NIN Review series Part 10 (Finale!): Hesitation Marks

AngryByrd Let me first say, I am sorry it took so long to do this review. I was really busy, and I didn't have time to listen to the album, let alone do a review of it. So now, I'm gonna wrap up this NIN Review series with a review of their most recent album! I'm also gonna be doing a TON of remixes about NIN on my page. As far as reviews go, I'm going to focus more on reviewing some newer albums, some of my all-time favorites, and some more requests. It's been super fun doing this series, and I'm glad so many of you have come to enjoy it!

Remember how I was talking about Trent Reznor being more consistent with his albums in my last few reviews? Well you can throw that out the window because this album took five years to be released! I guess some habits just never go away. This album is another very strange specimen, as it takes a very clear turn from NIN's previous releases. There are a lot of musical and lyrical differences to discuss with this album!

I hear people call this album a "pop album" all the time. I don't necessarily agree with this statement, but I can see why. The songs on this album are still very much NIN songs, but they have a very poppy and (get ready for it) happy sound to them. Trent Reznor's life was really getting good when he recorded this album, so it's understandable why a lot of the anger faded away. The screaming and harsh music is still here, but it's happy. Whether you like this or not is up to you. I personally think it makes this album a lot more interesting. The only major complaint I have with this album is that it isn't near as rough or heavy as a lot of other NIN albums. It sounds cleaner and more precise, but it also sounds a little too washed up sometimes.

Even with the anger sort of leaving, this album has fantastic lyrics that go great with each of the songs. Trent Reznor is an endless supply of awesome lyrics, so it really doesn't surprise me that this album has great lyrical content. As goes with the happier sound, there aren't really any vulgar or profane lyrics on this album, so don't be expecting anything like Closer or Wish. The lyrics are accompanied by what I would consider to be pretty good vocals. They're slightly better than the vocals on Year Zero, so they're not great, but they're tolerable.

There are a lot of varied and catchy songs on this album! Copy Of A and Came Back Haunted are the two that always stick in my head. There is a lot of variation between songs. It's not as drastic as it is on albums like The Downward Spiral and With Teeth, but it's noticeable. This album will definitely hold your attention, and it'll stay in your head for a long time.

Picking a favorite song from this album is difficult. My most likely candidates would be Copy of A, Came Back Haunted, and All Time Low. I can't really pick a least favorite either, but there are some songs on the album that just don't stand out as much as others. Hesitation Marks is a very unique album, and I think that anyone who wouldn't mind a change should listen to this album. I give Hesitation Marks a 7/10.

Comments

It's cool how Trent got film director David Lynch to direct the video to Came Back Haunted. - visitor (8/7/2015)

It's a really good video! - AngryByrd (8/10/2015)

They also got David Fincher (director of Fight Club) to direct the video to Only. - visitor (8/10/2015)

Will you think about reviewing NIN's next album if it ever comes out? - visitor (8/17/2015)

Definitely, but I'm not expecting an album anytime soon. - AngryByrd (8/20/2015)