Industrial - Nine Inch Nails

Like many, my first introduction to Industrial music of any kind was a purchase of Nine Inch Nails' "The Downward Spiral" (the Deluxe Edition just in case you wanted to know). I seem to recall being particularly overjoyed with the fact that its second disc included Trent Reznor's awe-inspiring cover of 'Dead Souls' by Joy Division - a magnificent piece of music which was first introduced to me via the 1994 film 'The Crow'. As the record was spun and spun (or should I say ripped to one or two laptops and then left in its case - the woes of our generation) I quickly found myself becoming enraptured in its gloomy atmosphere and haunting lyrics, and it was quite simply like nothing I had heard before. From that moment on I attained a strong interest in searching out other music like it, and electronic instruments in general became a top priority for me.

Much to my dismay not all other Industrial bands that I discovered beared much resemblance to that of Reznor's cathartic ambience - some of it is a tad too brutal for my taste. Other pioneers like Ministry and Skinny Puppy were pushed onto me by a friend from work, but they did prove to be a bit too "we're going to scream over the sound of fifty pounding machine drums", although the latter's album "VIVIsectVI" has some real gems on it and has started to grow on me the more times I've heard it. Nevertheless, after my initial disappointment I decided to go backwards and see exactly what Industrial had evolved from. I ended up being pointed in the direction of bands such as Killing Joke and even Joy Division, who are a couple of the key artists in the 80's who intertwined "rock'n'roll" ideology with synthesizers. At the time, I very much enjoyed what I heard.

I imagine many Industrial purists will criticise Reznor for attempting to push the scene into the mainstream, but then again I do wonder if he himself would even consider his music 'Industrial' in any sense of the word at all. As someone who likes to think of themselves as an avid music fan, all I can say is that I've found Reznor to be a brilliant songwriter; whether his songs are laced with an aura of gloomy pre-meditation or fired up with pure, adrenaline-fueled power, I find myself time and time again becoming enamoured with his musical style. Much like any other genre, elitists will claim that true Industrial is far beyond the realm of Nine Inch Nails, but after hearing bits and pieces of underground artists who consider themselves a part of the movement, I can safely say that I don't have any particular desire to listen to many other supposed cornerstones of the electronic/metal hybrid. However, I'm possibly being narrow-minded, and one day I may end up with a 'Bubonic Fist' t-shirt (I hereby copyright that name if it isn't already taken).

Our generation is a strange one, as we're often introduced to classic songs without even knowing who wrote and sang the original versions. I guess my point here is that a band like Nine Inch Nails, who were so different from anything I'd been hearing beforehand, made me do a complete musical reversal; I ended up discovering some classic bands who played a major part in the development of the electronic musical movement after purchasing 'The Downward Spiral'. Electronic music probably makes up for more than half of my most listened to songs these days. It's kind of hard to put it all into words when I talk about my penchant for the few Industrial groups I know well, so I guess I'll just leave you with this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PDZC38doDM

An Introduction;

The existence of this blog has come about for one reason only - the sole purpose is to assure my own small space of the entire internet to spew my musical thoughts, reactions and opinions of tunes that are currently feeding my ears. As of late many different albums have been making their entrance into my iTunes library; I'm currently spinning a bit of the medieval-psychedelia that is King Crimson, although just beforehand I was indulging in Big L's hip-hop debut 'Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous'. This blog is not simply a location in which I can brag about all the different styles of music I listen to, but more a place where I can speak of the various artists who've been influencing me as of late, and also what I think to be valuable attributes of certain genres.

Having re-read that it still sounds like it should be read aloud with an air of pomposity, so I'll be straight with you - I'm stoned as I write this (King Crimson probably gave that away) and the idea of making a blog based around my opinions randomly occurred to me, and from thenceforward an epic creation dawned upon humanity. That creation is now here, right before your eyes, in all its musical glory.

I hope whoever reads this blog at least sees where I'm coming from.