Ten years after Pretty Hate Machine gave a comatose rock scene some
much-needed electro-shock therapy, nine inch nails' imprint on
the genre remains unmatchable. By popularizing electronic music,
nine inch nails auteur Trent Reznor rewired the mainstream, inspiring
Time magazine to name him "One of the Most Influential People
in America," and Spin to praise him as "The Most Vital
Artist in Music Today."
The Grammy Award-winning artist is once again forcing the genre's growth
- and his own - by pushing both into new territory. His latest, The
Fragile (dubbed "The Decade's Most Anticipated Album" by
Alternative Press), is a 23-track, double-disc set that clocks in at
over 100 minutes of music. Reznor dedicated two solid years to make
this record, and the resulting music - bracingly resonant and rich
with pictures - reinforces his reputation as a meticulous artisan.
Says Reznor, "I wanted to try new things, fully utilizing the
studio while putting more effort into melody and structure. Instead
of trying to analyze what I was creating, I just let it flow to see
where it went. It was all about not being afraid and it felt very liberating."
Five years since his last full studio album (The Downward Spiral),
Reznor still refuses to play by the rules. On The Fragile, structures
are detonated and rebuilt; gorgeous melodies are woven into discordant
loop-laden racket, and instrumental tangents tumble from one symphonic
arrangement to the next. Remarkably, Reznor somehow blends it all to
overwhelming effect. Even more surprising is the ratio of strings (slide
guitar, violins, cellos, ukuleles, upright bass) to synths, a sound
that ultimately gives the record a more organic feel, despite being
processed by Reznor's unique filter.
"There's a general theme to the album of systems failing and things sort
of falling apart," Reznor explains. "In keeping with the idea of making
everything sound a little broken, I chose stringed instruments because they're
imperfect by nature. Although it may not sound like it, most of the album is
actually guitar - and that includes the orchestral sounds and weird melodic lines.
When it came to instruments that I didn't really know how to play - like the
ukulele or the slide guitar - we were able to get some really interesting sounds
by making the studio the main instrument."
Reznor manipulates everything from ripples of feedback to vocal harmonies
in order to serve mood and atmosphere. The result is somewhat cinematic,
creating aural movies that evoke images ranging from black and bleak
("Somewhat Damaged," "Starfuckers, Inc.," "No
You Don't") to graceful and haunting ("La Mer," "The
Great Below"). At the center of the album are clamorous pop songs
like "The Day the World Went Away" and the album's first
single "We're In This Together," both of which highlight
The Fragile's marked melodic bent.
The Fragile was produced by Reznor and engineer/mixer Alan Moulder.
As for making the album a double-disc set, Reznor says, "Once
we had crossed the line of 74 minutes on a CD, I made the decision
to go with 2 discs. It just felt better. It's kind of like Side A and
Side B of an album."
Over the course of the past decade, Trent Reznor has started his own
label (nothing records), stolen the show at both Lollapalooza and Woodstock
'94, produced/exec-produced three CDs for Marilyn Manson and soundtracks
for David Lynch ("Lost Highway") and Oliver Stone ("Natural
Born Killers"), released a slew of singles and a home video (Closure),
and created music for the CD-ROM game, "Quake." Meanwhile,
Pretty Hate Machine has gone triple-platinum, topped SoundScan's pop
catalog chart, and was named one of the "200 Albums Essential
To Any Rock Collection" (Rolling Stone).The Grammy-winning Broken
went platinum as well, while The Downward Spiral actually topped them
both, debuting at #2 on SoundScan's Top 200, and selling more than
5 million copies worldwide. The latter was also named one of Rolling
Stone's "Essential Recordings of the '90's" and one of Spin's "Greatest
Albums of the '90's."
"As a fan, I want to listen to an album, not just singles," says Reznor. "I
want something that I can sink my teeth into, something that I can listen to
a million times, trying to get more out of it with each spin. That's the record
I tried to make here. That is The Fragile."
