"The Loop Closes" and "How Long?" by How To Destroy Angels

Last month the band How To Destroy Angels released a third music video from their recent EP An Omen. The video was for the song "The Loop Closes".



I like An Omen, but I don't love it. Nothing on it really jumps out at me that much I guess, and it's not as fun to listen to as their first EP. I also really like when EP's are like mini albums, and I'm not sure why, but An Omen doesn't quite feel like one to me. That's just my personal taste though when it comes to EP's. A few of the songs on the EP will be on the band's first full length album, Welcome Oblivion, which will be released on March 5th. I've been hoping I'll like the songs more in the context of the full album.

Although I've been looking forward to Welcome Oblivion, I wouldn't describe it as excitement. That changed yesterday when the band released a new music video, which is for a new song from the album called "How Long?". The video is directed by Shynola.



Besides it just being a really great looking video, I really love the song. In my opinion, it's a lot cooler than anything on the EP, and I love how catchy it is. I'm officially excited for Welcome Oblivion.

New EP and new "Ice Age" video by How To Destroy Angels

"Ice Age" is another song from An Omen, the new EP by How To Destroy Angels. The song is a pretty big departure for the band stylistically. When asked about the song in a recent reddit Q&A, Trent Reznor said, "We were experimenting around with the juxtaposition of something familiar and almost folky sounding sitting in a very cold and sterile environment. (Lead vocalist) Mariqueen had this melody that would have been happy living in a Fleetwood Mac record, and we created this plucky accompaniment that sounded acoustic but was anything but. Then we put all that in the freezer."

There is also a beautiful music video for it, which is directed by John Hillcoat. Rob Sheridan is again featured in the video.



An Omen EP is out now, by the way. You can buy and download it from the band's online store, as well as many other places where you can purchase music. You can also listen to it for free on the band's SoundCloud, or on the player embedded below.

"Keep It Together" by How To Destroy Angels

I've been excited to hear new material from How To Destroy Angels. Two of the band's members are Academy Award winning film score composers Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor, who are also known for the band Nine Inch Nails. How To Destroy Angels' first release was an EP in 2010 that I enjoyed quite a bit. They also had a cover of "Is Your Love Strong Enough?" in David Fincher's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, a movie which Ross and Reznor did the score for. They have a new EP coming out called An Omen, which is sort of a sampler for the full length album that will be coming out some time in 2013. They have a new single called "Keep It Together" which will be on both the EP and the album, and there's a music video for it featuring the band playing the song in their beautiful studio.



One thing about the video that's very interesting to me is that the guy playing the French Connection is the band's art director / photographer Rob Sheridan. He's been a part of the band since the beginning, but I didn't really expect him to have a musical role in it, just a visual one I guess. I've been a fan of his photography and art for many years, but I believe this is the first time I've actually seen him playing an instrument. In my opinion he fits right in.

You can download their first EP for free or preorder their new EP on their online store. On the band's SoundCloud, there are two remixes of "Keep It Together" for free download as well. One by Factory Floor and one by TV On The Radio's Dave Sitek. You can also download the unremixed version of the song.

Pretty Hate Machine cover artwork reimagined.

Nine Inch Nails' 1989 debut album, Pretty Hate Machine was remastered and is being reissued.

Although it's far from being my favorite Nine Inch Nails album, I really like the new cover of the album. Trent Reznor asked his creative director Rob Sheridan to reimagine the original Pretty Hate Machine cover, getting rid of the pink and changing the font. Here's what Mr. Sheridan came up with: