The Downward Spiral positioned Trent Reznor as industrial's own Phil Spector, painting detailed, layered soundscapes from a wide tonal palette. Not only did he fully integrated the crashing metal guitars of Broken, but several newfound elements -- expanded song structures, odd time signatures, shifting arrangements filled with novel sounds, tremendous textural variety -- can be traced to the influence of progressive rock. So can the painstaking attention devoted to pacing and contrast -- The Downward Spiral is full of striking sonic juxtapositions and sudden about-faces in tone, which make for a fascinating listen. More important than craft in turning Reznor into a full-fledged rock star, however, was his brooding persona. Grunge had the mainstream salivating over melodramatic angst, which had always been Reznor's stock in trade. The left-field hit "Closer" made him a postmodern shaman for the '90s, obsessed with exposing the dark side he saw behind even the most innocuous façades. In fact, his theatrics on The Downward Spiral -- all the preening self-absorption and serpentine sexuality -- seemed directly descended from Jim Morrison. Yet Reznor's nihilism often seemed like a reaction against some repressively extreme standard of purity, so the depravity he wallowed in didn't necessarily seem that depraved. That's part of the reason why, in spite of its many virtues, The Downward Spiral falls just short of being the masterpiece it wants to be. For one thing, fascination with texture occasionally dissolves the hooky songwriting that fueled Pretty Hate Machine. But more than that, Reznor's unflinching bleakness was beginning to seem like a carefully calibrated posture; his increasing musical sophistication points up the lyrical holding pattern. Having said that, the album ends on an affecting emotional peak -- "Hurt" mingles drama and introspection in a way Reznor had never quite managed before. It's evidence of depth behind the charisma that deservedly made him a star.
Met up with Katrina, her good friend Amanda, and Lizzie for VMFest yesterday at the Pilmico Race Course. The girls had spent the weekend up in Baltimore and surely have things to report from Saturday's musical outpourings, but I'll give a little recap of what we saw on Sunday. Of course the main reason for attendance was NIN. Katrina and Amanda are absolutely nuts for Trent, and I've seen the...
More >
Twitter has become a bit of a phenomenon lately here Down Under, but MOG kicks its arse, I reckon. However, a workmate did manage to post something funny this week, which I found today thanks to a friend.It's Kermit The Frog singing Hurt, by Nine Inch Nails, which is a band very much on my mind right now as I am going to see them on May 9 here in Sydney.Tell you what - they're gonna have to kic...
More >
It finally stopped snowing out here. In more important news, a friend of mine shared a bad-ass file containing an entire Nine Inch Nails set from the Reznor/David Bowie tour a while back ... Man oh man, hearing Reznor and Bowie dueting on Downward Spiral's "Reptile" is blowing my mind right now.
More >
END (Silent Poem) So I was Told once just Once just Once and never Forgot, But I wanted To Forget…Fuck…Man The Fucking Thought Just Stayed And Dam It Stayed And Stayed…But Wouldn’t Go…Why You Stick Around I asked, Fuck you He said…Your Right I got Fuckun Balls MautiCoun…So is this a Show Down Or What I asked…He said No…And Fuck You Just Wait You…be Glad To know How It Doesn’t
More >
Today my new roomate sent me the data files for Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral. It's wrapping up as I write this. It's alot different from what I'm used to, it's 90s, Industrial, and the production very thick and layered. At the same time, alot of it's fairly familiar. The synthesizers, sequencers, and drum machines owe much to Kraftwerk and early New Order, the mood, production, and ...
More >
Nine Inch Nails mastermind, Trent Reznor, recently discussed what an honour it was to be covered by the late GREAT Johnny Cash. The song Cash covered, "Hurt," was originally released on Downward Spiral in 1994, then covered by Cash in 2002. Reznor revealed it was more important to him than any industry standard and that Cash gave him the best compliment ever. Reznor told the Sun, "He said af...
More >
Met up with Katrina, her good friend Amanda, and Lizzie for VMFest yesterday at the Pilmico Race Course. The girls had spent the weekend up in Baltimore and surely have things to report from Saturday's musical outpourings, but I'll give a little recap of what we saw on Sunday. Of course the main reason for attendance was NIN. Katrina and Amanda are absolutely nuts for Trent, and I've seen the...
More >
Hell, I don't even have a song to post with it.Have a nice afternoon.
More >
Here's some NIN do Joy Division for your Sunday cover pleasure.
More >
END (Silent Poem) So I was Told once just Once just Once and never Forgot, But I wanted To Forget…Fuck…Man The Fucking Thought Just Stayed And Dam It Stayed And Stayed…But Wouldn’t Go…Why You Stick Around I asked, Fuck you He said…Your Right I got Fuckun Balls MautiCoun…So is this a Show Down Or What I asked…He said No…And Fuck You Just Wait You…be Glad To know How It Doesn’t
More >
Wow. Pretty soon I'm going to be a full-fledged Justin Timberlake fan.*_"Timberlake has chosen Reznor’s R-rated lament ["Closer"] as the warm-up music for his FutureSex/LoveSounds world tour"_*"Full Article":http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,22267409-5005368,00.html
More >
_MOG helps with homework!_Ok. So I have a Composition I essay to write. I am supposed to compare/contrast two *works of art*.I'm thinking of comparing an original song to a cover of it... I think it might be a little easier for me to write about than a painting or sculpture or something.One that I thought of is "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails versus Johnny Cash's cover. I thought that they'd have en...
More >
So I had a dream last night that an elderly woman offered me 16 tickets to a Nine Inch Nails show in Richmond, VA. Random?...quite. But then again, maybe it's a sign. I'd have plenty to give out to my fellow Moggers. I think I'll just start randomly asking old bitties if they are holding some Trent tickets for me.Here's audio of Mr. Self Destruct (which opened the show last time I saw NIN in Ri...
More >
..... well let's put it this way. I will never look at Kirk and Spock in the same light again lol!!
More >
The audio is kinda a rough cut, but it's really cool to be able to re-watch the visuals from this past tour that I was lucky enough to catch a few times. EraserRight Where it Belongs
More >
I haven't heard this song in about five years. I used to blast it out of my really crappy boombox when I was pissed off, which was quite often back in high school. It's still a fantastic song to listen to when pissed off, as is pretty much anything by Nine Inch Nails.
More >
It finally stopped snowing out here. In more important news, a friend of mine shared a bad-ass file containing an entire Nine Inch Nails set from the Reznor/David Bowie tour a while back ... Man oh man, hearing Reznor and Bowie dueting on Downward Spiral's "Reptile" is blowing my mind right now.
More >
Twitter has become a bit of a phenomenon lately here Down Under, but MOG kicks its arse, I reckon. However, a workmate did manage to post something funny this week, which I found today thanks to a friend.It's Kermit The Frog singing Hurt, by Nine Inch Nails, which is a band very much on my mind right now as I am going to see them on May 9 here in Sydney.Tell you what - they're gonna have to kic...
More >
| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Mr. Self Destruct |
|
|
| 2 Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now) |
|
|
| 3 Heresy |
|
|
| 4 March of the Pigs |
|
|
| 5 Closer |
|
|
| 6 Ruiner |
|
|
| 7 The Becoming |
|
|
| 8 I Do Not Want This |
|
|
| 9 Big Man With a Gun |
|
|
| 10 A Warm Place |
|
|
| 11 Eraser |
|
|
| 12 Reptile |
|
|
| 13 The Downward Spiral |
|
|
| 14 Hurt |
|
|
Click to purchase…
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "The Downward Spiral")
