Pretty Hate Machine
Nine Inch Nails
1989
I think it's pretty obvious what I'm going to do. And why. But just in case it isn't obvious, I'll spell it out. That and because I want to fill up space. To commemorate the return of Nine Inch Nails to touring and the personal anticipation of potentially seeing them live again, I'm going to review their discography. Or at the very least just the main albums. If I were to cover all the Halos and Seeds, and even bootlegs, it'd take me way longer than it'll take me to thoroughly listen to the main albums and then write a review. Not to mention that it'd get very repetitive and maybe even nitpicky. But for the sake of brevity and to keep things from getting stagnant, main albums. The first one being Pretty Hate Machine though my first exposure to Nine Inch Nails was through Johnny Cash. You know how. This was probably the same way it was for most people. But after that, my exposure to NIN came from riding in a car with a friend who was playing a CD mix featuring random tracks from various Nine Inch Nails albums, mostly from The Downward Spiral (which I'll write about later). I asked him who this was because "Hurt" sounded so familiar yet unknown but still mystifying. "It's Nine Inch Nails, dude!" he said, his voice marked with glee. That night he gave me their discography and this is where my review starts.
What can be said about Pretty Hate Machine that hasn't been said already by just about everyone at this point? As the first album by Nine Inch Nails, it is definitely a very strong start and indicator of things to come. Things that I (and fans) would come to know, appreciate, and even love. Visceral, fierce, aggressive, bold are just some of the words that begin to scratch the surface of what makes this album so great. Or what I find to be great. At the time of my first listen, I was instantly captivated by the first track ("Head Like a Hole") and found myself playing that song over and over before proceeding to the rest of the album. The same process went on for the entire album. I guess you could say I got obsessed with this album at some point. Still kind of am to this day because it hit me at point during which I was still growing up and developing and slowly being on my way to the person I will eventually be. Which is probably someone who is angry, or at the very least passionate about something.
The music of Pretty Hate Machine (and Nine Inch Nails in general) has become what many people knew/know/now know/associate/think of when the term industrial (music-wise, obviously) is used. Even though Reznor is less blatantly repetitive than other industrial acts of the time, he does manage to grab and keep your attention through catchy though bleak music more than just raw sounds. If that makes any sort of sense. The fact that the Nine Inch Nails sound has come to define (for some people) or at the very least lend a fresh/different perspective on a particular genre should be noted. It might not have changed the whole genre single-handedly but it definitely made a mark.
It should also be noted that the music and lyrics have this undercurrent of anger, among other things. The fact that there's a lot of anger in this album is one of the reasons I found it so captivating the first time I listened to it and again upon subsequent listens. The lyrics can reach parts of us that we thought didn't exist, were buried, or are at the surface. Angry anthems like the previously-mentioned "Head Like a Hole" and "Terrible Lie", the snarling balladry of "Something I Can Never Have" and "Sanctified", something seething and danceable like "Sin" and "Down in It" dripping with a synth sound that came to be a trademark of sorts for Reznor's body of work. All these things that stand out from other industrial albums of the time only help make this review stumble over itself as it tries to communicate just how good Pretty Hate Machine is.
Reznor single-handedly paints a masterpiece of anger so well and so eloquently through ruinous melodies, savage poetry, and raw emotion. So well in fact that this album can be played at almost any time, regardless of what time you are in your life: angsty 16 year old, 27 year old with a wife and child, 50 year old math teacher, etc. And what you're doing: growing up, winding down, fighting, thinking, chillin', dancing, fucking, or just writing a fawning review of an album that you really like.
10/10
The music of Pretty Hate Machine (and Nine Inch Nails in general) has become what many people knew/know/now know/associate/think of when the term industrial (music-wise, obviously) is used. Even though Reznor is less blatantly repetitive than other industrial acts of the time, he does manage to grab and keep your attention through catchy though bleak music more than just raw sounds. If that makes any sort of sense. The fact that the Nine Inch Nails sound has come to define (for some people) or at the very least lend a fresh/different perspective on a particular genre should be noted. It might not have changed the whole genre single-handedly but it definitely made a mark.
It should also be noted that the music and lyrics have this undercurrent of anger, among other things. The fact that there's a lot of anger in this album is one of the reasons I found it so captivating the first time I listened to it and again upon subsequent listens. The lyrics can reach parts of us that we thought didn't exist, were buried, or are at the surface. Angry anthems like the previously-mentioned "Head Like a Hole" and "Terrible Lie", the snarling balladry of "Something I Can Never Have" and "Sanctified", something seething and danceable like "Sin" and "Down in It" dripping with a synth sound that came to be a trademark of sorts for Reznor's body of work. All these things that stand out from other industrial albums of the time only help make this review stumble over itself as it tries to communicate just how good Pretty Hate Machine is.
Reznor single-handedly paints a masterpiece of anger so well and so eloquently through ruinous melodies, savage poetry, and raw emotion. So well in fact that this album can be played at almost any time, regardless of what time you are in your life: angsty 16 year old, 27 year old with a wife and child, 50 year old math teacher, etc. And what you're doing: growing up, winding down, fighting, thinking, chillin', dancing, fucking, or just writing a fawning review of an album that you really like.
10/10
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