NIN (Nine Inch Nails) The Ultimate Top Ten

Artists of all kinds can find inspiration from many sources. For myself there is one main major source that is the driving force to allow the creative juices to fully flow and help inspiration take its effect. MUSIC.

I need music to feel at ease when I paint. By specialising and developing myself as an abstract painter, music really is the key to help me kick start and maintain creativity. This blog of mine is here to simply share little insights into my abstract artist world. Or simply a brain dumping space. Take what you will from it. Here I present the most current band that has become the most played on my ipod. I love a Top Ten List and picking a mere 10 songs with there being over a hundred NIN songs is never going to be a simple task and yes, yes I know this has been done many times before and I am a sheep right now. Yet I will still present you with my personal top ten along with some random (simple) thoughts and pick my favourite lyric for each song also.

Who is NIN?

Nine Inch Nails (abbreviated as NIN, sometimes stylized as NIИ) is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction.

Now I have my wonderful girlfriend to thank for becoming an NIN fan. While we were first dating she put on the track “Closer” which is from the album The Downward Spiral via a Jukebox in a local pub. (Nowhere Inn - Plymouth) This was in fact the first time I had ever heard NIN and it was at that moment NIN grabbed my full attention. Soon after that evening I felt compelled to buy an album of theirs. After reading quite a few reviews online I eventually decided to start with the album The Fragile.

                              The Fragile is the third studio album Released on
                              September 21, 1999.



I'm pleased I did and I can honestly say from looking back through all the music I have collected so far that ultimately if I were only allowed to hold on to one album for eternity, it would be a stand off between The Fragile and a Radiohead album – the album Kid A or OK Computer maybe. Overall I think The Fragile would have to be the winner though as It comes with two discs for Christ's sake. Two glorious CD's full of pure artistic musical genius. Any way lets get on with this top ten count down.

Sanctified - Pretty Hate Machine. (10)

SEXY, VERY SEXY. I've only very recently started to love the Pretty Hate Machine album (NIN first album release) and Sanctified is the only track from PHM to be mentioned here in my top 10 I'm afraid. It was my least favourite album for years untill I finally decided to give it more of my attention. Thankfully now its being played alot recently and I simply love it. Sanctified is a very recognizable song mainly for its electronic tom-based drum beat and distinctive slap bassline, the only NIN song containing that playing technique.
Favourite lyric; "If she says come inside I'll come inside for her".



Hurt - The Downward Spiral. (9)

I admit I was never a real fan of this track at first yet through time it eventually cut deep within, with it's raw emotion and powerful lyrics. This is the last song which would normally end my night of painting and drinking in my studio. Also this song has been covered alot, Johnny Cash is one artist! 
Favourite lyric; “What have I become? my sweetest friend”.



Home - With Teeth. (8)

This was played religiously every morning just before work in the winter months while working in a Data Entry Admin job role that I hated. I was far from home and was itching to move back to my home town as soon as possible. This track healed me every morning and helped me kept going.

My favourite lyric; “I used to know who I was until you came along”.



Mr. Self Destruct - The Downward Spiral. (7)

So much energy in this one, it's insane. It is is an incredible song putting you through a roller coaster of emotions mostly in an angry tone. Need to get pumped up for something physical or anything for that matter? Then put this beast on repeat. My favourite lyric; “I am the high you can't sustain”.



Into The Void - The Fragile (Right). (6)
 
Jesus. I have recently fallen in love with this song. Was tempted to have this as number 2 or 3. An insanely catchy song yet for some the repeating lyrics may annoy you. I still love it.

The lyrics "Tried to save myself but myself keeps slipping away"

sums up the meaning of the song nicely so I wont go into anything further here.My favourite lyric; Talking to myself all the way to the station
Pictures in my head of the final destination



The Big Come Down - The Fragile (Right). (5)

It's hard to pin point what makes this song so dam good. The arrangement of the sounds are just perfect and It contains elements of chaos throughout the whole song. Its also disjointed and contains an amazing solo. I don't know why but this song seems most fitting for when I am doing the dishes. I will save the hard scrubbing for the solo part (starts at 3min 6sec)

My favourite lyric; “Smash it apart just for the fuck of it”.



The Great Below - The Fragile (Left). (4)

For me this opens up a lot of areas in my soul, especially beautiful places where I have visited abroad and certain times that brought pain also. Reminds me of a desert and just reinforces the desire and the idea that I need to travel more in my life. There's so much beauty in this song. It's truly stunning and atmospheric towards many levels of love and pain that I have so far felt.

My favourite lyric; “I will take my place in the great below”.



Right Where It Belongs - With Teeth. (3)

This song really opens up many questions on possible philosophies surround the meaning of life. And purely for that reason I award this song for being in the final 3. Questions rise such as are we trapped inside a matrix type universe? Is everything just an illusion created by our minds. The lyrics create powerful metaphors that many can relate to in different ways. The laying of the sounds and the lyrics help echo some of the finest moments in my life, and reveal themselves again to me through mysteries and questions that long to be answered.

My favourite lyric; “You keep looking but you can't find the woods, while you're hiding in the trees”.



Head Down - The Slip. (2)

This very nearly made my number one. The composition of this song with its lush emotional tones really bring out the lyrics contained within this song. They also really hit home to how I had been feeling in recent years and parts of what I feel today. In short it reminds me that I have slowly become a different person, a person which I believed I would never turn into when looking back at my older self and my current thoughts towards people and general life. I didn't think I would put on a load of weight, I didn't think I would be unemployed for a long time, I didn't think I would become a father so soon (this is a major positive thing of course) I didn't think I would become what I had/have become. I am working on my life to make the greater good in everything, and this song helps me in my current process of pushing for future achievements I seek and to gain belief in myself again.

My favourite lyric; “This is not my face, and this is not my life, and there is not a single thing here I can recognize”.

Somewhat Damaged - The Fragile (Left). (1)

Somewhat Damaged was the opening track from my first experience of placing a NIN album into my Hi-Fi system. With having no distractions around me at all, and blasting it out as loud as my speakers could handle, the drums kicked in and It made my spine tingle all over. I knew instantly I was going to love the track. I am still blown away by how great this track is and after many years is still giving me pleasure. This is the ultimate song in showing how progression can be created and delivered. The raw anger spirals and develops as we reach the epic climax of the song. This is up there in my finest music listening experiences. It simply gives me chills. Have you been let down by someone? Have you admired someone so much but they had grown to damage you in some way? Then it's no wonder I am not alone in showing my admiration to this song. A NIN masterpiece in my opinion and is worthy of being crowned number one.

My favourite lyric; “Too fucked up to care anymore”

So all in all you may disagree NIN fans, that's great. Put the gun in my mouth. Yes I did not include the song 'Closer' which actually started my love for NIN, Closer didn't make it in my top ten but it very nearly made the cut. The reason mainly is because it got over played, big time over played. NIN freaks please attack me as much as you desire with comments, I'm all ears people and please do share your very own Top Ten NIN if you feel the need too like I did. Cheers big ears.




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