NIN actually mixing industrial (of the 70's) with a rock rhythm and guitars. Basically more noisy stuff. While KMFDM or Oomph! or countless other bands are merging electro-industrial with adding distorted guitars to the sound. If NIN is a rock band influenced by industrial. KMFDM is an industrial band influenced by rock. I hope that makes sense. And precisely that's why NIN is separate for me from other bands of same cohort. And I am not talking about Rammstein, coz they are intertwining so many styles. That is just conversation for another time.
I wouldn't call NIN a rock band influenced by industrial. Just look at their beginnings and roots. It all started with synthpop, going back to Trent's days with Slam Bamboo.
Broken is the only one i've come back to at least once a year, it's the angriest but also i find the best balance of experimentation and songcraft, a few real anthems. basically what i liked about Pretty Hate Machine and Downward Spiral in one.
I drove back from a festival on my own, from Sydney to Melbourne, and I listened to the entire catalogue up to Hesitation Marks, at that point was the latest in 2015 just before NTAE dropped. It was a crazy experience and a bit of an overload to the brain but I was familiar with the entire catalogue by that point for about 10 years.
I've been a NIN fan for years now (as you said, it was an important bridge between rock and electronic music for me) but in recent months I've been listening to all of their discography all again and I came to appreciate it more. I quite agree that their middle period was kind of uninspired but they've been releasing great material since the 2010s. I think it has something to do with Atticus Ross becoming a permanent member of the band, instead of being just Trent alone.
As an older listener to NIN, you have to appreciate the times in witch these albums came out. Out of all of the albums, Pretty Hate Machine is my favorite, but it also coincided with a dark period in my life. For me it is an anger filled lyrical statement of finding who you will no longer be. It spoke to me at that time period.
I can't remember if The Stoneburner Guy was actually the one who played it or not, but he was there the night I first heard Pretty Hate Machine, so this is an interesting video for me. (He definitely first played Skinny Puppy - Rabies that night first time I had heard that and if you haven't, and want to know more about early 90s industrial, you should.) P.S. industrial didn't really go "metal" so much as "hardcore / crossover punk" ... there was and is, in fact, a metal scene that is referred to as "industrial metal" which brings elements of EDM production into metal but the two movements were two ships passing through each other in the night. P.P.S. Very curious what your impressions of Stoneburner are and would love it if you did a video on that.
Pretty Hate Machine has a lot of Depeche Mode influence, so that's why. I think your response to his music were normal because you are not used to, give it a try to the lyrics too, I like Year Zero lyrics (but I don't mean like political way), like you said, Survivalism, Capital G, also God Given, Me, I'm Not, but also the sound. Check out How To Destroy Angels, his other work, maybe you will like it more. I kinda feel like after Pretty Hate Machine you can see how Trent let himself go, musical speaking and personal speaking (like he has mention before how he went through during The Downward Spiral times) and I find interesting to listen to his thoughts and how he came back to, I personally can relate to some of his songs, so they are special for me. Good vid!
I was never a NIN fan tbh. But good video. Do a video on Tangerine Dreams discography. They are probably the most important electronic band apart from Kraftwerk.
You miss out the 2002 album, 'Still'. Kind of have a feeling you'd like that one. It's one of my favourites anyway. And I'm with you on the Ghosts 5 & 6, except I preferred 5.
I bought Pretty Hate Machine the day it was released, on a hunch. Sold hundreds of the album in the store I used to manage before MTV even picked up on him, mostly just from in-store play, of which it got a lot because every employee loved it. While I like some of what he's done since and occasionally remember I can play them (good housecleaning music), he's never gotten back to the level of hype that PHM had in my world. I could say quite a lot about Trent, but it's no longer the fun it used to be. :/ He did and said some pretty foolish things way back when, but he's probably atoned for his behavior at this point. Back in 2008, I *loved* Ghosts. Now? It sounds like 'dark music for commercials'. I liked the newer ones, but what's it say that I forgot I even have them til your video? :D Everything else in-between has its moments, but I stopped getting excited over his new releases around about The Fragile, so...yeah. Nah, far more importantly...how you feelin' about SIGN now, Tommy? :) Ready for more? Personally, my bones are starting to hum in antici pation. I still say, tho...now do Skinny Puppy. I selfishly just wanna hear your reactions to the catalogue, especially after hearing you do NiN. :) Cheers, good sir.
haven't really come back to SIGN much since my review, listened to it maybe once since and my thoughts haven't fundamentally changed much. has some good moments but still a lower tier Ae project for me and as for Skinny Puppy, I'll tell you what, the idea of doing this kind of looser format for them did in fact come to my mind as well while I was making this video. kinda doubt it's gonna be in the near future but I am in fact open to doing it at some point if nothing else I did enjoy Bites
I agree with your assessment about Trent and his works. About 2 weeks ago I picked up PHM and it took me back in the day, but I feel listening g to it anymore would suck me back to that dark place... lol
@@MrHappy206 I hope it's not the remastered version-- hurts my ears, anyway. I was appalled when I purchased it and it sounded somehow worse. Too tinny.
@@TheWonkyAngle Hey, Tommy. Sorry, been busy. Check my channel for some fun visuals to our favorite bands, if you like. :) Did Plaid, Orbital, Autechre, and Two Fingers is uploading right now. I think your looser format works great. The protocol for your videos is all in your mind, remember that. Minds can change, people get used to it. I think you should take the easiest route for you, we'll listen no matter, if we want to hear your opinions on something. The world is getting very used to the walk and talk now anyway. I will remind myself here to mention that your words on screen should last just a tiny bit longer, if not long enough to read them. So often I see it, start to read it, then it's gone before I can even reach the mouse to pause-- cuz I know you by now, in this way. It leaves me not caring to go back and figure out what you said because I'm already involved in listening to you.... It's a bit mean, if harmless overall, all I'm sayin'. If you wanna convey something, convey it. Don't turn it into a game. Or do. Life is all about choices and I'm okay with you making yours. :) But I've thought it too many times to not say it finally. As for Skinny Puppy...I barely listen to them anymore, but sure did for many years. Seen them live, been backstage, all kinds of fun stuff. Bites was actually the first thing I heard by them that I liked, played for me by a friend as he made me my first mudslide in life (I think there have been 3 total, not much of a drinker). Then I heard Remission, decided to grab both and became a Puppy fan. A few years later, I was managing a record store and dealing directly with their labels in both Canada and the US. Is it Skinny Puppy's fault? Probably. :) If you go through the catalog, just do it in order and give each more than one spin, as it can take a second or third to wear the shock off. It's not Autechre, which takes me many more listens to grok...but most of it is not something to take in fully in one sitting-- probably not possible, I mean. On repeat listens, pay attention to the sound design. The key here is there really was little like it before Skinny Puppy. The things they did with samplers and guitar pedals...well, now the ideas are all over the place, just everywhere. As a musician yourself, I'm recommending you examine the sound design they got up to. There's so much to consider there, one can't help but learn from it. To this day, I can't tell you most of the words and the ones I can tell you are half wrong-- it's not about the lyrics. Take the voice as part of the music and sound design. I also prefer instrumental music, but to me the voice was just another instrument in SP-- to many people, even. But if you get hung up on what he's trying to convey, it'll just spoil it. As for SIGN...dude, that's an incredible album, not at all lower tier for them. But it's also a difficult album to wrap the head around, even for them. Not gonna argue with you, just sayin' it's worth more effort and you have a treat ahead of you one day. :) But 'one listen since' won't ever do the trick with Autechre. Never mind PLUS, as I haven't warmed-up to it at all. Feels like the green-headed, simple basement stepbrother of SIGN. Oh-- and be sure you have the Japanese extra track included for SIGN. It truly helps the whole, I think. I was thrilled when someone on reddit passed around copies for us poor folk. Cheers.
Might be interesting to look into some of the remix eps that make up the majority of the other Halos. I feel like they offer some different takes that might be more up your alley. But I'm admittedly a huge fan of NIN so I'm probably tainted in my ability to offer an unbiased suggestion, lol. Also: you called it on the Bad Witch EP upgrade. Trent specifically said that he called it an album because he didn't like that streaming services buried EPs with the singles and such.
Funny after listening to stereolab (and i like them)for more than half an hour, I need to wash it off with something with the emotional, and experimental grit of something like the fragile or downward spiral...
I completely agree with your review. The albums you liked I liked too. And those that are not that good, I think were also kinda meh. I am not really into NIN so I have missed Bad Witch , Together and Locust. And gave myself a marathon, expecting something mediocre and I was positively surprised by these 3 releases. Locust, I guess was the most interesting. But I haven't re-listen them since the day they came out.
I don't know if I can agree that NTAE does not see the band as something new, it seems like a very fresh take on Industrial Metal, it does not really resemble anything else Trent made, especially song like "Burning Bright" which really stands out in the discography, I don't know any other time NIN went so much into Doom Metal territory, the only song from that EP which feels a little bit more expected is probably the opener "Branches/Bones" and even then it has a far darker more intimidating feel to it than most of angry NIN songs. Add Violence I've also found to be just as fresh with more Post-Industrial influences, once again the only song that feels perhaps a little safe is "Less Than" the rest felt like new territories for NIN.
I wasn't a big fan of Ghosts V & VI initially, but they've since grown on me a lot. They are a fantastic pair of ambient albums, and are faaaar better than any of the soundtrack work Reznor and Ross have done, probably because they were designed to stand on their own and work as a cohesive project. Still, it's not often you come across someone who considers them the _best_ the band has ever done. I admire the opinion. Nine Inch Nails is a band I could talk about for pages, but the one other thing I'll mention is my disappointment in Wonky Angle's opinion on Year Zero. For me, it's almost on a par with The Downward Spiral as NIИ's best album, so it's understandable disliking them equally. However, The Downward Spiral is an industrial rock album, whereas Year Zero is an electronic album with barely a real instrument in sight, so I thought it might resonate more with Mr. Wonky. Anyway, I loved the video. More of these one-off quick discography reviews (or rankings, like the Pink Floyd one) would be welcome, and the change-up in setting was great.
Currently going through your videos, and that one struck a... nerve? I mean, Pretty Hate The Machne deserves way more attention, especially considering the credits behind it, with connections to the Pop Group, On U Sound, etc... The record sold millions, and paved the way for so much of the 90ies music. But the greatest omission you did was omitting Broken and Fixed, The mini albums between PHtM and Downward Spiral, that helped cement the collaboration between Reznor and Coil. Do yourself a favor and read it up. Glitch is from there, one of the earliest incarnations of the genre. Broken is a little more metal, but not in its entirety, and Fixed is very different, I like some DS, kind of like you, but the metal parts leave me cold, and everything afterwards is not for me, dad stadium rock for the new millenium... Sure, Reznor is still trying, and now has Alessandro Cortini as his main synth guy in the band, which is major street cred, but in hte end, it's mostly just that, as hte music still is rock and roll in spirit. I would say that to a certain degree, he became the COldplay of electronic "alternative" music, but that was until you introduced me to BT, whom I had zero knowledge of until today ^^
I mean, I wouldn't know? I thought Bytes was pretty good (reviewed that here ua-cam.com/video/z2CbQINm3ro/v-deo.html ) but I haven't heard any of their other albums
Nine Inch Nails is a band that you really need to understand the message and circumstances of the songs/albums as much as the sound itself. Your review shows that you really didn't do that. Especially with Year Zero. Look up the Year Zero ARG. This honestly reminds me of the people who sing the YMCA song at baseball games and don't even realize it's a song about gay guys meeting at the YMCA. It makes you look like you don't care about understanding the message in the music you listen to.
Hey tommy mate, unfortunately, I'm gonna have to stop following your channel. I think that I now have significant enough hearing loss that now I'm probably not need to start using hearing aids. Worse thing is that as of right now, there is no treatment. Im hopeful that in this decade they'll make some treatment for it but that probably won't happen. Either they will find a whole bunch of new difficulties or the companies and research teams will try to get in each other's way so that they can be the ones who cured inner ear hearing loss. I'll just get worse and worse until I can hear fuck all. It has been hell. So I'd like do this and tell you, PLEASE PROTECT YOUR EARS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. If you think that it doesn't sound so bad, go on google and look up the effects that hearing loss has on a person. sorry for posting a comment like this but I'm desperate and hopeless. Music doesn't have to be played loudly to be enjoyed, don't fall for that trap, Like I did.
damn that really sucks :( no idea if it'll help, but my day job is at a small-time hearing aid company called Sound World Solutions and I'm told our hearing aids are markedly cheaper than the average for the market if you were looking into that? idk
The only thing I want ypu to take from this is that from on you will protect your ears. Look into its consequences, spread awereness about them and support the research into a cure. I believe that if the medical community focused on finding treatment for it, we would find it in this decade.
I am not trying to spread hate or anything like that i just wanna say cut your hair, ive been there trying to grow my hair to a beetles degree because of insecurity and stuff but it never works, and your head shape is pretty good looking so i would suggest trying something different. but i don’t wanna come off as rude it’s not my business
if I had listened to NIN a very long time ago I think I would've been even significantly more negative on all of this stuff than I was here lol. I had an extremely low tolerance for any kind of louder rock music as a kid and at least now as an adult I can appreciate this stuff for what it is
At the risk of sounding cliche - some people REALLY just don't get it. Terrible, terrible review - rambling, closed minded and no meaningful analysis or discussion of the style and evolution of the music. Also the supreme lack of production quality and terrible sound quality on this video reinforce that you really shouldn't be reviewing music.
POV: You are a small child being carried by a bespectacled man as he talks about electronic industrial rock
was just waiting for that one
@@TheWonkyAngle Well, I think you are hot AF so, to hell with a hater!
@@DavysFlicks What.
@@DavysFlicks SUS
@@DavysFlicks hUH
imagine if you were just walking down the street and saw a guy walking down the street holding a camera talking about nine inch nails
I feel like I've seen you on RYM. like, yesterday
As someone who's mostly into alternative music (especially from the 90s), it's really interesting to see you talk about artists that don't fully fit "electronic" label. And NIN is one of my favorites. I also really loved the outdoor walk Vlog style of video.
Well, this is a very pleasant surprise. I like Nine Inch Nail’s music a lot. A Downward Spiral, Pretty Hate Machine, and Ghosts I-IV have always been my favorite albums from them.
let me just say their music is not that pleasant in comparison
@@djkamzpr0....in comparison to what?
It’s all about the repeat listens with NIN
Indeed, I think that a lot of Spiral could have possibly grown on him, it makes sense why he listed Closer, Hurt and Warm Place as the only songs he liked as those are the most easily accessible tracks on that record.
on the other hand Spiral is the album out of all of these which I've listened to the most thanks to a few "maybe I'll get it this time" attempts over the years and it's still one of my least favorites, so eh I think I'll just settle with that album not being my thing
The Fragile does seem like it's actively benefitting from repeat visits though, so there is that
@@TheWonkyAngle hell yeah the Fragile is great!
i've been waiting for you to listen to NIN for a while now lol, had a feeling that most of it wouldn't really be your thing but glad to know that you enjoyed Hesitation Marks and The Slip at least, they're lowkey my favourites
Cool video! I too am a big fan of the ambient/instrumental side of NIN.
You are correct that Ghosts I-IV is essentially a collection of demos. One thing I want to add about that album was that it was released with a Creative Commons license, which means the songs were available for anyone to sample or use in podcasts or films without feat of being sued.
I also think it was a moment in Trent's career where he proved his potential as a film composer and showed that he was no longer such a perfectionist, taking years and years to finish a new album. The 2005-08 period was a real whirlwind for fans who were used to NIN taking forever to release new music!
One release that would be up your alley is The Perfect Drug Remixes EP as it is heavily electronic in different ways. The remix artists are Meat Beat Manifesto, Plug, Spacetime Continuum and The Orb. NIN does its own remix that really makes its own "abstract" thing: more spacey and spread out with different elements.
The Fragile was my entry point into NIN and I loved how it was sprawling and encompassing of different ideas. Some cuts I like more than others but I'm not one to insist on turning a double album into a single. Also, the vinyl sequencing seems to be the more definitive version than the initial CD configuration back in 1999. Aside from the different fade-in/fade-outs to accompany the different vinyl sides, you also have the inclusion of "10 Miles High" and "The New Flesh" and "Ripe (With Decay)" becomes just "Ripe" (or the outro is dropped).
Ghosts I-IV was purposefully "underdeveloped" where it was made in the spur of the moment and not trying to "overanalyse"/"overedit" (something that TR was trying out at the time). Basically, I hear it as an aural sketchpad. It also was a kind of statement of his own independence from any other labels and it does serve as a kind of precursor to what he and Atticus Ross would do in their film scores in a few short years.
In general, I like how "genreless" NIN has been. Never afraid to try styles, mix styles and use any and all instruments available. And as you pointed out, NIN made synths and electronic instruments still relevant and even cool at a time when they were not looked on very favourably.
Pretty Hate Machine, amazing when it came out, amazing today.
Huh, I didn't know Hesitation Marks was an airplane 🤔 Interesting
''It's a fucking airplane'' - Tommy, March 2022
Really nice to see the new Ghosts albums getting some love. I started listening to NIN when I was more into rock and metal while nowadays I mostly listen to their ambient, atmospheric stuff. That's probably why The Fragile is still my favourite album of theirs as it combines the harsh industrial stuff and the atmospheric feeling of a certain environment (if that makes any sense lmao) in such a good way.
I respect the hell out of you for doing this! I've gone on record saying Nine Inch Nails is one of, if not, my favorite arists, although Klayton often competes with him for that title and currently has it... more on him in a bit, but knowing how much of a blind spot and how much this genre isn't really your thing... as I said I respect the hell out of it. I was actually super tempted to Patreon request Ghosts V, because it is one of the various albums I use to fall asleep, and I figured if you were going to love any NIN album it would be either Ghosts V or Ghosts VI... I was right lol. I've fallen in love both Ghosts V & VI and they are personal favorites of mine as well at this point.
For the record, Ghosts I-IV was literally a demos collection that they sold to fans, but people but people bought the hell out of them and they ended up making The Slip the same year, and releasing it for free because Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross love their fans... seriously NIN has a crazy fanbase that is crazy talented and they embrace it... one of their fans made a goddamn concert film from one of their tours... and Trent Reznor fought to keep the upload on UA-cam and even promoted it on his twitter lol. Also, I dig the love for The Slip, it's not a very popular album in the NIN community, like at all. There is a NIN release that you skipped over I feel like you might wanna check out, you don't have to if you don't want to, it's called Still... it's basically NIN's equivalent to Celldweller's Offworld where it is a collection of some stripped back versions of previous tracks, a single new song and some ambient pieces. Simply put, I think it's goregous, but it is also a massive downer... still And All That Could've Been is probably my favorite NIN song... despite being one of the most depressing songs I've ever heard in my life... but I just love it so much. I could go on about that song for hours probably lol.
Honestly, I don't have a whole lot to say about this video. I'm super glad you made it, I feel like this is something that you had to do at one point or another and I'm so glad that you did. However, I'd like to say one more thing: People often compare the works of Klayton to that of Trent Reznor... and I think your reactions to their respective catalogues proves that they have VERY different appeals lol.
For example, I personally think that Klayton goes way, way, way harder on the metal stuff than Trent Reznor ever did (and spoiler alert Satellites is going EVEN HARDER in that direction) to the point where I would call him an Industrial Metal artist more often than NIN... but he also focuses way more on the electronic side, and has also kept his pop instincts as, in my opinion, he's way better at writing hooks, and seems to be having at lot more fun with his music compared to Trent, which as a result makes his music a lot more fun to listen to. I will freely admit, albums like The Downward Spiral are not pleasant to sit through... but they're also not supposed to be. With that in mind, I love both artists, but as I just said, they both fill very different niches and I feel like this comparison needs to stop.
Anyways, great video, I enjoyed this! I love hearing outside perspectives on things like this, especially if it's something I hold very near and dear to my heart! Thank you!
I need to stop writing comments on 3 hours of sleep.
Been meaning to get into Nine Inch Nails for a while now! I really liked both the most recent Ghosts albums and The Downward Spiral, so I will probably dig a fair few albums of theirs!
I love seeing stuff like this. I'm a NIN fanboy but I know I get guaranteed authenticity from someone who is not a fan of the harder edged style that they bring. I have grown tired of pandering reaction videos of people boppin' their heads and pretending to enjoy absolutely everything they hear just to get views. I'd rather hear a thoughtful analysis of someone who may not be a fan - way more interesting.
If everyone agreed, the world would be a boring place!
6:01 the ultimate palette cleanser
I really appreciate your takes, as always! I've been meaning to get back into NIN for a while and this gives me a lot of directions to explore. Thanks, Wonky Angle!! : )
It's fascinating to see what people with different tastes get out of the same artist. As someone who's spent a lot of time listening to NIN's discography, I actually find myself coming back to Year Zero most often. Something about that raw, up tempo, electronic punch in the eardrums sound is very satisfying on repeat listens for me. 🤣 I appreciate ghosts I-VI but find those albums a little long in the tooth, and I don't find myself recalling specific moments or sounds I want to particularly return to. Their movie soundtracks, while instrumental as well, I do find myself going back to often though.
Yes NIN is my second favorite band! Love them
Who's your first favorite?
@@CynicalScorpio It's his favorite!
Come on, you just said "second favorite" so we would ask who's #1. :)
It’s been 10 months tell us
@@a..27stephenson Depeche Mode
Have you checked out Trent Reznor’s side project ‘How to destroy angels?’ Might be more up your alley, more focus on the idm/downtempo side of Nine Inch Nails.
As a lifelong NIN (and electronic and metal fan) The fragile is his best album.
It was a double album to how he felt about his grandmother dying.
Bad Witch was supposed to be the third EP in the trilogy, but due to the streaming algorithm, Trent changed it to an LP (since EPs get shuffled to the background) so it would actually gain traction and go to the front page for publicity on streaming services
funny I would've thought the year zero would've been one of your favorites, it might be one of his most electronic albums, it's atleast very glitchy but maybe it's been a while since I've heard it and I'm forgetting all the rock elements
Did you listen to Still? Not the live album portion, just the disc 2 portion which is 9 tracks, mostly versions of their previously released (as of 2002) tracks that are more stripped down. It's a very nice album, if you haven't heard it you should check it out! Definitely give at least The Day The World Went Away and Leaving Hope off that album a listen :)
If you're unfamiliar with Alessandro Cortini (their live synth player) and his own solo music, I can't recommend it enough. It's probably a bit more up your alley!
Alessandro's music is amazing! SONOIO is so good. modwheelmood has been in my daily playlist for years now, too.
@@lucy4666 I LOVE his work. Almost as much as I love NIN. Huge influence.
I am not a great fan of NIN. I have listened to most of the albums just once. But I have to say, I enjoyed the songs of this band in somewhat different way, I enjoy other bands' creations.
You see, I am a very electro-industrial, and industrial metal guy, somewhat a noise guy too. But NIN are doing those genres different to other bands.
I would say, that NIN actually mixing industrial (of the 70's) with a rock rhythm and guitars. Basically more noisy stuff. While KMFDM or Oomph! or countless other bands are merging electro-industrial with adding distorted guitars to the sound. If NIN is a rock band influenced by industrial. KMFDM is an industrial band influenced by rock.
I hope that makes sense.
And precisely that's why NIN is separate for me from other bands of same cohort.
And I am not talking about Rammstein, coz they are intertwining so many styles. That is just conversation for another time.
I wouldn't call NIN a rock band influenced by industrial. Just look at their beginnings and roots. It all started with synthpop, going back to Trent's days with Slam Bamboo.
And David Bowie, according to interviews with Trent.
Broken is the only one i've come back to at least once a year, it's the angriest but also i find the best balance of experimentation and songcraft, a few real anthems. basically what i liked about Pretty Hate Machine and Downward Spiral in one.
dont look behind yoy dude, i think trent reznor is behinds you 😱😱😱😱😱! !!!
I drove back from a festival on my own, from Sydney to Melbourne, and I listened to the entire catalogue up to Hesitation Marks, at that point was the latest in 2015 just before NTAE dropped. It was a crazy experience and a bit of an overload to the brain but I was familiar with the entire catalogue by that point for about 10 years.
I've been a NIN fan for years now (as you said, it was an important bridge between rock and electronic music for me) but in recent months I've been listening to all of their discography all again and I came to appreciate it more. I quite agree that their middle period was kind of uninspired but they've been releasing great material since the 2010s. I think it has something to do with Atticus Ross becoming a permanent member of the band, instead of being just Trent alone.
As an older listener to NIN, you have to appreciate the times in witch these albums came out.
Out of all of the albums, Pretty Hate Machine is my favorite, but it also coincided with a dark period in my life. For me it is an anger filled lyrical statement of finding who you will no longer be. It spoke to me at that time period.
I can't remember if The Stoneburner Guy was actually the one who played it or not, but he was there the night I first heard Pretty Hate Machine, so this is an interesting video for me. (He definitely first played Skinny Puppy - Rabies that night first time I had heard that and if you haven't, and want to know more about early 90s industrial, you should.)
P.S. industrial didn't really go "metal" so much as "hardcore / crossover punk" ... there was and is, in fact, a metal scene that is referred to as "industrial metal" which brings elements of EDM production into metal but the two movements were two ships passing through each other in the night.
P.P.S. Very curious what your impressions of Stoneburner are and would love it if you did a video on that.
Stoneburner's latest album is my next patreon request so you'll be hearing my thoughts on that relatively soon
Pretty Hate Machine has a lot of Depeche Mode influence, so that's why. I think your response to his music were normal because you are not used to, give it a try to the lyrics too, I like Year Zero lyrics (but I don't mean like political way), like you said, Survivalism, Capital G, also God Given, Me, I'm Not, but also the sound. Check out How To Destroy Angels, his other work, maybe you will like it more.
I kinda feel like after Pretty Hate Machine you can see how Trent let himself go, musical speaking and personal speaking (like he has mention before how he went through during The Downward Spiral times) and I find interesting to listen to his thoughts and how he came back to, I personally can relate to some of his songs, so they are special for me.
Good vid!
I was never a NIN fan tbh. But good video. Do a video on Tangerine Dreams discography. They are probably the most important electronic band apart from Kraftwerk.
You miss out the 2002 album, 'Still'. Kind of have a feeling you'd like that one. It's one of my favourites anyway. And I'm with you on the Ghosts 5 & 6, except I preferred 5.
Still is a gem of an EP but I always skip those acoustic re-recordings and go straight to "And All That Could Have Been" and "Leaving Hope".
Good video mr. Angle
Think you summed up why I rank PHM over Downward Spiral. It's just a better album.
I bought Pretty Hate Machine the day it was released, on a hunch. Sold hundreds of the album in the store I used to manage before MTV even picked up on him, mostly just from in-store play, of which it got a lot because every employee loved it. While I like some of what he's done since and occasionally remember I can play them (good housecleaning music), he's never gotten back to the level of hype that PHM had in my world.
I could say quite a lot about Trent, but it's no longer the fun it used to be. :/ He did and said some pretty foolish things way back when, but he's probably atoned for his behavior at this point.
Back in 2008, I *loved* Ghosts. Now? It sounds like 'dark music for commercials'. I liked the newer ones, but what's it say that I forgot I even have them til your video? :D Everything else in-between has its moments, but I stopped getting excited over his new releases around about The Fragile, so...yeah.
Nah, far more importantly...how you feelin' about SIGN now, Tommy? :) Ready for more? Personally, my bones are starting to hum in antici
pation.
I still say, tho...now do Skinny Puppy. I selfishly just wanna hear your reactions to the catalogue, especially after hearing you do NiN. :)
Cheers, good sir.
haven't really come back to SIGN much since my review, listened to it maybe once since and my thoughts haven't fundamentally changed much. has some good moments but still a lower tier Ae project for me
and as for Skinny Puppy, I'll tell you what, the idea of doing this kind of looser format for them did in fact come to my mind as well while I was making this video. kinda doubt it's gonna be in the near future but I am in fact open to doing it at some point
if nothing else I did enjoy Bites
I agree with your assessment about Trent and his works. About 2 weeks ago I picked up PHM and it took me back in the day, but I feel listening g to it anymore would suck me back to that dark place... lol
@@MrHappy206 I hope it's not the remastered version-- hurts my ears, anyway. I was appalled when I purchased it and it sounded somehow worse. Too tinny.
@@TheWonkyAngle Hey, Tommy. Sorry, been busy. Check my channel for some fun visuals to our favorite bands, if you like. :) Did Plaid, Orbital, Autechre, and Two Fingers is uploading right now.
I think your looser format works great. The protocol for your videos is all in your mind, remember that. Minds can change, people get used to it. I think you should take the easiest route for you, we'll listen no matter, if we want to hear your opinions on something. The world is getting very used to the walk and talk now anyway.
I will remind myself here to mention that your words on screen should last just a tiny bit longer, if not long enough to read them. So often I see it, start to read it, then it's gone before I can even reach the mouse to pause-- cuz I know you by now, in this way. It leaves me not caring to go back and figure out what you said because I'm already involved in listening to you.... It's a bit mean, if harmless overall, all I'm sayin'. If you wanna convey something, convey it. Don't turn it into a game. Or do. Life is all about choices and I'm okay with you making yours. :) But I've thought it too many times to not say it finally.
As for Skinny Puppy...I barely listen to them anymore, but sure did for many years. Seen them live, been backstage, all kinds of fun stuff. Bites was actually the first thing I heard by them that I liked, played for me by a friend as he made me my first mudslide in life (I think there have been 3 total, not much of a drinker). Then I heard Remission, decided to grab both and became a Puppy fan. A few years later, I was managing a record store and dealing directly with their labels in both Canada and the US. Is it Skinny Puppy's fault? Probably. :)
If you go through the catalog, just do it in order and give each more than one spin, as it can take a second or third to wear the shock off. It's not Autechre, which takes me many more listens to grok...but most of it is not something to take in fully in one sitting-- probably not possible, I mean. On repeat listens, pay attention to the sound design. The key here is there really was little like it before Skinny Puppy. The things they did with samplers and guitar pedals...well, now the ideas are all over the place, just everywhere. As a musician yourself, I'm recommending you examine the sound design they got up to. There's so much to consider there, one can't help but learn from it. To this day, I can't tell you most of the words and the ones I can tell you are half wrong-- it's not about the lyrics. Take the voice as part of the music and sound design. I also prefer instrumental music, but to me the voice was just another instrument in SP-- to many people, even. But if you get hung up on what he's trying to convey, it'll just spoil it.
As for SIGN...dude, that's an incredible album, not at all lower tier for them. But it's also a difficult album to wrap the head around, even for them. Not gonna argue with you, just sayin' it's worth more effort and you have a treat ahead of you one day. :) But 'one listen since' won't ever do the trick with Autechre. Never mind PLUS, as I haven't warmed-up to it at all. Feels like the green-headed, simple basement stepbrother of SIGN. Oh-- and be sure you have the Japanese extra track included for SIGN. It truly helps the whole, I think. I was thrilled when someone on reddit passed around copies for us poor folk.
Cheers.
@@BrapAllgood it was original version.
Might be interesting to look into some of the remix eps that make up the majority of the other Halos. I feel like they offer some different takes that might be more up your alley. But I'm admittedly a huge fan of NIN so I'm probably tainted in my ability to offer an unbiased suggestion, lol.
Also: you called it on the Bad Witch EP upgrade. Trent specifically said that he called it an album because he didn't like that streaming services buried EPs with the singles and such.
Hey Mr Wonky Angle! I hope you’re doing well! Do you plan on listening to the new Bogdan Raczynski album ADDLE? It’s pretty bloody good idm!
Finally. Hurray
Quake soundtrack missing ):
Funny after listening to stereolab (and i like them)for more than half an hour, I need to wash it off with something with the emotional, and experimental grit of something like the fragile or downward spiral...
I’m surprised you didn’t like year zero given your electronic background
wonky slush
wocky angle
wonky agle
listen to The Social Network!
I completely agree with your review.
The albums you liked I liked too. And those that are not that good, I think were also kinda meh.
I am not really into NIN so I have missed Bad Witch , Together and Locust.
And gave myself a marathon, expecting something mediocre and I was positively surprised by these 3 releases. Locust, I guess was the most interesting. But I haven't re-listen them since the day they came out.
You totally skipped Broken.
I don't know if I can agree that NTAE does not see the band as something new, it seems like a very fresh take on Industrial Metal, it does not really resemble anything else Trent made, especially song like "Burning Bright" which really stands out in the discography, I don't know any other time NIN went so much into Doom Metal territory, the only song from that EP which feels a little bit more expected is probably the opener "Branches/Bones" and even then it has a far darker more intimidating feel to it than most of angry NIN songs.
Add Violence I've also found to be just as fresh with more Post-Industrial influences, once again the only song that feels perhaps a little safe is "Less Than" the rest felt like new territories for NIN.
I wasn't a big fan of Ghosts V & VI initially, but they've since grown on me a lot. They are a fantastic pair of ambient albums, and are faaaar better than any of the soundtrack work Reznor and Ross have done, probably because they were designed to stand on their own and work as a cohesive project. Still, it's not often you come across someone who considers them the _best_ the band has ever done. I admire the opinion.
Nine Inch Nails is a band I could talk about for pages, but the one other thing I'll mention is my disappointment in Wonky Angle's opinion on Year Zero. For me, it's almost on a par with The Downward Spiral as NIИ's best album, so it's understandable disliking them equally. However, The Downward Spiral is an industrial rock album, whereas Year Zero is an electronic album with barely a real instrument in sight, so I thought it might resonate more with Mr. Wonky.
Anyway, I loved the video. More of these one-off quick discography reviews (or rankings, like the Pink Floyd one) would be welcome, and the change-up in setting was great.
Currently going through your videos, and that one struck a... nerve? I mean, Pretty Hate The Machne deserves way more attention, especially considering the credits behind it, with connections to the Pop Group, On U Sound, etc... The record sold millions, and paved the way for so much of the 90ies music. But the greatest omission you did was omitting Broken and Fixed, The mini albums between PHtM and Downward Spiral, that helped cement the collaboration between Reznor and Coil. Do yourself a favor and read it up. Glitch is from there, one of the earliest incarnations of the genre. Broken is a little more metal, but not in its entirety, and Fixed is very different,
I like some DS, kind of like you, but the metal parts leave me cold, and everything afterwards is not for me, dad stadium rock for the new millenium... Sure, Reznor is still trying, and now has Alessandro Cortini as his main synth guy in the band, which is major street cred, but in hte end, it's mostly just that, as hte music still is rock and roll in spirit. I would say that to a certain degree, he became the COldplay of electronic "alternative" music, but that was until you introduced me to BT, whom I had zero knowledge of until today ^^
i looove Ghosts V + VI
So, I guess you don't like Skinny Puppy.
I mean, I wouldn't know? I thought Bytes was pretty good (reviewed that here ua-cam.com/video/z2CbQINm3ro/v-deo.html ) but I haven't heard any of their other albums
Nine Inch Nails is a band that you really need to understand the message and circumstances of the songs/albums as much as the sound itself. Your review shows that you really didn't do that. Especially with Year Zero. Look up the Year Zero ARG. This honestly reminds me of the people who sing the YMCA song at baseball games and don't even realize it's a song about gay guys meeting at the YMCA. It makes you look like you don't care about understanding the message in the music you listen to.
Yeah EBM is better than industrial rock
True, it's a shame that quality industrial music has stayed in Europe for a short time :(
True, it's a shame that quality industrial music has stayed in Europe for a short time :(
electric music
Hey tommy mate, unfortunately, I'm gonna have to stop following your channel. I think that I now have significant enough hearing loss that now I'm probably not need to start using hearing aids. Worse thing is that as of right now, there is no treatment. Im hopeful that in this decade they'll make some treatment for it but that probably won't happen. Either they will find a whole bunch of new difficulties or the companies and research teams will try to get in each other's way so that they can be the ones who cured inner ear hearing loss.
I'll just get worse and worse until I can hear fuck all.
It has been hell.
So I'd like do this and tell you, PLEASE PROTECT YOUR EARS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. If you think that it doesn't sound so bad, go on google and look up the effects that hearing loss has on a person.
sorry for posting a comment like this but I'm desperate and hopeless.
Music doesn't have to be played loudly to be enjoyed, don't fall for that trap, Like I did.
damn that really sucks :(
no idea if it'll help, but my day job is at a small-time hearing aid company called Sound World Solutions and I'm told our hearing aids are markedly cheaper than the average for the market if you were looking into that? idk
The only thing I want ypu to take from this is that from on you will protect your ears. Look into its consequences, spread awereness about them and support the research into a cure. I believe that if the medical community focused on finding treatment for it, we would find it in this decade.
Thanks anyway
nice
I am not trying to spread hate or anything like that i just wanna say cut your hair, ive been there trying to grow my hair to a beetles degree because of insecurity and stuff but it never works, and your head shape is pretty good looking so i would suggest trying something different. but i don’t wanna come off as rude it’s not my business
same i like tds for what it is but is not my favorite album at all, phm is way better imo
Ghosts is boring as hell. Has a few cool songs but overall such a boring project. V and VI even more so.
I honestly think you obviously are upset cause you wish you would of listen to nin a very long time ago . Ghost is amazing and you know it
if I had listened to NIN a very long time ago I think I would've been even significantly more negative on all of this stuff than I was here lol. I had an extremely low tolerance for any kind of louder rock music as a kid and at least now as an adult I can appreciate this stuff for what it is
At the risk of sounding cliche - some people REALLY just don't get it. Terrible, terrible review - rambling, closed minded and no meaningful analysis or discussion of the style and evolution of the music. Also the supreme lack of production quality and terrible sound quality on this video reinforce that you really shouldn't be reviewing music.
Alright Graeme keep your socks on man