Today, exactly 30 years ago, American industrial band Nine Inch Nails released The Downward Spiral!
Today its exactly 30 years since American industrial band Nine Inch Nails released their second studio album The Downward Spiral (8th March 1994). In contrast to their first album Pretty Hate Machine, which was rather synth-pop/electro like, this album featured more distorted guitars and other heavy elements from the industrial music style.
The album was recorded at Trent Reznor’s ‘Le Pig’ studio which was actually located in the house of where actress Sharon Tate was murdered by members of Charles Manson’s cult.
The album is a concept album describing the destruction of a man, from the beginning of his downward spiral to his suicide attempt.
Two official singles were taken from the album, March of the Pigs and Closer, later followed by the promotional singles Piggy and Hurt.
Hurt was covered by Johnny Cash in 2003 to commercial and critical acclaim. Reznor praised Cash's interpretation of the song for its sincerity and meaning, even stating the song didn't belong to himself anymore.
The Downward Spiral was a major commercial success, and established Nine Inch Nails as a reputable force in the alternative music scene since.
The Downward Spiral (Tracklist)
Mr. Self Destruct
Piggy
Heresy
March Of The Pigs
Closer
Ruiner
The Becoming
I Do Not Want This
Big Man With A Gun
A Warm Place
Eraser
Reptile
The Downward Spiral
Hurt
Toronto's for all the emptiness has just unveiled their new single, "sell the sins" from the EP, used and violated.
"sell the sins" is a song about how archaic beliefs and ideas can corrupt otherwise kind people. The lyrics contain a set of questions and responses to those suggesting that corruption being preached is "good".
With all the vile rhetoric against various races, the LBTQ community, and other outsiders, is it ever brought into question that perhaps the end of hate is a better solution than allowing these beliefs to persist?
The single contains seven tracks, including six brand new remixes which are sure to destroy countless EBM, Industrial, and Futurepop clubs. While the album version is often described as a mix between And One and Front 242, the new remixes offer amazing new interpretations because they are filtered through some of the best remix artists in the world.
"sell the sins" is available on all major digital platforms including Bandcamp.
On this day, 36 years ago, Divine died at the age of 42 (19.10.1945 - 7.03.1988). Divine was an American actor, singer, and drag queen, born as Harris Glenn Milstead.
Closely associated with the independent filmmaker John Waters, Divine was a character actor, usually performing female roles in cinematic and theatrical productions and adopted a female drag persona for his music career. Milstead developed an early interest in drag while working as a women's hairdresser. By the mid-1960s he had embraced the city's countercultural scene and befriended Waters, who gave him the name "Divine" and the tagline "the most beautiful woman in the world, almost."
Divine joined Waters' acting troupe and adopted female roles for their experimental short films. Divine next starred in Waters' Pink Flamingos (1972), which became a cult classic and established Divine's fame within the American counterculture. Then Divine moved to theater, appearing in several avant-garde performances alongside San Francisco drag collective The Cockettes.
He starred in two more of Waters' films, Polyester (1981) and Hairspray (1988), the latter of which represented his breakthrough into mainstream cinema.
Meanwhile, in 1981, Divine embarked on a career in the disco industry by producing a number of Hi-NRG tracks, most of which were written by Bobby Orlando. He achieved international chart success with hits like ’Shoot Your Shot’ (1981), ‘You Think You're a Man’ (1984) and ‘Walk Like a Man’ (1985), all of which were performed in drag.
Having struggled with obesity throughout his life, he died from cardiomegaly, shortly after the release of Hairspray.
Described by People magazine as the "Drag Queen of the Century", Divine has remained a cult figure, particularly within the LGBT community, and has provided the inspiration for fictional characters, artworks and songs.
A worthwhile documentary film devoted to his life is I Am Divine (2013).
Today it’s exactly 38 years (7 March 1980) since English post-punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees released the 7” Happy House, the first single taken from their third studio album Kaleidoscope.
Happy House and the Kaleidoscope album marked a change in musical direction for Siouxsie and the Banshees due to the arrival of two new musicians: drummer Budgie, previously of the Slits, and guitarist John McGeoch, previously of Magazine.
When asked if "Happy House" was a cynical song, Siouxsie replied: "It is sarcastic. In a way, like television, all the media, it is like adverts, the perfect family whereas it is more common that husbands beat their wives. They are mental families really but the projection is everyone smiling, blond hair, sunshine, eating butter without being fat and everyone perfect.
The single became the band's second top 20 hit, peaking at number 17 in the UK Singles Chart
Happy House (Lyrics)
This is the happy house-we're happy here in the happy house oh it's such fun
We've come to play in the happy house
And waste a day in the happy house-it never rains
We've come to scream in the happy house We're in a dream in the happy house
We're all quite sane
This is the happy house-we're happy here There's room for you if you say "I do"
But don't say no or you'll have to go
We've done no wrong with our blinkers on It's safe and calm if you sing along
This is the happy house-we're happy here in the happy house.
To forget ourselves-and pretend all's well There is no hell.
Songwriters: Siouxsie Sioux / Steven Severin
Ghent postpunk band KORINTHIANS is organizing the first edition of "Invites," a concept where they invite both up and coming acts, as well as hidden gems, from home and abroad.
For this edition, which will take place on March 30 at Trefpunt Concert Hall, they are inviting Lifeless Past, the young sensational duo from the Netherlands, and Days Of Sorrow, a band that still experienced the real 1980s live in Germany and was restarted after years of hibernation.
KORINTHIANS themselves present a new single.
DJ The Craze (ex-Kinky Star) glues the evening together musically.
