CD of The Week

Despite “waving goodbye” in 2009 to Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor never really went away. He scored a pair of major motion pictures (and won an Oscar for one of them!), and started How To Destroy Angels with his wife. After working on some new NIN tunes for a contractually-obligated best-of set (that still has yet to be released), Reznor realized he had more to say under his most famous guise and thus, NIN came back (haunted).

Since Reznor has such a clearly defined sound, Hesitation Marks sounds like an overture of his entire career: a little of the minimalist synth-pop of Pretty Hate Machine, some ethereal Ghosts soundscapes and a taste of the hooky rockers from With Teeth. After a brief instrumental track, the new album opens with Reznor questioning himself over the electronic beat of “Copy of a.” Lead single “Came Back Haunted” may be one of the most literal-minded NIN songs ever, but these two tracks really get you in Trent’s mindset about bringing back the ‘band.’

The funky “All Time Low” starts out reminiscent of Year Zero’s “The Good Soldier” but then Trent sings in a disco falsetto, and the track eventually morphs into a twinkling, electronic piece. Other highlights include the dancey “Satellite” and “Running” with its Pretty Hate Machine-esque effects. Then there’s the polarizing “Everything,” where Reznor takes stock of his current place in life, realizing that he has surviiiiived everything and come out on the other side, over the poppiest melody he’s ever sung.

In fact, Reznor sings, murmurs, whispers and speaks on Hesitation Marks, but rarely truly shouts or screams. At the end of the album is “While I’m Still Here,” which starts out closer to a hushed How To Destroy Angels track, but then surprising bursts of funky horns show up to top it off.

Hesitation Marks is a bit overlong and while much of the second half may be classic, textural NIN sonics, the tracks don’t really stick as much and start to blend together after a while. However, it is a welcome, yet haunted, come back for Nine Inch Nails and a solid new chapter of Reznor’s musical and emotional maturity.

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