Five Of Trent Reznor's Favourite Artists Of All Time
At the dawn of the industrial age, Trent Reznor had a smooth range of styles. Not for the faint of heart, Reznar has always prided himself on his melodic sensibilities on albums like The Downward Spiral and Pretty Hate Machine , and he'll do his part on any song he wants. Without a special taste, the artist does not reach this level.
Over the years, Reason has heard some of his favorite artists, from classic rock gods to the darkest pop acts in their catalog. Given the darkness of his music, his taste has always favored pop music. The last was in the 1980s, when competitors began to come into their own at the beginning of the serious age of noise or electronics.
Among his best albums, he lists several other albums that he sees as benchmarks for what he wants to do in the world of music and for improving his musical palette. While no two of the movements listed below are alike, they all share a common theme: evolution.
In each of those careers, neither of them wanted to rest on their laurels, and Reznar carried that mentality into his music. While it's easy to find a niche and stick to it, Reznar understands that music needs to go in different directions and not be completely static.
Rose Floyd
Reznar always brings a certain sense of loneliness to his songs. During the Nine Inch Nails era, his presence was always external and had nothing to do with anyone. His life experience may not be easy to understand, but Roger Waters knows it well.
Growing up in Pennsylvania, Reznar turned to Pink Floyd and credits The Wall as the foundation of his musical development, telling NME: “I've never heard music so pure and soulful. It was a real turning point for me. I've heard it a million times.'
Far from the first concept album, Waters' vision helped open Reznor's eyes to what could be done outside of traditional pop rock. Although it takes things on a more violent side, "Downward Spiral" could be an answer to The Wall's loneliness, reflecting on the times when Reznar let himself go too far.
a thin child
When Reznar was cutting his teeth, the music scene looked very different from when he was growing up. After moving to Cleveland to become a part of the industrial music scene, he mixed with some titans of the genre, including Flitter's Richard Patrick, formerly of NIN. Midway through his career, Reznar developed a special relationship with Skinny Puppy.
Born from the same sound of techno, Reasoner resonated with Skinny Poppy's chaotic sensibility. Asked about the glory days of the show, he said: "I experienced music on many levels - I loved the sound, I loved the process, I loved the message. Something that seemed new at the time," he said. I have never heard anything like it. It was as strong as steel, with no metal that I could find or insert.'
Reznar admitted he likes Skinny Poppy's music too much, calling Pretty Hate Machine's "Down In It" a blatant "Dig It" knockoff. Skinny puppies may leave their mark, but there's only one man quite like Trent Reznor.
hurry up
Even in the world of progressive music, Rush often falls into his own world. Neil Peart's lyrics have always held a special meaning for many mainstream musicians, even if they are a bit difficult to listen to. While some diehards look back on the band's synthesizer era, Reznar has found his true calling.
In the documentary Rush: Beyond the Light Stage, Reznar credits Rush for giving him the opportunity to get to know keyboards better on albums like Signal , saying, “I came out of keyboards. You always feel left out because the keyboards weren't that great. The way they mixed Rush and synths was really interesting to me. The guitarist was perfect for the role.
More than anything else, the mainstream media's stereotypes of Rush greatly influenced how Reznar later viewed the rock and roll corporation. Labels are trying to find the next trendy thing, but most artists always prefer to record what's in their heart rather than what they put together on a board.
medicine
Nine Inch Nails' music has always been about the dark side of life. As Reznar makes music, he looks for another angle to express his pain in his music, a way to express his anger on tape rather than affect the world around him. It may have been a novel approach at the time, but it was a natural extension of what Robert Smith had begun in medicine.
Although Reznar never attended the ceremonies, he was on hand to give the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a standing ovation, thanking them in his induction speech, saying, "It's one of the most important aspects of riding this wave." He was listening to music. . It comes back from the dark speakers in my head and it disappears over my head.
Beyond their musical influences, Reznar and Smith have followed similar paths in the 2000s, from Smith's bitter feud with Ticketmaster to Reznor's encouragement of inspired fans to steal his music due to the exorbitant cost of CDs. As influential as The Cure were musically, their most important lesson is that fans come first.
all of you
David Bowie never did the same thing twice in his life. Throughout his discography, Bowie has been a master, going in different directions with each project and hitting each song with his laser-like creativity. For a young Trent Reznor, this thought fueled his desire to become a musician.
Speaking to Billboard, Reznar recalls how instrumental Bowie was in shaping his musical DNA, saying, “He was a part of it in a lot of ways. So I went back to the Bowie idea and thought for a minute, "FK, this is what being an artist is all about." So there was a lot of influence from distant fans in addition to music that was emotionally connected to me.
Adding to the inspiration, Reznar sprinkles parts of Bowie throughout his work, taking "Hot Spot" from Bowie's The Downward Spiral. In the late '90s, Bowie finally returned to support, doing his own version of "Heart" with Reznar crooning. Finding a hero can be difficult, but his connection to music is only strengthened when he hears "Starman" playing his tune.
