Pros: Production, amazing songs, well ahead of the times...
Cons: A few not-quite-classic tracks...
The Bottom Line: While later nine inch nails albums are equally as great, Pretty Hate Machine proves that Reznor was incredibly talented from the start.
lambchops's Full Review: Pretty Hate Machine by Nine Inch Nails
As interest in specific bands and albums ebbs and flows, few modern artists remain on the tip of wagging tongues. In retrospect there have been very few musicians and bands in my life that have resonated as consistently and as perfectly as nine inch nails and auteur music man Trent Reznor. nin is unquestionably of a rare breed, sitting on the short list of timelessly talented forces like Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Eels, and few others very special to me.
Certainly nin is not an outfit for all listeners. At the mechanically grinding heart of the matter is the powerful yet strangely diminutive Reznor. Reznor, hailing from none other than Cleveland, Ohio, set the music industry on a tailspin beginning in 1989. It was then, in the midst of hair metal and crap rock, that he spliced together one of the most incredible musical masterpieces of my lifetime. Pretty Hate Machine was difficult to classify and churned with disillusionment and pain. It was, as you should now guess, the most perfect soundtrack to life that teenagers could possibly hope for.
But Pretty Hate Machine was not an immediate hit. Today, Reznor is an extremely recognizable name in rock music. He has since unleashed just two full-length albums, but also he managed a slew of live, EP, and single releases. My own growing collection contains many of these discs ranging from 1989’s Pretty Hate Machine through The Downward Spiral, The Fragile, And All That Could Have Been, Broken, Fixed, and innumerable singles. There is something very special to be said for each of Reznor’s works (as fans should be well aware), but yet my heart always wanders back to Pretty Hate Machine.
The funny thing about Reznor’s debut was that it was rather ignored upon release. Pretty Hate Machine is a wonderful example how word of mouth can make an album (and in turn artist) successful. Despite the cult status of the album, critics at the time proclaimed it to be seedy junk. Of course, this opinion did not stretch far into the 1990’s and it was soon clear that Pretty Hate Machine accomplished something great. It brought industrial rock to a level that could be accessed and appreciated by an entirely new group of listeners. Reznor managed this feat by not only slashing and piecing together electronic and industrial beats but also by writing what turned out to be extremely palatable songs.
Pretty Hate Machine is one of those special few albums that from start to finish is a masterpiece. Not one of the ten songs detracts from Reznor’s vision. His disillusionment, aggression, and bleakly obvious pain were a marked deviation from earlier industrial acts like KMFDM and Skinny Puppy in that it was clear that Reznor had a heart and a soul…his just happened to also be the blackest of pitches. His ability to synthesize rock and industrial and emotion into an entertaining package is unparalleled. And as such, Pretty Hate Machine is one of my top ten favorite albums of all time.
Everything about the release is flawless. The songs are brilliant and the production is appropriately gravelly. Pretty Hate Machine could not have been the same without the perfectly arranged tracks and Reznor’s classical music background. He has a knack for the twisted while still having the natural ability for the theatrical. Pretty Hate Machine encompassed even more so than The Downward Spiral this aptitude. But even more than the production elements, the songs are what stay with me throughout every day of my life.
I didn’t stumble upon nine inch nails in any real way until the release of 1994’s The Downward Spiral. It was at that time that I had begun to lose faith in the grunge movement and found myself grasping at musical straws. Sometimes what I dug up was wonderful (as in this case) while at other times the bands are best left anonymous. Previous to my official discovery, I had indeed been exposed to nin. I had heard Head Like A Hole and Down In It in passing, but local rock stations were not the proper outlet for such music. The industrial didn’t fit well between Poison and Damn Yankees (for an example).
And then I entered college and a whole new world of music was unleashed. I became very close with a few individuals who really, truly loved nin and soon I too became infatuated with Reznor. My first stop following The Downward Spiral? Well, Pretty Hate Machine of course! And what I found contained on the innocuous looking disc was nothing short of miraculous. It held within less than fifty minutes no fewer than six perfect songs with four more not far behind.
The titles of the songs on the album read like a short sighted greatest hits compilation: Head Like A Hole, Terrible Lie, Down In It, Sanctified, Something I Can Never Have and Sin are without question classic representations of nin. Certainly some of those tracks are more popular and certainly some are more innovative than others.
My favorite and the likely most creatively free songs here is Something I Can Never Have. The thing about industrial is that it is by nature hard and aggressive, but Reznor proves that there is more than noise and grinding to the genre with his version of a ballad. Now, when I call the track a ballad I don’t mean that it is by any means a love song—rather that simply means that it is understated and slowly paced. It is, in fact, a surprise when considering it is sandwiched between unrelenting noise. Also striking is the fact that Reznor is so human and saw raw on Something I Can Never Have. He oozes leaden passion. The track begins quietly, droning on to the sound of a simple piano. As it continues, additional elements are layered but it never becomes convoluted or thick. At the apex of the track sits Reznor’s vulnerable lyrics and vocals. And the words, well…they resonate brilliantly. Reznor proves himself to be more than a masterful yeller--he is a modern poet.
you always were the one to show me how
back then i couldn't do the things that i can do now
this thing is slowly taking me apart
grey would be the color if i had a heart
come on tell me
While Something I Can Never Have is without question the best song, there are other equally evocative tracks. It is difficult to question the importance and incredible appeal of Head Like A Hole. No album has ever, in my humblest of opinions, ever begun with such a pointed and in the end flawless song. It is, as with much of Reznor’s work, a rant against the constraints of corporate/political America. He speaks not in specifics but rather in generalities. The beats are wicked and his growl unmistakable. Head Like A Hole was awarded the most exposure of the album for good reason…it was representative of the album of the whole while not being in the least bit wimpy. Reznor yowls along side what is one of the most addictive melodies and arrangement in his entire catalogue. And you know the words, you love the words, they wake you up and night and keep you awake on long evening drives:
head like a hole
black as your soul
i'd rather die
than give you control
Continuing on there are more incredible offerings. Both Terrible Lie and Down In It hit me the same way. The former is thick and wickedly salient. Reznor wails as the song constructs and deconstructs visions. The beats are incredibly thumping and the industrial elements wind themselves around the words and the soul. Down In It on the other hand begins in a different manner first with what can only be described as industrial rap beats. Reznor soon breaks in with his own version of rap. He speaks his verse as the chorus approaches and with a distorted and muted yowl he laments his personal discord with the all of society.
There are an incredible number of memorable moments on Pretty Hate Machine. Sanctified is a rich, warm, mysterious track. With a killer bass guitar at the center of the early song, Reznor soon breaks in with an aggravated whisper. As the centerpiece of the track approaches, the stress mounts to the apparent breaking point. Reznor intended this to be the effect of the track, and it works exactly in this manner. With the whirr of mechanical samples and synthesizers the track becomes increasingly guttural and pained. It is, in all honesty, an incredible recording.
The second half of the album isn’t quite as strong. Kinda I Want To kicks the second act off with a feverish, yet not as catchy melody. It just doesn’t seem quite as cohesive as the earlier and more impressive offerings. Yet, a mediocre Reznor is better than the vastest majority of the best of today’s metal. Fortunately, Sin is another move toward the proper direction. Once again, he returns to thick and damaged production and the purposefully catchy (yes…catchy, people) lyrics. The pace of Sin is uncharacteristically quick, and in this case the combination of elements works brilliantly:
it comes down to this
your kiss
your fist
and your strain
it gets under my skin
within
take in
the extent of my sin
Wrapping up Pretty Hate Machine is a trio of rather equally decent although not by any means outstanding offerings. A faintly Asian feel to the melody to That’s What I Get is at first fascinating, but it seems to lack a place in the overall scheme of the track. It’s not a horrible song, but I just don’t feel the urgency that is apparent throughout the best five or six tracks of this overall outstanding disc. The Only Time seems for a moment to possess the influence of Flea (of Red Hot Chili Peppers). The rich and gripping bass are inviting enough, but as the track continues it is clear that Reznor’s ninth song here isn’t nearly the best.
Finally, there is the distinctly New Wave-influenced Ringfinger. Industrial isn’t generally quite this derivative of the early 1980’s movement, but in this case the song on many levels possess elements popularized much earlier and to a different audience. The synths are for much of the time light and airy. It takes a bit too long to break into the typical Reznor synths. Once that happens, the song does take off. His lyrics and production are incredible, but unfortunately the track just seems to once again lack a distinct purpose.
Even though there are a few less perfect songs on Pretty Hate Machine, the sheer perfection of more than half of the album makes for an important and necessary listening experience. Trent Reznor got it right on his debut and as such he set the stage for the pseudo-industrial movement that followed in the mid-1990’s through even today. He is a master of his own making. Reznor took a largely underground genre and made it palatable to masses of disillusioned teens (today in their mid- and late-twenties). Pretty Hate Machine was where it all began and as such any investigation into nine inch nails should begin here.
Pretty Hate Machine is a modern classic.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Track Listing:
Head Like a Hole
2. Terrible Lie
3. Down in It
4. Sanctified
5. Something I Can Never Have
6. Kinda I Want To
7. Sin
8. That's What I Get
9. The Only Time
10. Ringfinger
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