but not better than the famous review of the Tony Toni Tone cd that simply said "shitty shitti shittie"
May 10, 2005 5:46 PM   Subscribe

 
Is that really surpising? All NIN stuff is horrible; why should this album be any diffferent?
posted by C17H19NO3 at 5:49 PM on May 10, 2005


heh.
posted by hackly_fracture at 5:51 PM on May 10, 2005


Someone was going to miss their deadline.
posted by smackfu at 5:52 PM on May 10, 2005


I almost double-clicked on that damn thing.
posted by jonp72 at 5:53 PM on May 10, 2005 [1 favorite]


Best in terms of snark, I guess.

I think With Teeth is fantastic, myself.
posted by BoringPostcards at 5:55 PM on May 10, 2005


your favorite band sucks too. bonus points for the idea..
posted by mrg at 6:09 PM on May 10, 2005


I almost double-clicked on that damn thing.

You're not the only one, jonp72.
posted by daninnj at 6:16 PM on May 10, 2005



posted by wendell at 6:19 PM on May 10, 2005


NONSENSE! this post is great. No deleting! Bad wendell!
posted by shmegegge at 6:24 PM on May 10, 2005


Points for concision. Did this make anyone else think of "Shark Sandwich"?
posted by brain_drain at 6:31 PM on May 10, 2005


I personally love the album. But hey, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
posted by antifuse at 6:38 PM on May 10, 2005


jonp72: I almost double-clicked on that damn thing.

danninj: You're not the only one, jonp72.

You know, without windows, it just looks like spam.
posted by cytherea at 6:38 PM on May 10, 2005


I look forward to future front page posts such as "Your favorite sport team sucks!"
posted by Remy at 6:39 PM on May 10, 2005


I don't see how that review shows an opinion. I mean, maybe the guy pressed the delete key by accident. Did he actually click "Yes"? We don't know!

I DID click on wendell's dialogue. Nothing happened. Can this be fixed?
posted by mexican at 6:40 PM on May 10, 2005


I'd hit it.
posted by ori at 6:53 PM on May 10, 2005


wendell stole my idea, but I flagged it, so hey.

This is proof that people will defend literally anything. An ages-old joke made once again with a new screenshot that says nothing of any more substance than "lol album sux". This is awful.
posted by kavasa at 6:53 PM on May 10, 2005


[lol]

I like NIN, but this is funny.
posted by schyler523 at 6:56 PM on May 10, 2005


I look forward to future front page posts such as "Your favorite sport team sucks!"

Your profile lists you as being from NY, NY. You should already know that your favorite team sucks. No post necessary.

Also, that review is too nice to the new NIN.
posted by eyeballkid at 7:00 PM on May 10, 2005 [1 favorite]


Those that have listened to this album seem to have fallen into two clear parties: the "Love it" and the "Hate it" parties.

I'd like to hear from members of both parties and find out, along with which party you fall under, what you thought of Pretty Hate Machine.
posted by potuncle at 7:00 PM on May 10, 2005


I almost double-clicked on that damn thing.

double-clicking is not required in dialog boxes.
posted by quonsar at 7:02 PM on May 10, 2005


I don't love it or hate it. It's not as good as Pretty Hate Machine or The Downward Spiral--but then, I'm not a teenager anymore, so maybe it's me.
posted by josh at 7:15 PM on May 10, 2005


i'm not attracted to NIN that much anymore cuz i'm so full of angst.
posted by obeygiant at 7:21 PM on May 10, 2005


Thank you, quonsar. God, that was like a splinter in my brain.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 7:26 PM on May 10, 2005


FWIW, Raphael Saadiq's (formerly of Tony Toni Tone) 2002 album, Instant Vintage, is fan-fucking-tastic. This coming from a guy who thinks Tony Toni Tone and anything that sounds vaguely like it is shit.
posted by waldo at 7:28 PM on May 10, 2005


via waxy like a week ago.
posted by puke & cry at 7:30 PM on May 10, 2005


pretty hate machine was great. the downward spiral was as good. I still listen to those two. I have not heard the new one yet. I'm guessing I will like it.
posted by exlotuseater at 7:39 PM on May 10, 2005


Is this the Windows equivalent of dragging a CD into the Trash? I knew Windows had security holes, but can you really delete all the contents of a CD? This is serious stuff, they must issue a security update as soon as possible.
posted by kika at 8:03 PM on May 10, 2005


This is the second NIN-related MEfi post in like 2 weeks.

Trent's pretty hate machine is working overtime on mefi...
posted by AMWKE at 8:06 PM on May 10, 2005


I've been a fan since Pretty Hate Machine, but I have to say that that album alone among his hasn't aged very well. I think everything from Broken onward has been fairly timeless. With Teeth sounds to me like a continuation of the sound he had on The Fragile (which I liked, though it seems to be a divisive album among some folks) with moments that recall the Broken / Fixed era. (Especially the song "Only.") Like I said, I think it's a pretty terrific album, personally.
posted by BoringPostcards at 8:08 PM on May 10, 2005


I like Pretty Hate Machine, The Downward Spiral, With Teeth, and, hell, The Fragile, too. Do I get a cookie?
posted by kbanas at 8:09 PM on May 10, 2005


AMWKE writes " This is the second NIN-related MEfi post in like 2 weeks.

"Trent's pretty hate machine is working overtime on mefi...


Dude only releases an album every decade or so, so the posts tend to cluster a bit. ;)
posted by BoringPostcards at 8:14 PM on May 10, 2005


The Downward Spiral is a classic. Pretty Hate Machine is, well, popped up industrial. Still, in which Reznor plays unplugged versions of some of his most intense music, just underlines his songwriting craft and the strength of his deceptively simple lyrics. I didn't like The Fragile so much, though.

With Teeth is surely his second strongest album, but I only decided this recently. I liked the album well enough at first (Dave Grohl's drumming is primo), but the individual songs had to grow on me. It's definitely less in your face angst -- suicide and self-destruction are obstacles to be overcome, not temptations at hand -- and it definitely shows that Reznor's listening to what else is out there (e.g. Only is more than an homage to LCD Soundsystem).

Anyway, I'm saying if you don't like the album, give it some more time. I instantly liked Garbage's Bleed Like This, which has some catchy songs, but it's ultimately without conviction, despite the band's internal tensions. WITH_TEETH (that's the pedantic spelling, heh) has, um, more bite.
posted by dhartung at 8:19 PM on May 10, 2005


FWIW, Raphael Saadiq's (formerly of Tony Toni Tone) 2002 album, Instant Vintage, is fan-fucking-tastic. This coming from a guy who thinks Tony Toni Tone and anything that sounds vaguely like it is shit.

Have you ever given House of Music a listen? It was TTT's last album and it's pretty damn good. It's got a lot more in common with Al Green and Earth, Wind and Fire than it does with the other R&B that was coming out in the '90s. Too bad they had to break up after that album.
And thanks for the Saadiq recommendation. I'll have to pick it up.
posted by NoMich at 8:21 PM on May 10, 2005


Regardless of the quality of the album, I really hate when review sites substitute little gags like this for actualy criticism. It's a cop-out. Iif you're going to call yourself a reviewer, actually REVIEW the album. If the album sucks, surely you can find a way to pan it with actuall WORDS. This is not the first time I've come across tiny mix tapes, and overall, it seems to be a really amateur and juvenile music site.
posted by brand-gnu at 8:30 PM on May 10, 2005


Regardless of the quality of the album, I really hate when review sites substitute little gags like this for actualy criticism. It's a cop-out. Iif you're going to call yourself a reviewer, actually REVIEW the album. If the album sucks, surely you can find a way to pan it with actuall WORDS. This is not the first time I've come across tiny mix tapes, and overall, it seems to be a really amateur and juvenile music site.

Music criticism is pretty much a shitfest to begin with. Because of the subjective nature of taste in music, this sort of gag hits at the real reason we read reviews: To find agreement or disagreement with the results.
posted by angry modem at 8:32 PM on May 10, 2005


actually, I think this is the best review ever. Allmusic is just good like that.

I love(d) Pretty Hate Machine, meh on Broken, love(d) Downward Spiral, love The Fragile and it's subsequent tour with a nascent APC... I think i expected some musical and emotional growth with this one and I didn't get it. I agree with Erlewine that a lot of the lyrics are starting to sound a little ridiculous coming from a man in his 40's. The songs are hella catchy, I just don't know if I want to have such a self-pitiful chorus like "You get all the love in the world [and I (by implication) get none]" stuck in my head.
posted by trinarian at 8:34 PM on May 10, 2005


Regardless of the quality of the album, I really hate when review sites substitute little gags like this for actualy criticism. It's a cop-out. Iif you're going to call yourself a reviewer, actually REVIEW the album. If the album sucks, surely you can find a way to pan it with actuall WORDS.

As someone who reviews music, I'm in total agreement. This isn't real criticism, it's a clown pulling his pants down and mooning the reader.

Real music writing tells you what the release sounds like and lets you draw your own conclusions. Fake music journalism (e.g. this and pitchfork) tells you what you should like.
posted by AlexReynolds at 9:08 PM on May 10, 2005


I almost double-clicked on that damn thing.
double-clicking is not required in dialog boxes.

My god, I am started to think like quonsar.
posted by dg at 9:19 PM on May 10, 2005


Shouldn't the link you follow have more content than the post?
posted by DigDugDag at 9:40 PM on May 10, 2005


As someone who also reviews music, I'm in total disagreement. There are many ways to say something sucks and this critique is effective, memorable, simple, and funny.

Real music writing usually blows.
posted by tsarfan at 10:01 PM on May 10, 2005


im a pre-pretty hate machine NIN fan
posted by Satapher at 10:39 PM on May 10, 2005


I'm more grateful that Trent licenced all of Warp's catalog and released it here in the states than for anything he put out himself.
posted by afx114 at 11:08 PM on May 10, 2005


Funny. And it uses a miniscule amount of front page.
Do not delete.
Please.
posted by seanyboy at 12:39 AM on May 11, 2005


"Talking about music is like dancing about architecture."

-Steve Martin
posted by squirrel at 1:18 AM on May 11, 2005


"Talking about music is like dancing about architecture."

-Steve Martin


Elvis Costello, actually. :)
posted by soundofsuburbia at 2:14 AM on May 11, 2005


...but it's a joke. You are seriously mistaking this for criticism?
posted by nthdegx at 3:24 AM on May 11, 2005


Dude. Harsh.
posted by deusdiabolus at 3:35 AM on May 11, 2005


Somewhere out there, there's gotta be someone who needs this album. Unfortunately, it's not me or anyone I know...
(This was websnark, not a review. But it was still funny. Shit sandwich and all).
posted by klangklangston at 5:59 AM on May 11, 2005


"The Downward Spiral" is superb. I think NIN get a lot of knee-jerk abuse simply because Industrial has never really been fashionable and also because Reznor is undeniably a bit of a silly billy. But seriously, listen to that record. It as absolutely wonderful.

The new one? Haven't heard it yet, but I will.
posted by Decani at 6:34 AM on May 11, 2005


That's a perfectly valid response, especially from tinymixtapes. They're one of the few sites that seems to stick to their rating scale and actually give things low ratings.

That said, it's probably more of a 2 or 2.5. Between the bad lyrics and predictable thrashing, there are some really cool production tricks and moments of catharsis.

For anyone who's been to more than one NIN show, regularly wears a NIN t-shirt, or that girl I saw at the bookstore with a NIN logo tattooed on her neck(!), it's probably closer to a 4.5 rating.
posted by mikeh at 6:50 AM on May 11, 2005


After having time to mull it over and listen to it at full quality I have to say I enjoy it. On first hearing 'All the love' I honestly had trouble imagining this as the same person. The breakdown in that song alone puts it at another level outside of what anyone would have expected from him. Lyrically, it's still the same old garbage but the crafting in the tracks is so immense... it really reminds me of why I originally fell in love with his music. It feels infinitely more complete to me than 'The Fragile', which was entirely sterile. It's not a mind-blowing collection of tracks, but when it peaks it's as good as he's ever been.
posted by prostyle at 7:32 AM on May 11, 2005


I've had it for three weeks, and have yet to listen to the whole thing, probably because I'm too busy being gob-smacked by the new Porcupine Tree album Deadwing and my recent acquisition of The Mommyheads 1995 release, Bingam's Hole.

I am however, digging on the Garage Band version of The Hand that Feeds.
posted by Devils Rancher at 7:48 AM on May 11, 2005


With Teeth is surely his second strongest album, but I only decided this recently.

The album's only been out for about a week and a half - unless you've had an advance copy for a while or live in some kind of sped-up alternate reality...

FWIW, it's a pretty good album, not as strong as Downward but probably on par with Fragile. Looking forward to the up-coming tour.
posted by TheDonF at 7:56 AM on May 11, 2005


Ironically, the Pitchfork review (posted today), is one of their more reasonable attempts at critique, which is not at all how I expected them to approach this record.
posted by aaronetc at 8:14 AM on May 11, 2005


I quite enjoy With Teeth - especially in 5.1 surround on the DualDisc version, or in high-res DVD-Audio stereo.

Also here's my shameless plug for the remix I did of "The Hand That Feeds" using the GarageBand tracks.

The Ghost That Feeds - (Ray Parker Jr's "Ghostbusters" vs. Nine Inch Nails' "The Hand That Feeds")
posted by Zampa at 12:19 PM on May 11, 2005


That was you who did that, Zampa? Sweet. I seem to remember reading a message board post about it getting some radio airtime, too.
posted by kryptondog at 2:56 PM on May 11, 2005


AlexReynolds writes..."Real music writing tells you what the release sounds like and lets you draw your own conclusions. Fake music journalism (e.g. this and pitchfork) tells you what you should like"

While real music criticism may do that good music criticism should also give the reader context for the music under review.

I have read all the comments and many reviews because of this thread. One thing which doesn't seem to be mentioned is that 'Pretty Hate Machine' was huge explosion of sound when it came out that really had an effect in all sorts of quarters. Like 'Nevermind' the context of the release of 'Pretty Hate Machine' is really important to understanding both the piece as well as its reception. Like 'Nevermind' the release of 'Pretty Hate Machine' completely changed the landscape of the local music scene and radio where I lived at the time.

I often bemoan the sorry state of music criticism. It's one of my pet peeves. Glad to know I'm not alone in that.
posted by filchyboy at 6:33 PM on May 11, 2005


I love Pretty Hate Machine, like Broken, and think NIN has been going steadily downhill since. I don't like With Teeth much at all. It doesn't speak to me.

What I have been in love with lately: The Dividing by Android Lust.
posted by antimony at 11:19 PM on May 11, 2005


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