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Am I The Only One Who Doesn't Like Nine Inch Nails?

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Deleted member 23850

Oct 28, 2017
8,689
Maybe it's just because I've listened to other more "underground" (as much as I hate to admit it) Industrial groups, but ever since I got The Downward Spiral years ago....it's just....not a very good album, in my opinion. Pretty Hate Machine is kind of catchy, but the angst is unbearable. The rest of his material is also mostly just meh Industrial-lite to me, nothing all that special.

Educate me, Era. Otherwise I'll just stick to my Godflesh, Front 242, Swans, Skinny Puppy, and Laibach albums.
 

Deleted member 18407

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Nine Inch Nails isn't my thing either. I like a song or two but I have a hard time sitting through a whole album.
 
HardTimesFamilyPride

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You aren't the only one. I had to deal with people shitting on me for listening to NIN for years. Ironically IIRC most of them loved Manson.

I don't think Trent ever intentionally set out to make Industrial music. He just got put in that category. I don't consider it the same thing really and I think looking at NIN's music from that frame of reference isn't a very good way to gague it.

I fucking love The Fragile and I don't think anything will change that - even when his lyrics got too melodramatic for me as I've aged he released that great instrumental version of the album that I can listen to instead.
 
Shadybiz

Shadybiz

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yeeaaaahhhh....I don't know if I'd go so far as to say that I don't like them, BUT, my tastes have changed a bit over the years. Some of the bands that I listened to when I was younger, I still listen to. Some, I do not.

...Nine Inch Nails is one that I do not really listen to anymore, and I used to listen to them a lot. I can't remember the last time I played an album, and I have none of their songs on my custom playlists.

Edit: heh, later posts in this thread remind me that I also haven't listened to Tool in years, and don't have the desire to either.
 
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PMS341

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The Fragile is the best NIN album, which was post-TDS, and Trent has grown as an artist tremendously since his early days. His best work has been his recent scores with Atticus Ross imo.

Early industrial is full of cheese (as I'm sure you know) and Pretty Hate Machine is pretty peak in that regard, but it sounds really great. But I don't think many consider that era to be the best by any means.
 
RDreamer

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NIN never really struck me as actually trying to make legit industrial music. There's some light influence there but if that's how you're approaching it then it's no wonder you don't like it.
 
teruterubozu

teruterubozu

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Pretty Hate Machine is Trent's best all around album. After that his work is spotty and even the good songs are kinda samey.
 
Transistor

Transistor

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Any time someone asks the question "am I the only one..." the answer is "no".

Except now. Yes you are.

Nah, I've met lots who don't like Trent Reznor. It's just not for everyone
 
OP
OP

Deleted member 23850

Oct 28, 2017
8,689
RDreamer said:
NIN never really struck me as actually trying to make legit industrial music. There's some light influence there but if that's how you're approaching it then it's no wonder you don't like it.
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I can think of many borderline bands that I like that take influences from far more extreme, a little less approachable forms, but also blend many other genres. You make a good point, but even that....not really a big fan.
 
Lys Skygge

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I'm not a big fan of anything pre-Fragile. But I love everything post-Fragile. I feel like Trents moved on from his industrial-lite roots.
 
Stranger Things

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i like the new "bad witch" album

but really anything beyond "pretty hate machine" and "downward spiral" is hugely over-rated simply because it's attached to the name TRENT REZNOR (but at the same time, MANY of his projects have gone completely unnoticed by fans and major publicists, because they're very lowkey on production and advertising/promotion)

growing up i always had a good 3-5 NIN songs that i'd listen to all the time, but i could never listen to the full albums in their entirety. very much a mixed bag, with the hit singles being, well, the best parts.
 
Quample

Quample

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Dec 23, 2017
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NIN is hit or miss. Trent can be brilliant one second and pretty much trash the next, imo. He has some super underrated nuggets that he doesn't get much credit for, though. For example Year Zero was an excellent album and nobody seems to remember it.

Also, sometimes Trent hangs too much on some progressions which makes a lot of his stuff sound similar.
 

Sampson

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Nov 17, 2017
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Broken and The Fragile are the best.

NIN puts on a great live show. One of the best I've ever seen and I've been to like 150 rock concerts.
 
PROh1bited

PROh1bited

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Not everyone can like something, we all have our personal tastes and opinions.

I could make a thread about me being the only one that doesn't like Kanye or some other current big name.

Don't force yourself to like something.
 
RedStep

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I would say that it's fine not to like one thing or another, but it's kind of silly to dismiss all of his output (under NIN, HTDA, Trent Reznor) because it's so varied over the years. I think anybody could find something they like in there. I'm all for artists iterating (aside from Korn, who need to go back to their first few albums) but most people get stuck in one "era" and want it to stay that way. You can listen to TDS and Add Violence and have no idea they're the same band.
 
HardTimesFamilyPride

HardTimesFamilyPride

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Quample said:
For example Year Zero was an excellent album and nobody seems to remember it.
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I remember it! Some of those beats and textures are my favs from Trent. Was part of that ARG dissecting spectrographs and shit, too. Still have (and wear) the dog tags from when a bunch of us on echoingthesound and the official NIN forums were listed on one of the web pages he put up and given case numbers and shit.

Sampson said:
NIN puts on a great live show. One of the best I've ever seen and I've been to like 150 rock concerts.
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Also this. I saw them multiple times and the atmosphere at a NIN show is hard to match.
 
AlexBasch

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Once I said I didn't really like Tool and people thought I was some sort of idiot with no refined tastes or whatever, was the moment I decided not to ever speak about music with people again.

Same thing with Nine Inch Nails.
 
OP
OP

Deleted member 23850

Oct 28, 2017
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AlexBasch said:
Once I said I didn't really like Tool and people thought I was some sort of idiot with no refined tastes or whatever, was the moment I decided not to ever speak about music with people again.

Same thing with Nine Inch Nails.
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Tool sucks.
 
Man-is-Obsolete

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Of course someone else will not like them. Lots in fact.

That said The Fragile is one of my favorite albums of all time.
 
Border

Border

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Lyrically it's pretty bad -- just mopey, rage-y music for angsty kids and the "I'm 14 and this is deep" crowd.

There's something to appreciate in the music and instrumentals though.
 
HardTimesFamilyPride

HardTimesFamilyPride

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I will also say it's hella depressing that Trent Reznor has one of those fan bases where some people legit wish he was back on drugs trying to kill himself. I'm not big on his newer work but let the man be happy ffs
 
Conciliator

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Oct 25, 2017
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The angsty "only the pain makes me feel alive, man" aesthetic doesn't always work for me, but Reznor is 100% a very talented composer and producer. There's a reason he keeps getting movie work and his soundtracks are great. And he's no theory/composition slouch either, there's a lot of unusual/twisted/inventive chord progressions and things in the later albums. So I think he's really impressive as an artist and musician but I don't really go out of my way to listen to NIN typically.

EDIT: He's also one of a kind, hard to argue that he's not in his own lane.
 
Tya

Tya

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Yes. You are the only one. And, no, you aren't starving for attention.
 
golem

golem

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I think NIN is labeled industrial because people like to label things. I dont think it comes off particularly industrial compared to Front 242 and such. PHM, Broken and TDS (edit: and The Social Network soundtrack) are all time classics imo though.



Tool is definitely one band I never "got"
 
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iliketopaint_93

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His music as a whole or his lyrics? A lot of people can't get into the angst of his lyrics, which is understandable. If that's the case he's got some instrumental work and produced other artist's albums as well and might be worth checking out.
 
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Plasticine

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Oct 25, 2017
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I love all those Industrial bands you mentioned, and then some! Cabaret Voltaire, Converter, Dive, Einstürzende Neubauten, Coil, Haus Arafna; the list could go on and on. That doesn't stop me from loving Nine Inch Nails. Trent Reznor's production and attention to detail is unparalleled. He spends so much effort on getting an exact sound and vibe from his army of keyboards, programs and instruments. Plus he writes absolutely killer hooks. Holding the fact his stuff isn't as underground as Skinny Puppy against him is kind of pointless--it's akin to saying Dissecting Table is a shitty pop band. Trent Reznor considers his music pop. He's a big Gary Numan and Prince fan, after all. He just happens to use the harder edged Industrial sounds as his canvas.
 
Kapryov

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I don't like them, but I don't not like them. Not really into the industrial genre all that much anyway.
Reznor has written some really good songs, I just don't get into it that much. Maybe it'll click one day and I'll be a super fan then.
 
m0therzer0

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I loved all of NINs output up until post Fragile. I've never been able to enjoy the newer albums. Something about the style changed in a way I couldn't appreciate unfortunately.

Also, Tools first three albums are amazing and I can't understand anyone not liking those.
 
Dan-o

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The Fragile is GOAT. I love a lot of NIN but I can respect folks who aren't into it. NIN is hardly a band to be a music snob about. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
TheBeardedOne

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No, of course not. Nine Inch Nails aren't your typical band, and it's not like they're anywhere close to the most popular out there. I mean, some people don't even like heavier music, or rock music to begin with (not that NIN aren't industrial).

They're one of my favourite bands, though. Trent is one of my favourite musicians.
 
Valkerion

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Oct 29, 2017
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I've never been a fan either. Always seemed like a ton of people were into them but I never saw the appeal personally.
 
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