Record review: Nine Inch Nails - Not the Actual Events

Nine Inch Nails 

Not the Actual Events

Originally released 12/23/2016

Listening format: CD

**This is technically an EP, but I’m going to review it anyway.  Deal with it.**

Trent Reznor, front man and creative wizard behind Nine Inch Nails (NIN), has a way of surprising fans with new music which is exactly what he did with Not the Actual Events.  This EP dropped in fans’ laps late December 2016, unannounced after a few days of hype.  This was the first new music from NIN since 2013’s full length LP Hesitation Marks.  This is the first release after naming long time NIN contributor & collaborator Atticus Ross as a full-time member of the band.  I found this announcement odd, considering Robin Finck has pretty much been Trent’s live guitarist since 1994.  The question is, does naming Ross a full-time member even matter?  Does it affect the music or the sound of NIN? 

Supposedly the first of three EP’s to be released over a two-year period, Not the Actual Events left me very excited for more NIN upon first listen.  Let’s dive in to each track.

1 Branches/Bones

The opening track on the EP starts out with a quick, surging, programmed drum line.  Reznor’s voice drifts in “Still can make out pieces with the opening sewed shut” immediately tells me, yes, I’m in for an angry NIN track. The first verse explodes into a highly distorted vocal track with loads of distorted guitars.  Trent screams “Feels like I’ve been here before, yeah I don’t know anymore, And I don’t care anymore.”  It’s loud, it’s aggressive, it is classic NIN.  It reminds me of sounds heard on 1994’s The Downward Spiral.  Clocking in at under 2 minutes, this song does quite well as an intro.

2 Dear World,

This track opens with a slowed down voice saying “Yes, everyone seems to be asleep”.  Maybe a nod to our current society of not paying attention to anything that is happening around us.  Lots of atmospheric noises on this track; Atticus Ross at play for sure.  He paints such lovely sounds that transport the listener to a whole new world.  There are lots of blips and bloops throughout this song and a general tension that never seems to crescendo, but makes you uneasy.  Trent’s vocals shift from ear to ear, whispering lines like “And we become obsolete a frame at a time”.  It is bleak at best. Maybe a reference to a dream?  I dig it.

3 She’s Gone Away

Opening with atmosphere once again, I feel as if I’m in a deserted, foggy, dark and haunting forest.  A slow tribal drum beat comes in and cuts the tension, only to build it back up again.  The chorus is a long drawn out drone, repeating “She’s gone, she’s gone, she’s gone away” with maniacal laughing towards the end of each refrain.  Throughout each verse and chorus, more and more noises start to creep in as well, building the tension with no breaking point.  Whoever plays guitar on this one has an easy job, but the feedback filled buzz during the verses is very effective.  The layers and layers of sound that build throughout this song are awesome.  I highly recommend you sit as close to the speakers as you can or listen to this very loudly on a good pair of headphones.  There is a lot to digest.  “We keep licking while the skin turns black. Cut along the length but you can’t get the feeling back”.  Wow, what the hell does that mean?  I like to think this song is about some sort of horrible abuse that’s being done, likely mental torture, despite the directness of the lyrics.  This song could be the soundtrack to an insane asylum and I really like it.  What does that say about me?

4 The Idea of You

For the first time on this EP there are live drums with no major processing or manipulation.  Yes, 4^th song, live drums, no manipulation.  That’s NIN.  Am I surprised? Not one bit.  The first verse kicks in, nearly unintelligible whispering vocals by Reznor buried underneath a repeating buzz, likely a guitar with some keys sprinkled in.  The keys move things forward while the drums continue to surge.  All of sudden the chorus breaks in with not much warning and is loud, fast, and on a completely different beat than the verse.  Reznor chants “None of this is happening” in a bit of a round with “Wait, wake, breathe, believe”.  Back to the dream again, a bit of a call back to Dear World,.  There’s a breakdown in the track with screeches that could have been in an 80’s Nintendo game, then we are right back in the action.  The song ends with Reznor yelling “Hey! Can you hear? It gets so lonely in here”.  Is the narrator trapped in this dream? Quite possibly.

5 Burning Bright (Field on Fire)

The conclusion of Not the Actual Events starts with a dirge symphony of distorted guitar, buried keys and Reznor kicking off the action with the line “I’m going back”.  His voice sounds like it is going through a megaphone, and in the background, I swear I hear chanting, like a massive crowd of people buried in the mix.  There are unsettling guitar riffs streaming in and out of the mix during each verse.  Just total chaos.  It really sounds like a rally, a really fucked up rally of angry people taking something back.  It is really tough to make out the vocals again, but they seem to suggest some sort of dissatisfaction with something or someone. This unrest however, has fueled and reignited a feeling that the narrator has been missing.  “…oh my God I have missed you…And I am stronger now than I have ever been in my decline…burn motherfucker…like an end, like the end.”  Very dark again.  It could be the narrator finally waking up from this awful dream, realizing it wasn’t a dream at all and is now going to take action.  Hence the name of the EP, Not the Actual Events.  This last track is easily my favorite.  It is loud as hell, angry and just completely bad-ass.

Conclusion

5 songs running about 25 minutes total makes for a very short record, but there is an awful lot of meat here.  This EP has sounds that could fit on any NIN record, but especially The Downward Spiral and Year Zero.  This release is loud, aggressive and is instantly classic NIN in my opinion.  Atticus Ross has added so many layers to each song that you literally cannot keep track of the instruments being played or what on earth made a particular noise.  I really dig this release.

Song to drop

Dear World,.  I do like this track, but compared to the other 4, it lacks the power that the other songs have.  This is a pretty tough decision to make because there isn’t a bad song on this EP.

Rating

4/5 records

Record review guide

Welcome to my first official post here that isn’t an introduction!  Before I review my first record, I wanted to set some ground rules on what to expect and what I promise to deliver.

To start, I’ll introduce you all to the record, a bit of history surrounding it, maybe some facts about me, some facts about the artist, the writing process, the release method, etc.  This will get you familiar with the record before we dive into the music itself.

For the music, I’ll be doing a track by track review, some notes on what I like or dislike about each song on the album.  Sometimes it’ll be a comment on the lyrics, sometimes it’ll be about the music, maybe a general feeling I get from the song…I think you get the idea.

Next, I’ll comment on the one song I’d remove from this release if given the opportunity.  Some records I think this is going to be very easy, others will be extremely difficult.

Lastly, I’m going to rate the album on a scale of 1 to 5 “records” if you will, with half records allowed.  I’m allowing myself the half records rating because sometimes you need it.  In order to establish this rating system, I should set some guidelines so you, the reader, can maybe rate the record yourself if you’ve listened along with me.

5 records

Classic album.  Multiple listens result in uncontrolled sing-alongs.  Tough to decide on a song to drop.  Record you’ll never get sick of and gets played a lot. 

4 records

Great album.  Multiple listens result in quite a bit of singing and toe-tapping.  Deciding on a song to drop is fairly easy.  Record that you’re not sick of and still gets played quite often. 

3 records

Good album.  Multiple listens result in a few moments of car karaoke, but only for a handful of songs.  Deciding on a song to drop becomes an argument of “which of these 3 or 4 songs” would I drop.  This record gets played every now and then. 

2 records

Ok album.  Multiple listens result in finding other records to play or comments of “I forgot about this song”.  Most songs are drop worthy.  This record is rarely played all the way through. 

1 record

Poor album.  Multiple listens…will likely never happen.  Is there even a song worth keeping on here? This record never gets played all the way through.

There you go.  I guess that was sort of introduction.  My bad.  What do you think?  Anything you'd add to the review system or you'd like to hear?  Lemme know. 

First review is imminent.  Look for it in the next few days.

An Introduction

Hi there and welcome to my little corner of the Internet.  You might be asking yourself, why exactly do I find myself here.  You may be related to me, might be a close friend, distant friend, social media follower or have no idea who I am.  Well frankly that doesn’t matter.  I’m happy you found this site.  I will warn you though, I am selfish; So please allow me to explain why I’m here and starting this blog.

First of all, I need a creative outlet.  I myself am not very creative in a traditional sense.  I do not play an instrument, I don’t write music or songs, I don’t write books, screenplays or direct films and I can’t draw or paint for shit.  The only thing I do in my life today that could be considered a creative outlet is home brewing beer, but at best, that is just making soup, then putting in a few hours as a glorified janitor cleaning up and sanitizing things.  I do enjoy writing, but not stories, poetry, lyric, etc.  I find myself with a lot to say sometimes, but not a lot of folks around to listen.  I do greatly appreciate certain types of art though, two of which will be part of this blog.  The third topic isn’t really art, but some may argue it is.

How about that for a tease?  Three topics?  What is he talking about?  Allow me to elaborate.  I like to discuss things and hear other’s opinions.  What I write here is obviously the only opinion that matters (kidding).  Opinions are just that, opinions.  What I’m trying to get off the ground is a place for my musings and opinions on a few specific topics, and a place for you, my readers (friends, family, complete strangers) to discuss and share your thoughts and opinions, and maybe open my eyes to some other cool stuff.

So that brings you up to speed and into my head on why I’m doing this.  So now, what will the content consist of.  I am very passionate about three things which is what I’ll be focusing on.

Number One: Music

I listen to a ton of music.  Some of it is background noise, some is a sort of spiritual experience, some nostalgia and some I have developed a deep obsession with.  I love music thanks to my Dad.  He has a deep love for music as well.  He plays guitar, writes, performs and records his own songs, etc.  From a very early age I was exposed to lots of music.  So, one part of this blog will focus on music. This will come in the form of album reviews done in my own way.  They will be track by track reviews, with some thoughts on each song, then some final notes on the album overall, and a pick for the one song I’d drop from the record.  These reviews will mostly be for albums that have been out for a while, some classic, some not so classic.  If you have a suggestion of an album you'd like me to listen to and review, let me know.

Number Two: Films

I watch a ton of movies.  I keep a list of the constantly changing, Internet Movie Database’s Top250 films of all time, as rated by IMDB users.  I have been trying to watch every film on this list for the past 10 years or so (as of today there are only 15 I haven’t seen).  I rate every movie I watch using IMDB’s 10-star scale based on a variety of arbitrary categories like acting, cinematography and over all entertainment factor.  I am also very opinionated on what I think makes a good film and what makes a lousy film.  For this blog, I will be doing a study of some of my favorite directors work to start.  I know which director I’m choosing first, but you don’t.  Wait a few weeks, and you’ll find out.  Patience readers, patience please. This section will evolve into other "studies", maybe of genres, eras, Oscar winners, who knows, but we are starting with my favorite directors.

Number Three: Beer

This will likely be the least frequent of the three categories, but I’m obsessed with beer.  I’m not an alcoholic, which is exactly what you are thinking now, just admit it.  I find beer culture, how beer is made, the science behind it and the people making it very interesting.  Like films, I rate every new beer I try and write a quick review of it on RateBeer.  I’ve rated over 1600 beers over the course of 7 years.  I’ve tried just about every beer style (76 out of the 78 styles listed on RateBeer) out there and I’ve sampled beers brewed in 33 different countries.  I’ve taken vacations just to go to a specific brewery or area of the globe where I knew there was some great beer.  For this blog, I will not be writing beer reviews, I do that already somewhere else, and frankly, it is boring for others to read.  Instead, I’ll be writing musings on the industry, experiences I’ve had when enjoying a beverage or two, and some good old fashion hot takes on things that make me happy or piss me off in the beer world.

So that’s it.  I don’t know which topic I’ll cover in my first post yet, but expect to see that in the next week or so.  Again, I encourage discussion and I want your opinions.  Feel free to email me, tweet me, Facebook me, comment here, etc.  I’ll respond, I’ll commiserate, I’ll tell you why you are wrong (kidding) and I’ll ask for more opinions from others.

If all of this sounds shitty, and you never want to read anything else from me every again, that’s fine too.  Click here to get the hell out of here.  If you want to stick around, then welcome!  I look forward to discussing music, films & beer with you all.

Until next time.

LD