Nine Inch Nails: Less Than (Single)
On July 13th, Nine Inch Nails fans got the first taste of the 2nd release in what will become a trilogy of EP's. This catchy but gritty single announces itself right away with an accessible, upbeat synthetic rhythm. The chorus explodes with a wall of guitars you didn't see coming. I've always admired the magicians responsible for the sounds of Nine Inch Nails for creating noises from instruments I can't right away imagine being played. This has all of that again! All too often bands go into high end studios and record out of all the "right" equipment. Whatever is under a shiny light with a high price tag at Guitar Center gets centered in the mix to give you a very safe, comfortable song. While Nine Inch Nails is without a doubt a pop band, they always seem to grab all the "wrong" shit to make the right sounds.
The best part to me about hearing new Nine Inch Nails is that as obvious as the common thread to this band is, it's always done in a genuinely new, refreshing tone. I don't mean that to sound like the back handed compliment it most likely comes off as. While the arrangements may take a similar route- the guitars and mixes themselves always sound like they're from different worlds entirely. That's much more difficult to pull off that it may seem. It doesn't just face up to the obvious fact of making each album stand out, but it gives your ears a pleasant challenge of falling in love with the band again.
The link below will grant your eyes and ears (simultaneously) permission to experience the video to go along with the first track off the new EP. Without knowing too much yet of how the video was actually produced, it looks like a similar approach to taking HD videos of lo-fi, 8-bit type imagery, but with a bit of a twist. The lyrics are added into the acid trip type video game. Random shots of the TV reflecting in the girl's eyes break up the chaos a bit.
This new song and the last EP is a huge breath of fresh air as an old fan. I can't stress enough how important it is for an artist to full explore whatever mindset/creative head space they're in. Having said that, Hesitation Marks was such a dreadfully dull and shallow sounding album to me that I'm really glad it was a short exploration. This new material is still by all means extremely catchy, synthetic music - but the arrangements and tones seem to have been bred in a far more genuine and emotional soil.
-Novak