Married life

Trent Reznor and wife Mariqueen Maandig, along with Atticus Ross, have formed a new band, How to Destroy Angels.

Their debut single, A Drowning, marks Reznor’s first musical release since the end of Nine Inch Nails.

Angels take their name from a 1984 single by Coil. They’re not as good as Coil, though. They’re not even as good as NIN. The lyrics aren’t a particularly strong spot, and the music… well it’s not bad. It’s very textural, like the poor cousin to NIN’s And All That Could Have Been. Around 2:30 things get interesting for a short while…

But then it just goes on… and on. And doesn’t develop in the way it seems to want to.  The song feels like it’s being held back.

Interesting enough, good for a rainy Sunday. But let’s hope their 6 track EP – coming soon – offers something with a little more bite.

NIN at the Wiltern

“Clocking in at just over three hours, packed with gnashing deep cuts and edgy singles, and featuring guest duets with the likes of Gary Numan, Mick Garson, Dave Navarro, Dillinger Escape Plan and Atticus Ross, Nine Inch Nails’ supposed final show didn’t out with a bang, but with an atomic explosion.”

Listen to the bootleg audio.

Keeping mum

After his nuptials with associated time out, and after all the talk of a hiatus and other statements committing to nothing of certainty if anything at all, Trent Reznor has begun posting semi-cryptic images on the NIN website.

Most recently, after a lot of close-ups of hardware etcetera, there was this of him at the mic.

I’m glad to see the pot is still boiling away, and my fanboy senses are keen to find out what the meal will be…

At long of the last

Quality live footage of my favourite Ghosts track (by NIN) has arisen. It’s a groovy, synth based number, and easy to clap along to, it would seem.

Live, it has a more emphasised piano line. The recorded version is a bit heavier, but I think the live version brings across the rather nice entwining of instruments and textures, steady beats, and a subtle-ish but satisfying progression (largely carried out through timbre, which is interesting enough).

This is better than you are

The ever fun and exciting and freakin’ talented Josh Freese has released this video of him with NIN, drumming his little socks off during Wish…

The Gift

I had an excellent Christmas, thank you. I got everything I asked for – most importantly some rural seclusion.

Upon my return from the relatively far-up north, I found this gift waiting for me on the internet.

A little while back NIN released a veritable shitload of raw HD Lights in the Sky concert footage and audio and said ‘go nuts’. So a bunch of dedicated fans did (the same who also put together the TDS LIVE DVD), and they have produced a professional, high quality product (available in many formats).

It includes performances of songs from every NIN album, some incredibly cool prerecorded and live playback video, and sees NIN utilising an awesome array of instruments and technology to produce their sound.

It’s free, produced under Creative Commons, and you should help spread the love.

Here’s track 28 from the epic Ghosts album. Relax:

And for some interactive drum machine visuals, here we have Echoplex:

Full track list:

1. 999, 999 – 1,000, 000
2. Letting You
3. Discipline
4. March of the Pigs
5. Head Down
6. The Frail
7. The Wretched
8. Closer
9. Gave Up
10. The Warning
11. Vessel
12. 21 Ghosts III
13. 28 Ghosts IV
14. 19 Ghosts III
15. Ghosts Piggy
16. The Greater Good
17. Pinion
18. Wish
19. Terrible Lie
20. Survivalism
21. The Big Come Down
22. 31 Ghosts IV
23. Only
24. The Hand That Feeds
25. Head Like a Hole
26. Echoplex
27. [Trent's speech]
28. The Good Soldier
29. God Given
30. Hurt
31. In This Twilight
32. [Credits]

Gifted

Not sure about what to buy me for Christmas?

It just so happens that NIN are flogging off old tour gear on eBay.

I’d prefer an instrument, or else an effects pedal or amp… but anything will do really.

W4V3 G00D8Y3

Gutted as I was to miss this show…

Some dedicated nerdy fans have compiled a video of NIN’s performance of the Downward Spiral – the first time the whole album has ever been played live – from HD footage taken at the show by other fans.

Credit also must go to Trent and the band for encouraging an open video policy at their concerts – full knowing that open source media and an eager community can only mean good things.

The only down side is the sound quality, which is better than most bootlegs I’ve heard, but obviously nowhere near soundboard quality.

Apparently NIN themselves couldn’t record this one-off landmark occasion because of exorbitant fees demanded by the venue. Other shows from their Wave Goodbye tour have been captured with high res audio and sound, and you can hear them playing Cars and Metal with Gary Numan himself on their website.

I look forward to whatever release the band puts out from this as well.

From the fan produced video, here is The Becoming…

Congratulations!

… to Mr and Mrs T-Diddy.

What a foxy pair they make!

Maybe even both my lungs!

Lucky bastards.

The entire Downward Spiral album…

I would give my left lung to see NIN play a set like that.