Dissecting the Spiral
A lot of people seem to bash a review titled "A Kid's Review," so I'm going to start off by saying that I am 14 years old, not 13 or under, and I don't consider myself an expert on Nine Inch Nails or on music in general. I just like putting my opinion out there to help people make informed decisions about the music they buy.
Now, I think it's generally pointless to pigeonhole an album as "the best album ever." It does a disservice to all the other great albums out there, just as it seriously narrows your or anyone's taste in music. On a similar note, an album doesn't have to be totally obscure for you to like it. Don't tell me this is pop. Sure, it has elements of a pop-like structure, but just because other people actually know about an album and like it doesn't make it mainstream.
So now we're at The Downward Spiral. What Trent has here is a fairly depressing, not-so-easy listening mix of techno beats, synth, static, sound effects, loud guitars, screaming, whispering, occasional singing, and a bunch of melodic hooks. No, it's not metal, and I never said it was. It doesn't easily fit into a genre, but it's not genre-shattering. It's just a snakier, more sinister, depressing version of what Trent was already doing. The lyrics supposedly depict one man's descent into insanity, which is more or less suitable. The lyrics are not earth-shattering, but those who say they're inane are missing the point. Big Man With A Gun is satirical, Closer is desperate, Heresy depicts religious fanatics, not religion. This is an album meant to show, not to tell. It describes, it doesn't instruct. Don't take it to heart. If anything, it says what not to do if you wish to remain sane and alive in today's society.
If nothing else, Trent Reznor is a master of texture. If, perhaps, you're turned off by Closer's chorus (which you shouldn't be, for reasons I've already explained), then listen carefully to the final two-and-a-half minutes of the song. When a hook comes in that you really like, focus on it, and be amazed as the other hooks and beats surrounding you complement and enhance it. Switch focus to the piano melody, and I'm sure you'll be pleased to find that this crazy layering effect applies to everything in the song. Do the same to the exploding March Of The Pigs and suddenly it seems more melodic, rather than Reznor merely screaming "I wanna f*** it up!" and such as you may have thought at first. The piano coda stands out more, and the synth line is melodically interesting.
All of the above said (and I know it was long, but hopefully it was helpful), The Downward Spiral isn't for everyone (at times, myself included). If nothing else, buy Closer and listen to it in the manner that I suggested, and you might find something you like. If you like it enough, buy the whole thing and let it sink in. But let it sink in multiple times so you can actually appreciate what Reznor has done here, instead of dismissing it as "mainstream," or the opposite extreme, "just noise."
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ignore the nay-sayers
First of all, owning all the throbbing gristle, coil, skinny puppy, laibach, wumpscut, or whatever other " real" industrial LPs doesn't make you some kind of expert on music.
downward spiral is highly overrated by the mainstream music critics but at the same time it is highly underrated by people who's main mission in life is to only listen to underground music and to constantly talk about how mainstream music will never be as good.
All the bands listed above are great. That doesn't make nine inch nails bad. Saying that there is no musical talent on this album is absurd. in fact pretty hate machine to the fragile are all really good albums
i'm not going to bother going into detail on this album because there are six hundred other reviews to do that for you.
its a good album. regardless of whether or not you usually listen to silver mt. zion on vinyl with all your snobby friends. Its possible to like underground music and also be able to appreciate something more popular. its called listening to what you like instead of what your supposed to like in your close-minded music elitist world.
good music is good music. get over yourself
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