NINE INCH NAILS - NOT THE ACTUAL EVENTS E.P.
Right off the bat, full disclosure, I've been a fan of Nine Inch Nails from the start. I had Pretty Hate Machine on cassette, vinyl, and compact disc within the first month of it's release, and I had to purchase that album at least a half-dozen times because friends would forget to return it. I've remained a paying customor on the Trent Reznor carnival ride since, but I'd be lying if I didn't also confess that following The Fragile, I began to develop some motion sickness.With Teeth ushered a realization that I may not enjoy every track on a Nine Inch Nails album going forward. Our love affair had run out of steam, though it very much possessed all the qualities that originally brought us into one another's lives.
The Downward Spiral opened a new facet into what is the totality of a Nine Inch Nails release; those lucky enough to find the promotional vinyl were rewarded with stunning and painstakingly beautiful art and packaging. The presentation of releases, "Perfect Drug" aside, has developed with each consecutive release, and the art is as integral as the music it encompasses. Though I may be rebuffed for claiming it, for me personally, I believe the packaging and it's careful representation is as much collectible for fans as the often limited nature in which it's offered. Unfortunately, Year Zero, suffered from it... fans were so rabid to piece together a puzzle that was scattered throughout the world in forms of flash drives, hidden messages, secret images - that the presentation eclipsed the product. An otherwise solid album suffered from it's own clever design. And because I wasn't in on the game, I felt a little disconnected from my friend of so many years.
I've said all of this to preface a review of Nine Inch Nails' first E.P. (of three planned for release this year), because, yes, I am probably a little biased, but also, that I am capable of being disappointed. The E.P. was released digitally at the end of 2016, and the physical releases (in the form of a 12-Inch) are just now shipping. A lot has happened musically for Trent Reznor between 2013's Hesitation Marks and this E.P. Collaborations with Atticus Ross have scored some of the largest film releases in the past decade; Trent has become involved with Apple, and let's just ignore the fact that he is also a real person with a family and responsibilities the rest of us have, As quiet as Trent may be - he's never far from surfacing in the ocean of life's minutia. Whether it's receiving critical praise for the tours that followed Hesitation Marks in it's creativity and unique adaptation of light and structure; or it's a film score that writhes like a serpent through your subconscious, or it's a blistering performance on Twin Peaks (The Return) - the man simply isn't forgettable or yesterday's big event, he's more like a tsunami that stops for coffee.
All that said, Not The Actual Events is as strong a Nine Inch Nails release as anything else in their catalog. "The Idea Of You", incorporates piano in a cinematic fashion that transcends everything that has come before it. The track is easily as aggressive as "Burn", but Trent's vocals are muted and beg the listener to spin that volume knob just enough before the assault happens. "Branches/Bones" is a slow burn that is beautifully crafted with exceptional guitar work and layered vocals that soar and collapse you into "Dear World". Lyrically: cynicism, apathy, and self-deprecating introspection... the kind of dim horizon that only Trent Reznor can illustrate with such clarity. The synth-pop, drum-driven track compliments such dark musings perfectly, and it's the sort of fare a DJ craves to manipulate. 'She's Gone Away" and "Burning Bright (Field On Fire)" offer something new to fans. There's a raw studio element to these tracks that almost seems to emanate from a 1950's radio that's still stored away in the attic at this very moment, and the ghosts have the controls. "She's Gone Away", though unique, offers a flavor very familiar to fans, an undulating journey a la "Reptile" that creeps in an out of all your naughty thoughts. In other words, it's the perfect fit for anything and everything David Lynch. The closest relatives to "Burning Bright (Field On Fire)" emanated from The Fragile... but this family member has been disowned and spent some time stalking Dirty Beaches and Ariel Pink. There is some (intentionally) buried guitar work on the sub-surface that is so striking that I started manipulating my EQ to get a better listen, and just as your are fully in and submerged - it drops you suddenly but gingerly back into reality.
As I said, this E.P. is incredibly crafted and well worth adding to your collection. It will, along with it's two counterparts to follow, likely find a home in your Top Ten this year, and be a record you'll pull out in the years to come. It's not forgettable, or "fleeting" as Trent has suggested, it's as well done and well-crafted as anything he has done and deserves the praise.
But I'm not done! Right? We didn't touch on the packaging after so much time was spent writing about packaging! Trent Reznor has a theme running throughout this year's releases "existing in the real world" and many really didn't know what that meant. Turning quickly to Year Zero-ocd- paranoia; fans began dissecting the imagery and subtext. Whether or not there's something there to find, I don't know. I'm staying on the train but I'm not studying what's passing by the windows. This particular twelve-inch and the book that preceded it offer the same evocative imagery that delves into Nine Inch Nails as a physical art form, and presents each owner with a unique reward to make your physical component truly your own, one-of-a-kind item.
This much-anticipated, immersive experience I set myself up for was somewhat unraveled by a distribution company that didn't carry the mantle of devotion, care, and creativity that brought all of this together. They instead threw my 12-inch into a mailer without any cardboard support and what I received as a result, is one jacked-up bent-to-hell record. I've been exchanging emails with Sandbag, Ltd, but so far, I'm stuck with what I have and I'm pretty disappointed. I'm confident this is not what Trent Reznor had in mind when he decided to put out the twelve-inch for fans and take the time to make it unique. He didn't intend for my experience to incorporate a postal-worker's bad day at the office. So, Sandbag - not happy. My advice - if you can find another way to obtain your Not The Actual Events EP - then do so. At least save your email with your order number... because Paypal transaction IDs and proof of payment will get you nowhere.
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