If Depeche Mode are to be considered the anti-heroes of 80’s and 90’s electronic music, then you could call Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails the villain. At the end of a decade full of glam and the death of disco, one man’s teeth-gritting angst was a shot heard round the world of electronic music.
Pretty Hate Machine (1989) feels like a pure sonic expression of Reznor’s aggression. The album is a pointed assault of harsh noise built on deliberate rhythms and darkly toned melody. At points, it draws from the decade in which it was conceived but contorts the ideas into something almost unrecognizably futuristic. It was born in ’89, but feels like it would reside more comfortably in the Nu-Metal centric era of the mid 2000’s.
Citing Prince as an inspiration, Reznor decided to play all the instruments himself on the recording, aside from the drums, which were programmed electronically. The album is heavily driven by purely electronic music interwoven with traditional instrumentation only, and in my opinion precisely, where necessary.
Every track starts as a simple electronic ground floor, which is built upon as the track progresses. Guitars are heard throughout the album, mostly used for emphasis in addition to the simple electronic beats and harsh, dark synth melodies. The only track that seems driven by a string instrument is “Sanctified”, which features a driving bass lick throughout that carries the rest of the surprisingly calm and quiet composition.
The album is well produced and, for the most part, mixed extremely well. A few of the sounds are quite jarring and might seem out of place, like the harsh white noise that punches in the chorus of “Sanctified,” but I can only assume that it was placed there intentionally to break up the monotony of the rest of the song. Yes, there are other songs on this album than “Sanctified.” It just became the standout for me, as I couldn’t decide if it was among my favorite or least favorite on the album.
Sonically, I think the track order flows well. It showcases everything Reznor would later come to be known for in a way that rises to cacophony and quiets to dark ambience before eventually wrapping at “Ringfinger,” which is the track on the album that not only seems to fit the decade, but also appropriately waves goodbye to the ‘80s as the album closes.
As a side note, I’d like to say that I don’t think I’ve ever heard vocals that fit quite so well with harsh electronic music as Reznor’s uniquely expressive tone does on this album.
The lyrical flow of the album, similarly, showcasing Reznor’s artistic style, is also a bit of a roller coaster. With the opening track “Head Like a Hole” sounding like a revolutionary anthem, a theme seemed to be carried into the second track “Terrible Lie.” “Down In It” seems like Reznor allows himself to goof around, in his own cynical way, before the rest of the album reads like a story about one man’s struggle with, and eventual acceptance of, a toxic attraction.
Is it good? Allow yourself to step away from sunshine and rainbows for about forty-five minutes and dive into a cynical self-indulgence that serves as an insanely appropriate precursor to the counterculture of the 90’s and decide for yourself. As for me, I’d say yes. It’s very good, and I now understand how Reznor went on to become not only a staple in rock music, but also a composer that is held in high regard among cinephiles everywhere.
Tim Blalock
Editor-in-chief
my 5 year olds’ favorite song on the album is also “Sanctified”.
yea…they were experimenting to where they wanted to be and later they hit the heavy and darker notes that put them on top!