The 11 Best Songs By Nine Inch Nails of the 00s

This November I have book coming out based on this blog.  There will be more details to follow in the coming weeks.  Until then, I've included a direct copy of the Nine Inch Nails blurb in the book.

I have a friend who is madly in love with Trent Reznor and thinks everything he does is genius.  I think Trent has an edge but I do not think it is genius.  In my opinion, Trent Reznor's edge is that he's psychotic. The guy bought the Sharon Tate Mansion so it would inspire him to write the album, The Downward Spiral. He spent five years in a drug-induced coma so he could write the album, The Fragile. He sent hate mail to Guns N' Roses' message boards.  He worked out like an Austrian bodybuilder to pump himself up to make the album, With Teeth.  He watched hours of Fox News to mentally cripple himself so he could write the politically paranoid album, Year Zero.  He released a four-disc instrumental album, Ghosts, and gave it away for free.  He released one of his best albums in years, The Slip, and gave it away for free. Recently he ditched his day job as a singer and stepped behind the scenes to play sideman in a band with his wife.  Sometimes, being a genius and being psychotic are not too different.

  

Fun Fact:  Trent released digital samples of his songs from Year Zero for free for fans to download and remix.  The best remixes were released on their own album called The Limitless Potential.

  

Song Note (Only):  The song was influenced by the movie Fight Club, directed by David Fincher.  Coincidentally, the video for the song was also directed by David Fincher.

The 11 Best Songs By Nine Inch Nails of the 00s:

1.      And All That Could Have Been (And All That Could Have Been)

2.      Right Where It Belongs (With Teeth)

3.      Discipline (The Slip)

4.      Only (With Teeth)

5.      The Hand That Feeds (With Teeth)

6.      MeetYour Master:  The Faint Mix (Y34rz3r0r3m1x3d)

7.      Head Down (The Slip)

8.      Every Day Is Exactly The Same (With Teeth)

9.      The Beginning of the End (Year Zero)

10.  Not So Pretty (NINJA Tour Sampler)

11.  Zero Sum (Year Zero)

Buy Nine Inch Nails new album, Hesitation Marks...now!

The 11 Best Free Albums on the Internet

For the past few months, a UK-based company called...yes, believe it or not...the Web Sheriff has begun a crackdown of Music Blogger posts. You can read about this assualt in a recent LA Weekly article. So, here's my middle finger to them.

All the albums below are 100% free. Now there are tons of free albums on the web...but these album were purposely made for internet distribution and are all sanctioned by the artists themselves.


Here are The 11 Best Free Albums on the Internet (actually 13):

1. Nine Inch Nails - The Slip & Ghosts (disc 1)
2. Smashing Pumpkins - Machina 2: Friends & Enemies
3. Ben Lee - Against Me!'s New Wave
4. Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
* when asked for a $$ amount...just enter 0.00
5. Duff McKagan's Loaded - Dark Days
* technically this was made to be a physical release...but never was offiicially released.
6. R.E.M. - I.X.
7. Okkervil River - Golden Opportunities
8. Explosions in the Sky - The Rescue
9. Jay Bennett - Whatever Happened I Apologize
10. Atmosphere - Strictly Leakage
11. Stereogum's Tribute Album Series - Bjork's Post/R.E.M.'s Drive
* The Tribute to Radiohead's OK Computer is no longer avail for download but can be streamed here.

The 11 Best Albums of 2008 (Part 2)

Yes, I know there are two number 36s. Why are there two number 36s? Because I made my list of the 55 best albums of 2008...then I went out and started listening to other albums from 2008 that I hadn't heard yet. Brilliant move, right? So, after really digging the Sleepercar album (Jim Ward from Sparta's new band), I felt compelled to include it. But since I had already posted the bottom of the list, I couldn't squeeze in anything new without screwing up the numbering system. Then I realized...I run the site and make my own rules. So I can do whatever I want.

Don't forget to send me your top 20 albums of 2008 and I'll compile a master list of the 111 best albums of the year!

The 11 Best Albums of 2008 (Part 2):

34. Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple
35. We Are Scientists - Brain Trust Majesty
36. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
36. Sleepercar - West Texas
37. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (White Winter Hymnal - Daytrotter)
38. Dead Confederates - Wrecking Ball
39. The Faint - Fasciination
40. Okkervil River - The Stand Ins
41. Nine Inch Nails - The Slip
42. Cat Power - Jukebox
43. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
44. The Dirtbombs - We Have You Surrounded

Be sure to visit my Amazon Store to buy any of these great albums.

The 11 Best Nine Inch Nails Albums:

Today, I saw a car with a bumper sticker that said..."powered by God." What the hell does that mean?

Does the car run on empty prayers and Hail Marys? Seriously...that's just a stupid bumper sticker. I may not be into the whole God scene...but at least I can respect (or understand) the little fishy. You're telling the world that you believe a blonde hair/blue-eyed savior was born to Jewish parents in the middle east. I get it. I don't agree with it...but I get it. But powered by God...do the people who have this bumper sticker even get the irony?

Cars run on oil...gas...fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are made from dinosaurs. Dinosaurs are creatures that ruled the Earth millions of years ago until they all got fat and lazy and then went extinct.

Here's the paradox...according to Christianity and most religions, the Earth is only a few thousand years old...therefore negating the existence of dinosaurs...which would in turn negate the supply of fuel to their cars...that are "supposedly" powered by God.

Here are the 11 Best Nine Inch Nails Albums:

1. With Teeth
2. Broken
3. The Fragile
4. The Downward Spiral
5. Pretty Hate Machine
6. Y34rZ3r0R3M1x3d
7. Ghosts
8. Year Zero
9. And All That Could Have Been
10. Things Falling Apart
11. The Quake Soundtrack

Get Nine Inch Nails new album, The Slip....FOR FREE...no strings attached.

Go here.

The Unknown: Nine Inch Nails - Quake

I've been a terrible blogger over the past few months. Sure I had one good week, but I have about 20 lists sitting in the queue. I'm so far behind, I still have not one but two Ryan Adams lists from back in July to do. Well, this is December and it's supposed to be a month of reflection. This is supposed to be the month where we look back and rank the best albums, songs, downloads, etc. etc. Instead I have to spend the month getting caught up. Otherwise the 11 Best Axl Rose guest spots will have to wait until Chinese Democracy comes out...and that...well, we all know how long that could be.

The best of the year lists are to come...that's for sure. Including an attempt at the second annual Music Blog Awards.

I will repost the Soundgarden B-sides double album...the second of the Foo Fighters B-sides album...and of course another of the Ryan Adams B-Side collections.

Until then...here is infamous Nine Inch Nails soundtrack to the Quake video game. At the time, Quake was the highly anticipated follow-up to the incredibly popular game, Doom...which went on to be a terrible film starring the Rock. The soundtrack was never officially released, you could only get it if you bought the video game. And until now...you couldn't even hear it unless you were playing the game. Happy Hanukkah, bitches!!

A couple weeks ago, NIN released a remix CD that is a quite impressive companion to Year Zero from earlier this year...And I have to be perfectly honest, the remix Cd (Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D) kicks the original's ass. Yep...I said it...sue me.

Nine Inch Nails - Quake

1. Quake Theme
2. Intermission
3. Start ~ Whispers
4. Grisly Grotto
5. Slipgate Complex
6. Underearth
7. Castle of the Damned
8. Necropolis
9. Ziggurat Vertigo
10. Gloom Keep

The 11 Best Nine Inch Nails Songs

I've been having a discussion with a friend of mine, his name is Barry, about who could win in a fight between Henry Rollins and Trent Reznor. Now, ten years ago, when Trent was a wastoid who weighed somewhere in the double digits, Henry Rollins could blow him down with his monster breath. But in the past few years, Trent has hit the gym in a major way and put on about 100 pounds of pure muscle. So, what was once a blow-out is now easily a primetime bout. Now my friend, Barry thinks Rollins could take Trent without much effort. His argument is that Rollins is crazy. If you ever saw him in his Black Flag days then it's easy to see that the guy could fly off the handle at any moment. That's all good and true...and I know Rollins could kick my butt any day of the week and Sunday...BUT, Trent's got something that could push him over the edge. Trent's a bit psychotic. The guy bought the Tate Mansion because he felt it would inspire him to write good music. He spent 5 years in a drug induced coma so he could write the Fragile. He sends hate mail to Guns N Roses message boards. And it only takes one listen of NIN's new CD Year Zero to know that the guy isn't firing on all cylinders. In a knock-down drag-out brawl, I give it to Trent by a nose.

Buy Nin's new CD here.

Here are the 11 Best Nine Inch Nails songs:

1. We're In This Together (The Fragile)
2. Sin (Pretty Hate Machine)
3. Wish (Broken)
4. Right Where It Belongs (With Teeth)
5. Ruiner (The Downward Spiral)
6. Last (Broken)
7. Hurt (The Downward Spiral)
8. Closer (The Downward Spiral)
9. Everyday is Exactly The Same (With Teeth)
10. Please (The Fragile)
11. Only (With Teeth)

Tune in tomorrow for the 11 Best Rare NIN tracks...