cherry waves

My Favourite Artists :: Trent Reznor/Nine Inch Nails

I First discovered …  Nine Inch Nails when they released Closer (Surprise surprise, right?) and although I loved the track - still do in fact - I didn’t follow up my interest, not right away anyway. It wasn’t until I heard more of Trent’s work on the The Lost Highway and Natural Born Killers soundtracks, as well as his production of Marilyn Manson’s Antichrist Superstar, that I started to really listen.

I realised I was a fan …  quite late into his career. It was the release of The Fragile - one of the few double albums I can actually say I love - that sealed the deal for me. This was back when MTV still played more music than shitty reality shows. I can still remember staying up late, getting stoned, and watching all the videos MTV tended not to show during the day. They were good days and, despite the darkness, Nine Inch Nails’ music soundtracked them.

The high point for me as a fan … would have to be when Trent, along with Atticus Ross, won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for their work on The Social Network soundtrack. It’s funny how proud we become of our favourite artists, almost as if they are a part of our extended family, right?

The low point for me as a fan … is without a doubt the time I missed out on seeing him/them live in London, despite having tickets. It would have been my 3rd time seeing them live. To cut a long story short, I’d bought tickets to see them, along with Jane’s Addiction live at The o2,  and due to a fuck up by National Rail I never made it to London. It was a very dark day.

Best tracks :: Wish, Right Where It Belongs, With Teeth, Beside You In Time, Please, We’re In This Together, Get Down Make Love, Somewhat Damaged, Closer, Home, Hurt, I Do Not Want This, 10 Miles High, In This Twilight, Not So Pretty, Terrible Lie … I could go on for a while …

Worst tracks :: I honestly don’t have any. Some of the remixes do grate on me though. 

Best album :: The Fragile. I’m also a huge fan of With Teeth.

Worst Album :: He hasn’t done anything I don’t like, but I’d probably pick Year Zero as my least favourite album if I had to put them in order. Obviously I’m not counting the remix albums before anyone starts to bitching!

I wish he’d work with … In all honesty, there isn’t anyone I want him to work with, I feel that he’s an artist that has the perfect set up as far as his art goes. 

Have they still got it? Do I really have to answer this? Although his work on both The Social Network and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is fantastic, I still yearn for another Nine Inch Nails album. The fact I still look forward to hearing what he’s got to offer shows that, for me at least, he’s still got it. This year will see the release of another How To Destroy angels record, as well as Trent going into the studio to start work on a new Nine Inch Nails record, and I’m sure there will be more soundtrack work somewhere down the line. And last but not least … maybe, just maybe, we’ll finally get to see this Year Zero TV show we’ve all been waiting for.