Trent Reznor laments during "Copy of a," the second track on Nine Inch Nails' new album "Hesitation Marks," that he had become a "copy of a copy of a copy."
Indeed, Reznor's recent project How To Destroy Angels mimicked Nine Inch Nails more than split from it-merely swapping in a female vocalist. Nearly 20 years after "The Downward Spiral," Reznor has influenced everything from the programming of Linkin Park to dubstep's overdriven bass, along with every industrial act that followed in Nails' wake.
So many bands had come to sound like Reznor that the man realized he had begun to sound like himself.
"Hesitation Marks," Nails' first LP since 2008, will trouble the fans who raise their voices to sing the obscene hook from "Closer." Who rolled with Reznor in the mud at Woodstock '94. Who vehemently boycotted Universal Music Group at his request.
"Marks" offers a soundtrack for dancing, not moshing. Don't let it fool you, NIN faithful. Despite taking some edge off of its music, Reznor hasn't made Nails any less sharp.
Sans lyrics, "Copy of a" and single "Came Back Haunted" belong on a dance floor. Layers of percussion and synth bass groove together rather than dissent (as expected from NIN). Sound disgusting, metal-heads? Add lyrics, and the songs narrate dystopian tales of cloning and mind alteration. NIN disciples Combichrist and Grendel have long performed rave-worthy metal under the aggrotech label, and now Reznor has borrowed back.
Those are the most conservative of songs on "Marks" however. "Satellite" snares the listener so well with its singalong hook and handclap rhythm that it must be considered pop, despite the Orwellian themes. A "pop" label will appall the band's fans, but is it hard to believe? "Head Like A Hole" revealed Reznor's ability to craft anthemic choruses, and "Closer" was the most effective hook of the '90s-bar none. The only thing keeping NIN from pop stardom was lyrical sadism. "Satellite" won't pop up on Top 40 radio until a Justin Bieber covers it ten years down the line, but Johnny Cash has already proven Reznor's work can sell.
Critics and fans will reject applying labels such as adult alternative ("I Would For You" and "Various Methods of Escape") or pop-punk ("Everything") because those genres sound too darn different. Those same critics have long railed against the staleness of adult alternative however. Perhaps Reznor is the genre game changer that no one expected.
Reznor wanted to be his own game changer, and he succeeded. Open minds should be thrilled with "Hesitation Marks." But, for the more conservative among you, at least give closing instrumental "Black Noise" a listen. It hints that the sunny horizon won't last long.
