a new religion

(and how they have influenced
the music of early Nine Inch Nails)

by m.c. death

Great synthesizer albums in the pop genre have been around for ages. These are the works of artists who use the electronic medium as a palette to paint their musical ideas and moods, often creating an out-of-the-ordinary and colorful sonic spectrum. The synthesizer, although first introduced in the late 1960s, didn't really catch on until the New Wave music explosion of the late '70s and early '80s. Synthesized pop works ranged from the cold, futuristic vision of Gary Numan to the relaxed, genuine cheesiness of Men Without Hats. Outside the pop domain, synthesizers also found a home in the worlds of electronic/industrial music (notably Kraftwerk and Throbbing Gristle, whose works have more or less defined the de facto "vintage industrial" sound), progressive rock (Hawkwind, Emerson Lake and Palmer), Top 40 rubbish (Olivia Newton-John, Michael Sembello, et al.), rhythm and blues (Shalamar, Kool and the Gang, et al.) and even cock-rock (as exemplified by Night Ranger and Loverboy). The venerable synth became a fixture in the music of the '80s, no matter what the genre, and that is the historical context in which the music of Nine Inch Nails, notably the compositional works of Trent Reznor, was created.

The nine works of art detailed below are (in my not-so-humble 'pinion) the pinnacles of the post-New Wave synthpop era (1980-85), in that they exhibit transcendental qualities that precede various characteristics and premises of early Trent Reznor works. These include his first official work, Pretty Hate Machine, as well as his demo versions of PHM tracks, and early songs such as "Maybe Just Once" and "Purest Feeling." These similarities can be musical, aesthetic, or subject-based, and it is highly recommended that the listener go out and freely peruse these works, most of which are still available today, to gain full understanding of the possible seeds of Pretty Hate Machine. Although the image of Eighties synthpop is severely skewed and tainted by the notions and image created by cheesy nostalgia, these are serious works that laid the foundation for the angst-heavy electronic rock prevalent in today's music scene.

These albums are listed here in no order or rank -- each work is equally important.

Talk Talk It's My Life (1984)

NIN's Pretty Hate Machine had an energetic yet despondent mood throughout its content. However, even deep inside the cathartic pain, there was still a glimmer of optimism and hope, no matter how remote. Talk Talk's second full-length album, It's My Life, had a similar outlook on their world, as expressed by hauntingly charismatic singer/writer Mark Hollis.

"Such a Shame" is the pinnacle of this ethereally addictive synth album, merging the nihilistic outcome with an unparalleled electronic texture. Creepy synth motifs, sullen distant strings, and desolate piano ostinato at the end of the piece add up to an incredible statement about Mark's world. Lest you mistake this excellent album for a one-hit wonder, the rest of the album is equally impressive. "It's My Life," the mildly well-received first single, is the album's most optimistic element, yet the cautious hope is masked by severe doubts as expressed by pessimistic lyrics and a dichotomic, lush yet suffocating sonic landscape. The creative use of wildlife sounds (seagulls, other animals) adds a cinematic texture during the instrumental (not unlike the bird-like sounds heard on "Something I Can Never Have"). "Does Caroline Know?" is an atmospheric banter, marked by Hollis' alluring croon and infectious synth grooves. "Renee" is a full-fledged synthpop dirge, with no musical or thematic exit -- it is haunting to the 23rd degree. "The Last Time" is musically the least bleak, but the apparent optimism is negated by the dark cloud that the morose lyrics supply.

Incidentally, the career of Talk Talk parallels the musical path Nine Inch Nails pursued. Talk Talk's first album was formulaic, double-depresso-with-cream synthpop, not unlike "Maybe Just Once," and subsequent albums ventured toward stark, minimalist experimentation (The Colour of Spring and Spirit of Eden). In fact, many critics referred to Eden as "the 1980s version of Pink Floyd's The Wall" -- a comparison that a certain Downward Spiral encountered after its release.

Ultravox Lament (1984)

Although some refer to Midge Ure as one half of the composing team behind the classic "Do They Know It's Christmas?," his greatest musical contributions came while fronting this seminal post-punk New Romantic outfit whose aesthetics (musical and otherwise) deeply influenced the synthpop scene of its time. Lament is the final chapter in the peak of Ultravox's long and illustrious career (their crest included Rage in Eden, Vienna, and Quartet as well). New Romantic artists used the synthesizer as the focal point of their sonic palette, and many moods and settings were generated by the likes of Ultravox, Japan, Gary Numan, and the synthpop supergroup Visage (which featured several Ultravoxers). Lament is characterized by a well-stocked sonic foundry, which is characteristic of Nine Inch Nails' Pretty Hate Machine as well.

The title track is a thing of beauty -- carefully meshing sampled percussive sounds with a barren yet lush piano sound (does that description ring a NIN-related bell, anyone?). "Heart of the Country" is a treat for your ears -- just observe the carefully crafted percussive pattern, both in its timbral richness and adept panoramic settings. Ure does some notable things with his vocal processing as well -- it's refreshing to know that one can still get some interesting texture out of a human voice without having to resort to distortion. "White China" is the gem of this album -- dramatic, Bowie-esque vocals crooned over a sonic background consisting of rich electronic percussion sounds and well-deployed synth pads and leads. Yummy. "One Small Day" and "A Friend I Call Desire" add the guitar as yet another sonic focal point, and "When the Time Comes" is an odyssey into a high-drama arena that Ure and his band (Warren Cann, Billy Currie, and Chris Cross) masterfully set up.

Unfortunately, the career of Ultravox went through a downward spiral after Lament. Very lamentable, indeed.

Howard Jones Human's Lib (1983)

As much as Pretty Hate Machine was an exploration of the darker, negative side of the human condition, it was not the first synthpop-influenced album that dealt specifically with that subject matter. Predating PHM by six years, Howard Jones painted a different picture of the human struggle with different emotional emphasis, yet in the similar vein of the synthpop idiom. Although not as diametrically opposed to the mainstream as the works of Trent Reznor (although this album elicited strong negative reactions in the music press, from the likes of Killing Joke and Matt Johnson of The The), Human's Lib is a significant piece of art that explores the inner self of the curious and sometimes tormented artist.

"Conditioning" is Howard's curt commentary on how the potential to liberate oneself is limited. "Pearl In The Shell" is a bittersweet tale of someone who has been conditioned to be helpless and weak -- someone whose survival skills have been truncated by lack of self-confidence and trust in her- or himself. The title track is a deep yearning about lusting for freedom, unbounded by the barriers of the world around us. The lyric "Sometimes I'd like to go to bed with a hundred women or men" predates Trent's declaration "I want to fuck everyone in the world" by a mere 11 years. The album's gem, "Hide and Seek," is an atmospheric leviathan, taking horrific electronic textures, the thematic sense of nothingness, and a dreary resolution, and sucking the listeners into Howard's world of the human void.

"Don't Always Look at the Rain" is another track that depicts raw human angst in an intense, melodic way. The chilling piano solo in the middle of the piece, with its jazzy, dark feel, echoes "Something I Can Never Have" in its sonic family. On the upbeat (tempo-wise) note, "Hunt the Self" and "Equality" are tracks whose rage meets or exceeds the slower, haunting HoJo songs -- in the case of these rapid pieces, the steady, thumping pulse of the rhythm reverberates the feel of songs such as "Head Like a Hole" and "Sin."

The Human League Dare (1982)

In a recent interview with Spin magazine, Trent Reznor was quoted as being more influenced by The Human League than the Sex Pistols. Coming straight from the horse's mouth, there is no doubt that a Human League album should make it on this Top Nine list of synthpop albums that may have influenced Trent's early works. Dare was the breakthrough album for this British synthpop outfit, and for many synthpop fans, it was their first encounter with The Human League (and I presume this was the first time Trent heard the band -- unless he was one of those obscure Travelogue fans or a late-blooming "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" poseur).

The core of Dare is a straightforward album done entirely with electronics (back in 1982, Oakey did shortsightedly proclaim that "the guitar is an archaic instrument" -- even though two years later, The Human League employed guitars on their Hysteria! album). The lyrical contents range from stabs at political statements ("I Am the Law," "Seconds") to insipid lust songs ("Love Action"). Many fall in between. Of course, everyone and their dog has had repeated exposures to "Don't You Want Me?," a song inspired by the musical Jesus Christ Superstar. An album notable for its simplicity and danceability more than anything else, Dare was remarkable for the fact that it grabbed the pop establishment by the cojones and proved that an all-electronic musical "group" can impact the pop culture in a large way (after Dare, it wasn't until Pretty Hate Machine that a markedly electronic album had such an impact on the music scene and legions of music fans).

Despite its bright and mainstream sounds, certain elements of Dare could be construed as being subversive upon further inspection. "Love Action" has a strong reference to atheism (or a strong disbelief of a higher being) -- something that seems so out of place in a cuddly love song. "Darkness" is pure creepiness and evil, although the sound consists of cheesed-out Casio in full effect. The album's masterpiece, "Things That Dreams Are Made Of" with its optimistic message is dichotomized by haunting minor-key textures and creepy synth pads.

Although less electronically innovative than their contemporaries O.M.D., Blancmange, et al., The Human League's breakthrough album Dare has no doubt influenced the early works of Trent Reznor. An interesting history of The Human League: their first two albums, Travelogue and Reproduction, were excursions into dark, sparse electronic textures that are more reminiscent of Coil than synthy Eurodisco. Their cover of the Righteous Brothers' classic "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" (from Reproduction) is simultaneously cold and haunting.

Around the time of Dare, several ex-Leaguers went on to form Heaven 17, which put out a few electronically pleasing albums but then faded into the banal pop-cheese mold (just like The Human League). Heaven 17's self-titled debut and their follow-up album, The Luxury Gap, are also recommended for influential listening.

Soft Cell Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret (1982)

The influence of Soft Cell is quite obvious in the works of Trent Reznor. Not only did Reznor record a cover of "Memorabilia" (a Soft Cell composition that appeared as a B-side to "Tainted Love"), but the two bands even share a song title. (Soft Cell recorded a song called "Mr. Self-Destruct" back in 1985, on their album This Last Night...In Sodom.) Add to these similarities the fact that the Soft Cell-Coil connection is strong and ubiquitous (they were both nurtured by Stevo, whose Some Bizzare label included both bands, as well as fellow synth-based subversives The The, Cabaret Voltaire, and Foetus) -- and don't forget the fact that both bands covered "Tainted Love."

Historical value aside, Soft Cell's Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret was a dark foil to its contemporary, The Human League's Dare. Both albums were released around the same time, and the Marc Almond-Dave Ball team looked at the darker, sleazier side of modern metropolitan life, instead of just alluding to the sinister (as The Human League did). Covering subjects ranging from being ordinary to dirty movies, Soft Cell took the synthpop genre by the gonads and used it as a vehicle for their subversive propaganda. It's okay to do disco and live dangerously, or so it seemed. "Seedy Films" oozes pure electronic sleaze, and "Sex Dwarf" was probably the most explicit synthpop song of its time (remember, this was 12 years before "Closer"). "Frustration" and "Chips On My Shoulder" examine the fear of transforming into blandness in the context of the postmodern, highly industrialized world. Lyrically, the topics are more broad than Reznor's world of personal pain, but then again, there are glimpses of individualized agony, such as in "Youth" and "Say Hello Wave Goodbye."

Musically, this album broke all barriers regarding synthpop. Although markedly disco-pop in its appeal, Soft Cell didn't fit the mold of same-sounding 10-track album bands (and this was even true in their later works -- nothing they recorded after Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret sounded anything like this masterpiece, for better or worse). Lots of floating analog synth textures abound here, from rapid, ringy arpeggiated sequences to lush electronic pads. The drum machine programming was also quite remarkable for its time, as it was adventurous (unlike The Human League, who opted for more traditional, dance-oriented grooves). Drum machines from hell would be an apt description.

You can collect or reject this album, but Soft Cell is an interesting byproduct and memorabilia from the early '80s synthpop era.

Duran Duran Rio (1982)

This is a selection many of you will chuckle and even sneer at. Yup, it's the British pretty-boys from the early '80s, whose legions of teenage girl fans have garnered them so much notoriety and ridicule. But just for a moment, let's take their existence out of the historical context of pop culture. Just pretend you've never seen any of their videos, read those ubiquitous Seventeen magazine articles, or had hip female friends. This is what you'd get when you put Rio on your turntable (or in your CD player, for you hi-tech kids). Listen to the album for its innovative synthpop qualities, and you too will notice the influence Rio had on the early works of Nine Inch Nails.

The prevalent use of animated, arpeggiated synth parts on songs such as "Rio," "Hold Back The Rain," and "Hungry Like The Wolf" had a great influence on synthpop lore -- listen to its derivative emulation on the early versions of "Kinda I Want To," "Ringfinger," and even "Terrible Lie." Although Reznor claims that he was a major KISS addict, the effects of landmark synthpop albums such as Rio undoubtedly caught the attention of the Tormented Synthster. Duran Duran's synthmeister Nick Rhodes evokes an incredible ambience with his synth layering and atmospheric arrangements -- those are the trademarks of early Duran music. The dreamy atmospheric pads (fluffy sounds) on "Last Chance on the Stairway" recall the same intensity Reznor utilizes in the pad sounds of "Sanctified," although the latter is used to create a synthetic soundscape of hell. Kinda like polar opposites, eh?

Considering that Rio was created in 1982 (before the advent of digital synthesizers), there are many sonic parallels between the synth sounds of Rhodes and Reznor. Rich, resonant, full-bodied synth textures permeate both albums (although Reznor utilizes sampling technology in his PHM works). From lush analog pads to sharp, staccato arpeggiator synths, the sounds are similar. Rio, for its time, was also innovative in that the electronic textures were fresh-sounding -- rather than relying exclusively on fat Moog synth leads and bright synth stabs (such as those sounds found on most late-'70s hard rock and just about all disco music), Rhodes made it fashionable (no pun intended) for synth players to evoke avant-garde elements in the sonic spectrum.

In 1982 it was hip to be "hungry like the wolf," and 12 years later, kids wanted to "fuck you like an animal." But despite the generational differences, the innovative synths are a common bond between the two albums. Incidentally, the New Romanticism of Duran Duran helped influence a certain Brit wannabe named Al Jourgensen, who created (with Ministry) the New Romantic synthpop album With Sympathy, which in turn was dubbed (by this author) as "the PHM of the early '80s." (Not just in dark, thematic elements, either -- notice the similarity of colors on the album covers.) NIN even had a release remixed by Jourgensen (Halo 4, the "Sin" single). And in 1995, Duran sampled Ministry on their latest album, Thank You. Full circle, anyone? Isn't it funny how everything works out....

Blancmange Happy Families (1982)

Probably the most underrated synthpop band of the '80s, Blancmange is a two-person group whose musical influences go beyond the couple of minor hit singles they inflicted upon the unsuspecting public. But any self-respecting synthpop connoisseur should be familiar with the works of Blancmange, and I strongly believe that Trent Reznor was aware of their existence and influence in the synthpop sphere. (After all, if Trent was hip to Wang Chung's precursor, Huang Chung, there's no reason to doubt that Blancmange was indeed an early PHM influence.)

Happy Families was the first album by the duo of Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe (the former attended college with Simon LeBon of Duran Duran, by the way), and it combined lush melodic appeal with left-of-center synth textures in a pop setting. Kinda sounds like early PHM stuff, eh? Indeed, this synthpop band was quite subversive for its time, managing to insinuate a dark sense of gloom into a pop structure. Not as blatant as New Order, this band still was subversive enough to merit an appearance on Stevo's Some Bizzare compilation in the early '80s (which also featured Soft Cell, Foetus, Coil, and others -- do these other "ninfluences" sound familiar?). (If any of you readers have that particular Some Bizzare album with Blancmange on it, let me know, eh?)

"I've Seen the Word" and "Feel Me" both display involved levels of purest (feeling) agony on Arthur's part, and the bittersweet textures of the synth parts reflect simultaneous warmth and alienation. Analog synth textures were used wisely to achieve this effect. It's especially effective on "Feel Me," as it evolves from a lush lament to PHM-esque cathartic scream therapy. "Waves" is a melodramatic opus enhanced by a desolate piano line. "Living On The Ceiling" introduces spooky chromatic elements into a pop-dance form (its Eastern-esque scaling is reminiscent of what Trent Reznor employs in "Eraser" -- the use of sitar and tabla help achieve that flavor). The 12-inch version of this track is highly recommended. "God's Kitchen" is another single from that album, and although not as blatant as "Heresy," it marks the doubt of established religion as a pop song topic. (Arthur and Luscombe's god is not in the kitchen at the moment -- they don't specify whether he's dead or alive.) Blancmange also introduced the fine form of moody instrumentals with "Sad Day."

The album features excellent guitar work by hired hand David Rhodes, who adds sharp high-end sparkle and contrast to the electronic contours of the Arthur/Luscombe team -- Rhodes' contribution to Blancmange is somewhat akin to what Richard Patrick did for PHM. And just like NIN's debut album, Happy Families features mouthwatering drum sounds, as witnessed on "Wasted" and "God's Kitchen." I could go on and on and on about the merits of this album, but you get the idea.

O.M.D. Crush (1985)

When looking back at the greatest bands of the past generations, sometimes our perceptions are tainted by the fact that we associate the pinnacle of their output with their best-known song, which really isn't fair to the bands or to the original fans of these groups. Just as we scoff at those Ninnies-cum-lately who instinctively associate NIN with "Head Like a Hole" (or worse yet, "the 'bow down' song"), we synthpop archivists take it personally when O.M.D. gets associated only with "If You Leave" (that syrupy song from Pretty In Pink).

Almost a year before that love theme for the Duckie-worshipping subculture made its debut, the Mancunian ensemble O.M.D. (short for Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) released one of their strongest works ever, which contains some parallels to PHM. (Maybe these guys should get together and make an album called Pretty Pink Hate Machine or something.) The lyrical content was dark, even hopeless at moments, and for its time, the sampling technology was well utilized. Maybe it's something about being from Manchester (as are synthpop brethren New Order), where gloom and doom are prevalent themes in the bands who originated in that area. Maybe it's because it's dark and rainy there a lot (no wonder Morrissey happened!) -- but if any mid-'80s album deserves a direct comparison with PHM, O.M.D.'s Crush merits a deeper look. (We can go a little deeper....)

"So In Love" juxtapositions ultimate bitterness about that crazy little thing with a smooth pop formula. It's très wimpy compared to the aggressive delivery of Trent Reznor (then again, O.M.D. is probably one of the wimpier synthpop outfits ever, this side of Erasure), but the synthetics are used well to illustrate the dichotomy. "Secret" is the haunting, attractive love song every fatal romantic should have in her or his repertoire. The arpeggiated synths parallel those found in early NIN works.

The album's high point is its title track, which rivals "Something I Can Never Have" in atmospheric intensity and emotional potential. Whereas Trent used desolate piano and atmospheric bird-like sound samples, O.M.D. use a fluid synth bass, sampled vocal sequences featuring the Japanese spoken word "himitsu" (which means "secret," by the way), and thick textural pads. When the sentiment "I can't stand this fucking rain" is agonized, it recalls the angst of "Just a fading fucking reminder of who I used to be." Try listening to these two songs back to back, and you'll not want to be happy for quite a time to come.

Unfortunately, the rest of the album kinda pales in comparison to PHM, as O.M.D. started its creative downward spiral around this time. However, it is worth noting that the early works of O.M.D. (1979-83) generally featured an experimental bent to their electronic treatments (there is at least one "experimental" song on each of their early albums), and even primitive sax works ("Mystereality," from the 1980 album Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, features melodic and catchy sax playing, just like on "Purest Feeling"). Crush represents O.M.D. at their darkest thematic moment, which is a compelling enough reason to include the album on my Top Nine list.

Depeche Mode Some Great Reward (1984)

Depeche Mode is probably the first band most casual music fans would associate with synthpop. And their place in synthpop history is well deserved, teenybopper fans notwithstanding. The musical merits of mid-'80s Depeche Mode were indeed what set the stage for the creation of albums like Pretty Hate Machine. Unfortunately, the public perception of DM has been tainted by the Duran Duran factor -- the band was evaluated more on image than on substance. These Basildon boys deserve better.

Not many people realize it, but there were quite a few dark, gloomy, and even subversive synthpop works created in the early '80s. These days, by the sheer will and sleaze of money-hungry record companies who put out dozens of "Best of the Eighties" compilation albums (and thus commodify these serious bands as "one-hit novelties"), synthpop receives sneers and even misconstruction from the mainstream world. Synthpop bands were supposed to be happy and gay (a double entendre there). Disturbed synth bands didn't exist. Ha. And to think that many still consider PHM to be the first truly negative synthpop album is just incomprehensible. These music "experts" were probably having wet dreams about Journey and Lita Ford while Depeche Mode presented their dark vision to the synth world.

Some Great Reward exploits and demonstrates raw human emotions using electronics and sampled textures as an neo-industrial backdrop (I would say "industrial," but all the Skinny Puppy trendifuck fans would probably lynch me). Rather than using warmer, more synthpoppy textures (as on their first album, Speak and Spell), Depeche Mode used abrasive and metallic textures in their electronic treatment. Even creative sampling was the order of the day (in 1984, not many people other than Depeche Mode, Thomas Dolby, and Art of Noise integrated samples in their musical style). From the moaning sounds in "Somebody" to Martin Gore getting spanked by Dave Gahan on "Master and Servant," these noises were "industrial" in the sense that they were culled from everyday "found" sounds. Sonically, the album is incredible, from the aggro-tech treatment of "Something To Do" to the somber "It Doesn't Matter." "Stories of Old" and "Lie to Me" tend to favor traditional synthpop textures, but at the same time were integrated well into the overall fabric of Some Great Reward, which took hopelessness and the emotional nadir to new heights.

Oh yeah...which song would you like to get whipped to, "Master and Servant" or Nine Inch Nails' "Twist"? Heh.

m.c.death (synthboy@teleport.com) is a synthgeek and a.m.ninnie in Portland, Oregon. His electronic-music column, The Desktop Synthboy, appears in Hope and Vaseline.

hope and vaseline -- hnv@nin.net