Nine Inch Nails Discussion

[BonsaiK]

I never really liked them much, they always seemed to me like a more watered-down, emo version of Ministry.

really? i'm fine with people not liking NIN, but i can't see any comparison to Ministry, unless you're talking about his (Jourgensen's) crappy early stuff (With Sympathy... /shudder). i've always thought it was kinda weak to even classify Ministry as industrial or electronic, since pretty much everything Jourgensen has done since the late '80s is closer to speed-metal.

But the late 80's is the best Ministry stuff of all. Sure, "With Sympathy" (or "Work For Love" as it's called in some countries) was ass, but that was early 80s. "The Land Of Rape & Honey" and "The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste" are the best Ministry albums, and both of those are almost 100% sample-built, they're completely electronic. Even the stuff that came after that which was more guitar-based still had a very heavy reliance on electronics and industrial soundscapes.

To my ear, this:


certainly sounds a lot like the following song, but with all the rough edges removed and replaced with softer sounds and pop melodies:


...and of course that's fine if that's what people are into. It's easy to see why NIN broke through commercially in ways that Ministry never did, NIN are way more pop. However, I always had trouble accepting NIN's pop music because I had trouble accepting Trent. As my mum used to say "you won't accept the communication if you can't accept the communicator", and Trent just turned me off with his whining, I feel that in retrospect NIN was a forerunner to emo just as much as anything Ian MacKaye ever did.

 

[II2]

I never really liked them much, they always seemed to me like a more watered-down, emo version of Ministry.

really? i'm fine with people not liking NIN, but i can't see any comparison to Ministry, unless you're talking about his (Jourgensen's) crappy early stuff (With Sympathy... /shudder). i've always thought it was kinda weak to even classify Ministry as industrial or electronic, since pretty much everything Jourgensen has done since the late '80s is closer to speed-metal.

But the late 80's is the best Ministry stuff of all. Sure, "With Sympathy" (or "Work For Love" as it's called in some countries) was ass, but that was early 80s. "The Land Of Rape & Honey" and "The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste" are the best Ministry albums, and both of those are almost 100% sample-built, they're completely electronic. Even the stuff that came after that which was more guitar-based still had a very heavy reliance on electronics and industrial soundscapes.

To my ear, this:

Spoiler: comparison

certainly sounds a lot like the following song, but with all the rough edges removed and replaced with softer sounds and pop melodies:

...and of course that's fine if that's what people are into. It's easy to see why NIN broke through commercially in ways that Ministry never did, NIN are way more pop.

Anyone who's interested enough to do this probably already knows, but you can do that same trick with NIN's "Down In It" and Skinny Puppy's "Dig It".

 

[Jamboxdotcom]

But the late 80's is the best Ministry stuff of all. Sure, "With Sympathy" (or "Work For Love" as it's called in some countries) was ass, but that was early 80s. "The Land Of Rape & Honey" and "The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste" are the best Ministry albums, and both of those are almost 100% sample-built, they're completely electronic. Even the stuff that came after that which was more guitar-based still had a very heavy reliance on electronics and industrial soundscapes.

ok, i'll grant you that. i didn't think of Head Lika a Hole, 'cause frankly "PHM" was my 2nd least favorite NIN album, right behind "With Teeth". i totally agree that Ministry's best stuff was the late '80s stuff. but, while i can definitely see the industrial elements in Ministry's music (heck, the reason i got into Ministry in the first place is that i was on an "industrial" kick back in the mid-'90s) i've just always seen more speed-metal there than industrial.

 

[Longsight]

I've got most of their stuff, and saw them live on the NIN/JA / Wave Goodbye tour. I don't know what it is about NIN that keeps me coming back so much - I listen to a whole range of stuff that broadly fits the industrial label, but NIN more than anything else. There's something about Trent's willingness to hold back on noise sometimes that I find, I dunno... endearing, and frankly a little brave considering how easy it is to become abrasive rather than strictly musical. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's specifically to break through into the mainstream - for every Closer there's an atonal instrumental piece that will never get airplay, but they're the pieces that I enjoy the most.

Having said all that, I'm a sucker for the likes of Skinny Puppy and ohGr too - Nivek is a goddamn genius.

 

[keve4433]

My mom introduced me to them and I have loved them ever since, it's great stuff! Come to think of it I haven't listened to them in a while.....