We were mighty pleased to learn a few months ago that Trent Reznor has Rock Band set up in his home studio, and that he plays the game (with Weezer songs, no less!) to help loosen up musicians who come to play on Nine Inch Nails records. For more details on that, check out our interview with drummer Brian Viglione, who moonlighted from his gig with the Dresden Dolls to play last year on NiN’s instrumental opus, Ghosts I-IV.
Far as we know, Trent doesn’t like to play Rock Band with his own songs. But until he invites you over, you can — and this week we’re pleased to unveil three NiN classics to add to the four we’ve already released. We’re also happy to see that “Last” has prompted some lively talk on the chat boards — Would we really put out a song with that kind of harsh imagery? Of course we would, but keep in mind that the song isn’t necessarily about sex: At the time of its recording, Reznor was in a mighty tangle with his old record label—the subtext of the entire Broken EP — so those sexual references may be about the way he felt the label was treating him.
It’s about as close to a sweet pop song as Reznor gets — though as we all know, that still isn’t very close.
Speaking of harsh imagery, the Oliver Stone film “Natural Born Killers” was a natural fit for Reznor at this point; he put together the soundtrack as well as contributing some new NiN songs. One of these was “Burn,” whose nasty metallic guitar riff was right in tune with the mood of the film. The newer “Capital G,” from last year’s “Year Zero” is sweetness and light by comparison: With a bouncy rhythm and non-distorted vocal, it’s about as close to a sweet pop song as Reznor gets — though as we all know, that still isn’t very close.
We swear we can detect some NiN influence on “Devour”, a new track by Florida post-grungers Shinedown—In any case, it’s a suitably intense song whose pounding rhythm and supremely fed-up vocal make it perfect for those world-hating moods.
“I Want My, I Want My DLC!”
The songs in Rock Band are only the beginning. Each week we’ll be rolling out more downloadable songs, essential tracks (and sometimes whole albums) from every era of rock history. Check the Rock Band website to find out what’s new.
Tracks will usually sell for $1.99 each; with three-pack specials costing $5.49. (On the Xbox 360, that’s 160 Microsoft Points per track and 440 per three-pack). Occasional special or discounted tracks may cost a dollar more or less.
Downloadable content for the Xbox 360 is available through the XBOX LIVE marketplace. Downloads for the PLAYSTATION 3 version of Rock Band are available through the PLAYSTATION Network Store. In each case, the songs are downloaded onto your hard drive.
If you’re playing solo, you can start rocking right away. For head-to-head or multi-player online, all players will need to download the song.
