“There’s a lot to love throughout Welcome Oblivion, including the fuzzy bristle of the title track and first single “How Long?” “On the Wing,” whether by coincidence or design, turns the melody of Jimmy Cliff’s version of “I Can See Clearly Now” into a lovely and subdued textural groove.” –Zachary Berman
When songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Trent Reznor announced he was shutting down his massively influential industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails back in 2009, fans were understandably upset by the development.
Truly, there was never anything to fear — Reznor is a notoriously prolific musician, and since Nine Inch Nails went on hiatus he’s been involved in many projects, including the Oscar-winning original score for The Social Network, and most recently with his new band How To Destroy Angels.
Welcome Oblivion, the group’s first full-length release, is yet another triumph in Reznor’s massive catalog. While the record still carries many of the standard Reznor tropes — stuttering electronics, sinister and depressive yet oddly sensual atmosphere — those same tropes have been beset with a whole new context of musical ideals to fantastic results.
Often referenced as a “post-industrial” act, How To Destroy Angels is certainly an interesting animal, having evolved beyond the more abrasive industrial rock of Nine Inch Nails and into a ethereal, if no less dark, realm of music.
Featuring Reznor’s wife Mariqueen Maandig and longtime collaborators Atticus Ross and Rob Sheridan, the band conquers the often insurmountable task of separating but not severing a musical side-project from its source.
Initially, the most noticeable change is in the vocals. Reznor’s voice is recognizable, and if he had been the primary singer on Welcome Oblivion, then the musical aesthetics might have conformed too closely to those of Nine Inch Nails.
Instead, it’s Maandig who provides the majority of the vocals throughout the album, adding a whole new flavor to Reznor’s normal palette.
The lightness — or perhaps innocence — in Maandig’s voice exists in opposition to Reznor’s usual gruff whispers and shouts, making a track such as “Keep It Together” come alive. As the song progresses, listeners are left wondering if Maandig really will break under the weight of the electronic dirge.
Elsewhere, her vocals soar. On “Too Late, All Gone,” Maandig belts out a typical Reznor melody with much aplomb, juxtaposed against a verse of cut-and-paste lyrical fragments.
“Ice Age” is another spot where Maandig shines, her vocals grounding Reznor’s otherwise bizarre interpretation of the term “acoustic track.”
There’s a lot to love throughout Welcome Oblivion, including the fuzzy bristle of the title track and first single “How Long?” “On the Wing,” whether by coincidence or design, turns the melody of Jimmy Cliff’s version of “I Can See Clearly Now” into a lovely and subdued textural groove.
However, a few songs feel indulgent and will likely only appeal to the most die-hard Nine Inch Nails fans. “Recursive Self-Improvement,” for instance, is nearly seven minutes of the kind of electro-industrial breakdowns that one would usually find as a short bridge amid a larger musical structure.
These tracks become great background music but never much more. Granted, there isn’t a moment on all of Welcome Oblivion where the timbres aren’t exceptional ear-candy, but it takes more than fantastic production to make a great track.
Before you start downloading the choice cuts from the record, it’s important to note Welcome Oblivion is ostensibly a concept album (about a post-apocalyptic world or something), which explains to some degree why tracks such as “Recursive Self-Improvement” pop up.
It’s almost too bad: The release of this record coincides with the news that Reznor is reforming Nine Inch Nails in 2013 for live shows and new music, notably featuring Adrian Belew of King Crimson and Talking Heads.
While this sounds like an amazing collaboration, the news, rather than drawing attention to How To Destroy Angels, may in fact make the album seem like less of an accomplishment.
But Welcome Oblivion should not be taken lightly. Not only is it a wonderful listening experience, but Reznor’s continuing success stands as living proof that real artistic expression can still exist in the popular music environment.
