The “criminally sharp” singer who always inspired Trent Reznor
If you want a sci-fi world brought to life through the power of music alone, look no further than the work of Nine Inch Nails and Trent Reznor, a man who’s beyond being just a songwriter but a true sonic visionary and musical craftsman.
His ear, when it comes to picking up what makes a song shine, is unlike anybody else working in music; if you want something heartfelt, aggressive, or anything in between, chances are, Reznor has delivered a track that fits within those brackets.
We heard it recently with the new Tron movie, and while box office numbers might not have been what the studio was expecting, the general consensus seemed to be that the work Reznor was able to put into the soundtrack was unlike anything viewers had seen and heard in cinema before.
It’s mighty impressive to witness, and it’s the result of an ever-changing list of musical influences that he is happy to heap praise onto. Some of them you won’t be surprised by, but others don’t sound like the kind of thing he would be interested in.
A great example of this is Mark Almond from Soft Cell. While a lot of people might not put the two artists together, Reznor has previously declared himself a huge fan and thinks the vocal stylings of Almond in particular are something to marvel at. All too often, artists look at vocals and consider them something that simply needs to exist, putting lyrics to songs in a bid to announce their completion and nothing more.
While this kind of attitude might be somewhat understandable, it does take away from the power that a good vocal performance can have. Whether it’s because of the strength of someone’s voice, the lyrics, or the rhythm with which the singer attacks the words, they can add a brand new layer to the song, and this is what Reznor enjoys so much about Mark Almond.
He highlighted the fact that Almond was able to sing slightly off beat, but it is also this ability that gives Soft Cell’s music a brand new angle. The unique rhythm implemented really appeals to the Nine Inch Nails member, and he is always happy to highlight the duo of Almond and David Ball as a big inspiration.
“I’ll say one more thing,” he said, “I love the old Smiths shit and I love Soft Cell. Those are two vocalists that stand out to me that I’ve always thought were great, but if you listen, Mark Almond is always ahead of the beat and sharp, criminally sharp, but it helps make the song feel the way I think he’s intending for it to feel. It’s meant to sound anxious, and it’s meant to sound a little uncomfortable because it’s not right. It’s not in tune or in time. I think a lot of that can get lost in the ease of snap to grid.”
