I got my first taste of NIN in school when one of the indie kids in my class lent me a copy of Broken and told me it was the heaviest thing that I’d ever hear. As a Napalm Death fan, I wasn’t that impressed. It was fine, but not even close to the heaviest thing I heard that day, let alone ever heard and I’m sure I was more than a little self righteous about it. Sorry Adrian.
I’m not sure when I started to listen to NIN properly but by the time The Downward Spiral came out I was really excited. The hype was building, this album was going to be something special.
My friend Niall was the first person in my year to get The Downward Spiral and he came in and said the maddest thing I’d ever heard. He said that the fast songs were good, but the slower stuff on side two was better. I was stunned. How could such a thing be possible? But, to be honest, Niall was right. It’s the slower songs that have stayed with me over the years. I fall in and out of love with what was once side one, but from side two? Just glorious walls of fuzz and noise, while still somehow being really catchy. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
The album opens hard, and even though the eye rolling angst of Mr. Self Destruct may be painfully 90’s, it still rips. I’ll never forget the first time watching THX1138 and recognising the album’s opening sample and being amazed it came from a George Lucas film. Saying that, sample spotting is an unexpected bonus to being a 90’s industrial fan and can liven up even the dullest film. (Not that THX is dull.)
Closer, the album’s big single, should have been shut down and banned from everything as a single but it will still fill a dancefloor pretty much anywhere in the world. I’ve never watched the uncut video, but I’m not sure if I need that in my life. The legend is enough.
The album really locks in for me with The Becoming. It’s a song that has always spoken to me in the worst ways. “It won’t shut up, it wants me dead and goddamn this noise inside my head” is something I’ve struggled with for far too much of my life. But as negative as this song is, I’ve always used it with gritted teeth against that voice. Plus, I’m sure that the mention of Annie in it is a Twin Peaks reference, so that’s always a plus.
I love the way that the vocal in Eraser dissolves into noise, and that screamed “Erase me!” refrain at the end of the song always gives me chills. Reptile is probably my second favourite song on the album. Filthy in the best way, it leaves you wanting to wash. A strange mix of love song and self disgust and I’m far too goth not to love a line like “Angels bleed from the tainted touch of my caress.” It’s also pretty funny that one of the main sounds sampled in the song is ED209 from Robocop powering up.
Hurt is probably one of the strongest album closers of all time, and this version will always be the best for me. Here it gives a gentle comedown musically, while still being lyrically brutal. It’s a perfect ending for one of the most intense albums of all time.
There’s literally been books written about it, but we need to take a moment to talk about just how good this album sounds. The production is perfect. There’s so much going on in these tracks and nothing gets lost in the mix. From the tiny synth accents to the disembodied screams, you can pick out every last detail. When the album goes hard, it can still rattle your teeth but you never miss any of the quiet details either.
It’s easy to forget just how big NIN were in the 90’s and how much the band’s aesthetic influenced pop culture. Reznor would go one to soundtrack films for David Lynch and Oliver Stone. A remix of Closer was used for the opening of Seven and those opening credits look like a NIN music video. It’s interesting to see that NIN have started to make a big comeback in recent years, selling out arenas and gathering up a younger fanbase again. Maybe this angst is multi generational, or maybe this is just one of the greatest albums ever recorded? It’s probably both, but I’m delighted to see Trent get a victory lap. He’s more than earned it.
https://lynkify.in/song/the-becoming/ZTgF6jYF
The ways of exile 