I haven't heard this album in probably 8 years. I picked it up this weekend for two bucks. It's not a spectacular, ground breaking album by any means (at the very least, Skinny Puppy was running circles around PHM years before), but I am enjoying it. Talk about a trip back!
It's funny how retro it sounds now. Almost clunky. "Down In It" is even bordering on cheese. But it's a decent lil album. Very little filler, and nice and consistent.
This album, more than any other, is what woke me up to the idea that there's other forms of music out there. From here I discovered all kinds of stuff, both local and national. Everyone seems to credit Nirvana's Nevermind with that, but for me and pretty much all my high school buds, it was PHM.
I haven't heard this album in probably 8 years. I picked it up this weekend for two bucks. It's not a spectacular, ground breaking album by any means (at the very least, Skinny Puppy was running circles around PHM years before), but I am enjoying it. Talk about a trip back!
It's funny how retro it sounds now. Almost clunky. "Down In It" is even bordering on cheese. But it's a decent lil album. Very little filler, and nice and consistent.
This album, more than any other, is what woke me up to the idea that there's other forms of music out there. From here I discovered all kinds of stuff, both local and national. Everyone seems to credit Nirvana's Nevermind with that, but for me and pretty much all my high school buds, it was PHM.
Yeah, I think you're on to something there. Even the jocks in my high school went crazy for this stuff when it came out, and that was certainly before Nevermind. I guess Trent deserves more credit than he generally gets. Of course, all the jocks in my high school were acid freaks and whatnot... not that that made them any better than your average jock, just sayin'. They might have been more "open" to the experience of NIN.
And then you can go back a couple of years earlier and think of Joshua Tree or Unforgettable Fire which also opened up the ears of plenty of people to music beyond what they knew. Joshua Tree may sound like standard rock here and now, but back then it was on the cusp of something different and in the alt rock scene. And it was a HUGE mainstream success.
Maybe Nevermind is lauded as the bringer of 'underground sound' to the masses because of the whole grunge scene that ensued and took over so much of pop culture as a phenomenon.
But also, Lalapalooza introduced a lot of alt acts to people who a year before that didn't give a crap about that type of thing. I mean, remember when Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jane's Addiction were talked about in circles of older fans as having sold out? That was 1991. It's a chicken or egg scenario. I can't remember if Lalapalooza started before Nevermind got big tho...
That avatar would be Skinny Puppy. And his title is from my favorite Skuppy song by far, "Worlock."
This is probably my least favorite NIN album, but it's the one I find myself listening to the most anyway, just because it's more accessible by far. Also, it makes a great soundtrack for futuristic racers (especially "Sin" and "Head Like a Hole").
Fixed. I haven't heard that in about 8 years either. I have, and enjoy, Broken. Anything beyond Downward Spiral I've not heard. But I thought DS pretty much blew, with a few exceptions here and there. Is recent NIN worth it?
Meh. I liked Perfect Drug when the Lost Highway ST released, but I haven't heard much "new" NIN that's as heated and angry and just plain emotional as the pre-Downard Spiral stuff. Of course, when I say Downward Spiral, that includes all of the in-freaking-credible remixes, like the Closer single and Further Down the Spiral.
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Originally Posted by Drewbacca
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Has there even been "recent" NIN? Last I heard Trent dumped doing the Doom 3 soundtrack to head back to the studio.
Earlier this month Trent was in the studio. Sounds like he took everything from the sudio home to work on.
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Originally Posted by Captain Vegetable
Meh. I liked Perfect Drug when the Lost Highway ST released, but I haven't heard much "new" NIN that's as heated and angry and just plain emotional as the pre-Downard Spiral stuff.
I guess all that hates gone now that Trent is rich and famous driving around in his Porshe. I can't agree more that there really hasn't been the true anger since "Broken" (it does make some appearences on Downward). The more current stuff sounds really bad when he tries to push it. The version of "Something I Can Never Have" on the "Still" release sounds so forced, it's terrible.
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Originally Posted by sethsez
Gah, did I say the PHM is my least favorite NIN album? That honor goes to The Fragile, which is so mediocre I keep forgetting it exists.
The Fragile is a love/hate kind of album. It's actually my favorite next to Broken ,which technically is an EP but the 2 song bonus version has enough tracks to be considered an album by me.
Loved PHM. I think it's one of those that everyone from our generation should have. For me it's tied with The Fragile because of what was done musically on the latter. PHM if I've just gotten my heart stomped in, Fragile for everything else for me.
I've never caught up on the remix discs and EPs though. Guess I should, no excuse when everything's free.
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So I forced my hands in my pockets and felt with my thumbs and gallantly handed her my very last piece of gum.
I haven't heard anyone mention Hurt. That was a favorite of mine long before Rick Rubin & Johny Cash got ahold of it.
I still like the Cash version, since he was dying and had a drug past he added a nice touch to it, but the NIN original will always be one of my favorite 90's songs.
And I'll tell ya something else, pick up the Sin single because Trent's cover of Queen's 'Get Down Make Love' is one of the better covers I've ever heard. Good stuff. And Further Down The Spiral had some really interesting stuff on it too.
trent was good at sticking little gems in random things. I think it was Head Like A Hole (Opal Mix) on some random single that was also very cool. I could be wrong on that, it's been a while.
And I'll tell ya something else, pick up the Sin single because Trent's cover of Queen's 'Get Down Make Love' is one of the better covers I've ever heard. Good stuff.
yep. one of the best things he's done after PHM. all down hill from there imo.
