It’s always going to be a matter for debate as to how far Trent Reznor can truly distance himself from NIN, not least because of the ebb and flow of his music which saw his body of work shift between pure electronica and seething, nihilistic industrial and back again all under the banner of NIN (even the ethereal ‘Ghosts’ set) has seemed to continue along familiar lines through How to destroy Angels and now ‘The Social network’ soundtrack which bears only the names of Trent and Atticus Ross (the duo who essentially were NIN for the’ Ghosts’ record) rather than the familiar (and already missed) NIN logo.
According to the free five-track sampler (which we are reviewing here) the overall work (a sprawling double vinyl / single CD set) will continue much where ‘Ghosts’ left off. Shifting between more upbeat, electronic music that has an almost computer game feel to it (‘pieces form the whole’ which opens the sampler) and lengthy, complex drone pieces which see Trent’s increasingly agitated backing overlaid with stabbing guitar and wailing synth to unsettling effect (‘eventually we find our way’) the two things that is abundantly clear from the sampler are that 1) this is another astonishing work that fans of Ghosts will adore and 2) this is a work that will be better heard as a whole rather than through tantalising snap shots such as these. Happily, ‘the social network’ is released through Trent’s own label, the Null corporation, and as such the prices are low ($8 for the CD edition, $20 for the Blu-ray HD version and $25 for the mouth-wateringly beautiful double vinyl plus associated shipping costs) so whichever option you go for you won’t feel like your wallet has been violated in the process!
The music continues with ‘on we march’, perhaps the most traditionally NIN-y thing here, which actually sounds as if it would belong on the beautiful and underrated second disc of ‘the fragile’ and which sees throbbing bass and piano vying for attention while a skree of electronic noise crackles over the top. Possibly best (or worst depending on how you look at it) is ‘the gentle sound of anxiety’ which is the sort of gently malevolent music which insidiously raises the hairs on the back of your neck and leaves you sweating without quite knowing what it is about the tune itself that has caused the reaction. It is here, perhaps more than anywhere else, that it becomes obvious that Trent has produced a mind-blowing soundtrack that will offer plenty to those brave enough to embrace the concept of an instrumental album that eschews blistering rage for subtle menace. Final track ‘soft trees break the fall’ offers some respite following the harrowing previous track and leaves you desperate to hear the whole thing, something that will take till mid-October but which is utterly worth the wait.
Happily this review comes with a happy ending – the five track sampler can be downloaded for free if you visit the website (with no need to pre-order if you are unconvinced) and you can see for yourself what all the fuss is about without spending a penny. While this may not be the NIN that fans are missing so much, this is a special, intelligent, subtle piece of music that will resonate with fans of Trent’s work while we wait for the next instalment of How to destroy angels.
