Maps of Music

Hesitation Marks (2013)

Where the lyrics of Hesitation Marks take you, and where it was really made.

The title comes from a term for marks left by testing a blade before self-harm.

Key places

The Village Studios, West LA (2013)

Recording site Village Recorders — Extra recording for the album took place at The Village Studios in West LA. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Joe's House of Compression, Pasadena (2013)

Recording site Becker Mastering — Recording for the album is credited to Joe's House of Compression in Pasadena. The pin sits at city centre, so the exact building is not marked. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Hesitation Marks: eighth studio album by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails
• Released 30 August 2013 by The Null Corporation; distributed by Columbia Records in the US and Polydor Records elsewhere
• The band's first release in five years, after The Slip (2008), and their only release on Columbia
• Produced by Trent Reznor with longtime collaborators Atticus Ross and Alan Moulder
• Title derived from the term 'hesitation marks'
• Three singles: 'Came Back Haunted', 'Copy of a', 'Everything'
• Two digital masters: a standard version and one with extended dynamic range for audiophiles

Background

• In February 2009, Reznor said it was time to make NIN disappear for a while
• The band entered a hiatus after touring with Jane's Addiction
• In February 2013, Reznor announced the return of Nine Inch Nails and revealed tour details
• The album was first acknowledged by Reznor on 28 May 2013, in a post on nin.com
• It began as a couple of tracks meant for a forthcoming greatest hits package for Interscope Records
• The sessions grew into a full album; the two songs first written for the hits package were 'Everything' and 'Satellite'

Recording

• Additional recording took place at The Village Studios in West LA
• Recording is also credited to Joe's House of Compression in Pasadena
• Mastered at Precision Mastering, Hollywood, CA

Cover

• Artwork by Russell Mills, whose art was used 19 years earlier on The Downward Spiral
• Each version of the album has its own cover
• Blood was used for the standard CD cover and digital cover

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in 1988 in Cleveland, Ohio, by singer-songwriter Trent Reznor.
• Reznor was the sole permanent member until Atticus Ross officially joined in 2016.
• The first live performance took place at Graffiti in Pittsburgh on October 27, 1988.
• Signed with TVT Records and later moved to Interscope Records.

Members

• Core members are Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
• Robin Finck, Josh Freese, and Stu Brooks form the current live lineup.
• Many former live members have been named, including Chris Vrenna, Danny Lohner, and Charlie Clouser.

Career

• Released Pretty Hate Machine (1989), Broken (1992), The Downward Spiral (1994), The Fragile (1999), and With Teeth (2005).
• Released Year Zero (2007), Hesitation Marks (2013), Bad Witch (2018), and Ghosts V and VI (2020).
• Won Grammy Awards for "Wish", "Happiness in Slavery", and "As Alive as You Need Me to Be".
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: generally favorable reviews, weighted average 77 out of 100 from 40 critic scores
• AllMusic (Stephen Thomas Erlewine): said Reznor is no longer an angry young man but a restless, inventive artist at peace with himself
• Alternative Press (Jason Pettigrew): described it as both business as usual and remarkably prescient
• The Guardian (Dave Simpson): said the darkness remains in lyrics about self-doubt and the struggle for identity
• Kerrang! (George Garner): said it gives the band a future as promising as their illustrious past
• NME (Louis Pattison): called it the sound of a cleaner, smoother Nine Inch Nails
• Pitchfork (Stuart Berman): found it more in tune with spartan grooves than Reznor's usual influences
• Rolling Stone (David Fricke): described it as one of Reznor's best, combining the textures of The Fragile with the tighter fury of The Downward Spiral
• Spin (Christopher R. Weingarten): called it the most important artistic statement from Reznor since the late '90s
• Philip Cosores: mixed view, feeling the good ideas were wasted on reviving something
• Gary Numan: expected Reznor to return angrier, praised the sound and recording as phenomenal

Reappraisal

• Rolling Stone, Stereogum, and Spin included it in their best albums of 2013 lists

Records

• Billboard 200: debuted at number three with 107,000 copies in its first week; 187,000 copies sold by December 2013
• Nine Inch Nails' fifth top five album
• Canadian Albums Chart: debuted at number one with 12,000 first-week copies; certified Gold on 26 September 2013
• UK Albums Chart: entered at number two with 12,286 copies
• Nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 2014 Grammy Awards

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album's title is derived from a term for marks made by testing a bladed weapon before self-harm.
• Each version of the album has its own cover, and Russell Mills' art had been used 19 years earlier on The Downward Spiral.
• Blood was used for the standard CD cover and digital cover.
• The song 'While I'm Still Here' contains a lyrical interpolation from Hank Williams' 'Weary Blues from Waitin''.
• The album was made available in two masters for digital download: standard and audiophile mastered, with extended dynamic range.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org

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