#311: NINE INCH NAILS & DAVIE BOWIE - BACK IN ANGER

2016
Industrial, Electronic
Sonic Boom Records

2016 has already seen a whole bunch of David Bowie reissues flooding stores since his sad passing. Official and unofficial, with the 180 gram vinyl album reissues and a bunch of unofficial radio broadcasts. One of the most interesting of these is this document of when Nine Inch Nails and David Bowie toured together in 1995. According to the liner notes, Bowie had to be talked into touring his album "Outside", and he wanted to try and make his sound as current as possible and attract a young audience to his shows. After meeting Trent Reznor, Bowie said that he saw something in him, reminding him of the person he was at that age. Nine Inch Nails at the time had seen enormous success in the Alternative and Metal scene, with their iconic album "The Downward Spiral" having made the bestsellers list. On this tour, Bowie didn't just want NIN to be his support act, but he wanted to perform with them on stage, making it one of the most unique experiences for fans of both acts.

I must point out that this 2CD set is a bootleg, capturing a show at St Louis, Missouri in October 1995. The material has been taken straight from the original Radio broadcasts made in 1995, and I don't think any further mixing or mastering has taken place. The entire concert is presented across 2 discs, spanning 1 hour and 40 minutes in total. Already this is well worth the current £9.99 asking price! The sound quality is fairly good, but not excellent. The vocals are mixed louder than the music, and the Nine Inch Nails tracks in particular seem to suffer from a lack of punch and bottom end, but the Bowie tracks are more evenly balanced. Compared to some of the other radio broadcast CD releases that have gone on sale, this is one of the better quality ones.

The first disc is mostly dedicated to Nine Inch Nails who kicked off the night. This shows a point in time where they have gone full on Industrial Metal, and even some of the earlier classics such as "Head Like a Hole" and "Terrible Lie" are given a heavier makeover. Whether it is the recording quality, or the fact that that it is because they are playing with Bowie, but NIN don't bring it quite as hard and brutal as you would expect, as the Electronica parts of their sound are more prominent than the guitars. Perhaps they intentionally softened their sound a little bit to match Bowie's sound. It's interesting because Bowie and NIN must have had two very different fanbases, and some of the fans who have followed Bowie since the 60s may have had a hard time adjusting to Trent Reznor's chaotic soundscapes. That said "March of the Pigs" is a real kick in the face, and the live rendition is awesome because it lasts much longer than the studio version with an extended outro. "Wish" and "Burn" are also full of Punky and Metal energy. Trent Reznor turns in a fantastic vocal performance all around. I've heard so many live NIN recordings from across their career and his voice never seems to falter.

When you get to track 12, the wonderful synth chords of "Subterraneans" kicks in and the crowd go wild as Mr. David Bowie enters the stage. Rather than NIN finishing their set, they stay right where they are and join him as a backing band, something you rarely see at shows these days. Trent Reznor then duets with Bowie on a fantastic rendition of "Scary Monster's (And Super Creeps)" that sounds like a bonafide NIN track. Bowie handles the verses and Reznor screams the chorus! Bowie then returns the favour by doing vocal duets of NIN songs "Reptile" and "Hurt". Whilst it is so cool to hear Bowie adding his magic touch to one of NIN's most iconic songs, this rendition of "Hurt" feels a little soft, and the super heavy doomy finale just isn't there.

After "Hurt", Reznor strips back his vocal presence and Disc 2 is basically straight up Bowie territory. One disappointing aspect of this performance is there is a distinct lack of hits. Bowie mostly plays songs from the album he was touring at the time, "Outside". Produced by Brian Eno (who worked with him on the Berlin Trilogy), this album was seen as a real comeback and it does feature some fantastic songs. Bowie's rendition of "I'm Deranged" is a huge highlight. This song later appeared on the Lost Highway soundtrack, which was compiled by none other than Mr. Reznor himself, so I am glad they chose to perform this one together. "Outside" showed a strong Electronic influence, so it goes together well with NIN's earlier performance. That being said though, Bowie's Electronic rendition of "The Man Who Sold the World" completely fails to hit the mark, with that legendary guitar hook being absent. The rendition of "Under Pressure" somehow sounds way cheesier than the studio version too. Strangely most of the "Outside" era tracks seem to work better than the few classic tracks he does play, aside from "Andy Warhol" which works really well.

Bowie's side of the performance is surprisingly a bit of a mixed bag, though if you are a fan of the "Outside" album, it is definitely worth picking up. I love Bowie, but I love NIN even more, so I couldn't resist picking this one up. Whilst there are few blips in quality along the way, there is more than enough awesome material here and is well worth the asking price. It would be lovely if this bootleg got an official release with a proper remaster and perhaps an accompanying DVD/Blu-Ray. A truly unique show and a fantastic chronicle of two utter legends! 7/10.

#295: ULVER - ATGCLVLSSCAP

2016.

Progressive Electronic, Ambient, Post Rock.

House of Mythology.

It's quite exciting being a long time Ulver fan. They change genre with each album they release, so it is fun trying to predict what they might do next. Personally I'm keeping my fingers crossed for an Ulver Reggae album! ATGCLVLSSCAP (which stands for each of the astrological signs of the zodiac) is somewhere between a new full length album and a live album. All of the material has been recorded from their 2014 tour, but it seems most of the material here I haven't heard before. Considering how eclectic Ulver are from album to album, you can guarantee that a live album would be extremely diverse within itself.

This is exactly the case. Though unlike most Ulver albums, this one is almost entirely instrumental. The overall arc of this album goes from slow, droning Post Rock, to Electronic with pulsing, tribal beats verging on IDM, then the second half of the album enters Ambient territory with nods to the Space synthesiser sounds of Tangerine Dream, before concluding with two excellent vocal tracks. "Nowhere" is an updated version of an old track "Nowhere/Catastrophe" from their incredible "Perdition City" album, with chiming, atmospheric Post Rock guitars added on. Ulver mastermind Kristoffer Rygg turns in a fantastic vocal performance here and it is a huge standout and sounds epic and mesmerizing. In fact this is one you could even sing along to! The album concludes with another great vocal track, which has a Gothic Depeche Mode kind of vibe.

With an album this diverse, it would be easy for it to be disjointed, but it flows extremely well and most of the time you forget it is a live recording. The album is quite slow and often minimalist, so it deserves to be heard in its entirety and will require your patience. If you are already well familiar with Ulver, then you will know this is usually the case anyway. Ulver aren't a band that grab you immediately, they are a band you have to take your time with and actually think about, as they slowly blossom petals of gold into your eardrums. Personally this has been my favourite Ulver release since "Shadows of the Sun". 8/10.