Undying

Of course, I completely agree with that too, donjunio.

But look, I think the Ministry are amazing, as I wrote to you before, and I have a lot of respect for them. It just seems to me that masterpieces like "Something I Can Never Have," "Hurt," or "The Great Below" (this is what I mean by songwriting talent) are something Jourgensen and his crew wouldn't be able to create, that's all. Meanwhile, Reznor definitely knows how to make devastating, stinging songs like Al. My personal opinion is that Reznor is more complete than his references, which are still tremendous, and without which he wouldn't have been there either.

Pretty Hate really blows me away instead.

Well, then we don't agree on this, damn. And whatever, who cares in the end! You see, as long as we stay on a conversation like this, everyone can express their opinions without any issues, but when arrogance from a faux ignorant critic comes into play, that's when I get pissed off.
Just to know, damn: did you get to see Trent live?

In fact, thanks to Reznor's little hand, it wasn't bad... but on the level of merchandising, iconography, etc., the real big money came later from the Reverend Alexander himself... Do his production merits make him commercial? I believe that if Stone and Lynch chose him as a producer, there is a reason for that. And as far as the purists, Jourgensen, etc. are concerned: Reznor has the singer-songwriter talent, the melodic talent, that they have never had, and that's why they've always remained more niche.

Well Caz, excuse me but is making an album of songs a crime? Hell no, it's not embarrassing; it has some amazing sounds and it's actually nominated for Best Mix of the Year. There are definitely two or three songs that are a bit lackluster, but "Beside you in time," "The line begins to blur," "Home" are stunning (in my opinion, of course). And then read the lyrics of "Right where it belongs" and tell me if it's not poetry. Of course, if you compare it to the spiral, it's bound to be a shitty album, but those times are gone; if it hadn't changed musically, we'd be here saying that Reznor is out of fashion and keeps making the same stuff, don’t you think? He went through a period that completely changed his life, and the music changed with him. Simplicity doesn’t have to mean crap, come on. By the way, the vocal lines show that he has improved vocally too, and I heard him live in Paris with my own ears.

Alright, let’s take Manson. He hasn’t been Manson’s producer since 1996, which means he stopped being when Manson started making real money, and the reason is that musically he really became less than crap. If an album like Fragile, which is almost instrumental, isn’t difficult, then. The Downward Spiral is much more direct and brutal compared to that, in my opinion. Then 1) he never said that Reznor is a victim of the music biz 2) I’m still waiting for valid arguments that contradict what I listed earlier and that can make us understand how straight Reznor really is. 3) I want the names of those who are saved if Reznor is synonymous with the music business; I really want to see.

Oops. I didn't notice you, Matteo Brutal, you arrived while I was writing. You can light me up then, I'm ready! (but I don't have the dog)

Here you are, Vic! You’re not Toscano too, are you? (That is, if it’s really you and not some other anonymous coward, I mean.)

But which misunderstood little sheep, Alexander! Who is a misunderstood little sheep in the music world? NOBODY. Reznor is not a saint, just as no one can claim the right to be one in our times. Let’s stop with the story of niche artists who are respected because they don’t sell and don’t break through; those who do sell are all filthy, greedy money-making machines, etc. etc.
I’ll say this: if Reznor is synonymous with the music business, nobody is safe. Those who disagree should convince me otherwise with serious arguments that explain where the commercial goal lies in the unfolding of Reznorian releases, where the commercial significance is in an album like Broken—born as an outburst to escape the grip of a label—where the commercial goal is in a daunting and difficult double album like Fragile, and where the commercial meaning is in rejecting MTV's invitation for its show to promote the single from “The Hand That Feeds,” and how one can make so, so, so much money by releasing an album every 5 years.