Hurt vs. Hurt

Song covers are frequently an insult to the original, but there is at least one exception.

I would generally prescribe to the idea that song covers will always be inferior to the original for very particular reasons. A cover song intrinsically suffers from inevitable comparisons to the song that inspired it. If a cover is too similar to the original it is un-creative and if it is too far from the original it loses its foundation. Additionally, a covering artist can never re-kindle the emotion or re-stage the situation that inspired the artistic impression. In short, you simply cannot be creative when covering.

There is only one example that I know of that an refute this theory. Trent Reznor's "Hurt" featured on "The Downward Spiral" and still stands as one of the most moving songs in the Nine Inch Nails back catalogue. This song was famously covered by the late Johnny Cash and as such, fans from each side have been strenuously debating about which version is 'better'. Close listening to both songs highlights many differences in tone, musical arrangement and some slight lyrical changes. These contrasts however, belie the appropriateness of the song for both artists.

The Nine Inch Nails version of this song builds quietly towards a final crashing finale. Reznor's final declaration creates a bitter-sweet moment of despair and resignation to this despair. The song has a consistently dark tone that underlines the consistent depression experienced by the writer. Rather than a conclusion, this song ends as an prelude to future artistic expression. Cash's version has a contrasting dynamic. This song builds and falls between verse and chorus, highlighting Cash's rise and fall throughout his life. His slow increase in popularity, eventual meteoric rise, drug addiction and fall are all encompassed in the arrangement of "Hurt". A conclusion is evident in this version and the resignation of the final line becomes acceptance for Cash. Amazingly, both of these versions work equally well for each artist, highlighting a singular connection between them.

Reznor put it best himself when he stated that the two are "different, but every bit as pure."

-The English Student

Nine Inch Nails: The Slip

Nine Inch Nails released their newest album, The Slip this week and once again we are given a chance to engage with Trent Reznor's wonderfully twisted mind.

This album was not released in a traditional manner. On May fifth, Reznor posted a blog entry on the Nine Inch Nails website with the message that the new album is finished and that "this one's on" him. Following a quick registration, fans are capable of downloading the entire album in various format including the high quality .OGG and .FLAC file types along with the more mainstream (but still high quality) .MP3 format. This marks a change for the band whose work has increasingly appeared online for download, but never for free.

Of course, one can naturally make the argument "you get what you pay for" and assume that this album is not being sold simply because it is not of commercial quality. However, this delusion quickly falls away upon first listening to The Slip. Reznor retains the original hard rock industrial sound that has been found on all Nine Inch Nails work and once again creates a wonderful album. From the charging dark beginning of "1,000,000" to the thrilling evil of "Head Down", Reznor gives us an album full of bleak macabre art.

Of course, this album is far from perfect. There is a drop off in quality between the two highlights of the album, "Lights in the Sky" and "Demon Seed", wherein we are given an extended instrumental track. This is not so much a bad song as a wasted opportunity. However, the main criticism that could be leveled at this, the seventh Nine Inch Nails album, is in relation to originality. Reznor has not moved far from his comfortable genre in this new work. Yet when one looks at the actual quality of this production, coupled with the maturing songwriting and vocal skills of Reznor, we quickly find that while this album is not entirely original, it is almost certainly the best example of what Nine Inch Nails are renowned for.

Overall, The Slip relies on the heavily used canvas of former Nine Inch Nails material. However, the brilliance of this particular iteration highlights the true nature of Trent Reznor - an artistic genius.

-The English Student

Evil Music

“Sweet soft and low, I will poison you all” - Joshua Homme

With the variability of music genre that we are exposed to regularly, there is one that transcends time and artist. An inescapable feeling of dread is thrust forth by musicians concerned with this style. When they record, they do so firmly within the realm of evil music.

Artists such as Josh Homme, Radiohead, Trent Reznor and The Mars Volta all engage with the darker aspects of life. Death, despair and depression become the basis for these musicians as they endeavor to create an investigation of a human nature tainted with evil.

The sharp stab of a piercingly malevolent lyric resonates with that string of malicious essence found in us all. The resonance that can ring out from the depths of one’s soul often seeps through when assaulted by these dark undercurrents of vice.

Listen to this music, enjoy and understand it, but most of all: fear it.

-The English Student