'Hesitation Marks'
Nine Inch Nails really
need no introduction. One of the big alternative bands of the 1990's,
Trent Reznor and his cohorts popularised their visceral industrial
rock formula with classic releases such as 'Broken', 'The Downward
Spiral' and 'The Fragile'. Despite high-profile lawsuits, falling
outs and drug addiction Reznor maintained his position as one of
musics most progressive artists. Then suddenly he pulled the plug.
Reznor put the band on ice back in 2009 after a huge world tour and
set about concentrating on his post-industrial project How To Destroy
Angels, as well as penning award winning soundtracks to the films The
Social Network (2010) and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011). But
as suddenly as he pulled the plug, Reznor has resurrected the old
beast once more. But is he simply pounding the nails into a dead
horse?
Aside from the lack lustre pop-punk style of the 'Everything' single released into the run-up to the album's launch date, things have been exceedingly promising. Even though the accompanying David Lynch directed video didn't really live up to the hype, 'Came Back Haunted' distilled the essence of the band's début 'Pretty Hate Machine' into a modern package. While 'Copy Of A' harked back to the band's better club-orientated remixes.
Aside from the lack lustre pop-punk style of the 'Everything' single released into the run-up to the album's launch date, things have been exceedingly promising. Even though the accompanying David Lynch directed video didn't really live up to the hype, 'Came Back Haunted' distilled the essence of the band's début 'Pretty Hate Machine' into a modern package. While 'Copy Of A' harked back to the band's better club-orientated remixes.
Out of the first three
tracks on the album, two are lead singles and the fourth – the
sumptuously dark 'Find My Way – has also received airplay, which
may set alarm bells ringing that the album may peak way to early. But
thankfully, Reznor has a few tricks up his sleeves. 'All Time Low'
recalls 'The Fragile' era offerings such as 'Into The Void' and 'The
Big Come Down' (with a hint of the 'Prelude' from the Final Fantasy
series of computer games). 'Satellite' evokes the infectiously funky
grove of 'Capital G' from 'Year Zero'. While 'Various Methods Of
Escape' down-tempo, quiet verse and big chorus formula recalls 'With
Teeth'. The driving rhythm and bass of 'I Would For You' take notes
from 'Year Zero' and 'The Slip'. 'In Two' and 'While I'm Still Here'
take inspiration from the more upbeat moments on 'The Fragile' with a
sly nod to the recent How to Destroy Angels output and a little
saxophone for good measure.
'Hesitation Marks' is a
diverse collection of songs that form a new slant on the established
NIN formulas. There is the nice heavy electronic element of 'Year
Zero', the straight alternative rock of 'With Teeth' and the
unabashed synthpop leanings of 'Pretty Hate Machine'. Less of the
angst more thoughtfulness interspersed with melancholy.
It may not be the
ground-breaking achievement that some of his previous albums have
been, but the album thankfully lacks any sense of the hesitation of its title. Instead Reznor
has done enough to justify the hype with a reflective but
forward-looking album. Long-time fans should find plenty here to
enjoy and new fans won over on the summer festival tour should find
it pretty accessible as well.