BMRA-Round 1-The Downward Spiral vs. Weezer(Blue Album)

[PlayingWithFire]

9 In. Nails' The Downward Spiral

Review by Steve Huey

The Downward Spiral positioned Trent Reznor as industrial's own Phil Spector, painting detailed, layered soundscapes from a wide tonal palette. Not only did he fully integrated the crashing metal guitars of Broken, but several newfound elements -- expanded song structures, odd time signatures, shifting arrangements filled with novel sounds, tremendous textural variety -- can be traced to the influence of progressive rock. So can the painstaking attention devoted to pacing and contrast -- The Downward Spiral is full of striking sonic juxtapositions and sudden about-faces in tone, which make for a fascinating listen. More important than craft in turning Reznor into a full-fledged rock star, however, was his brooding persona. Grunge had the mainstream salivating over melodramatic angst, which had always been Reznor's stock in trade. The left-field hit "Closer" made him a postmodern shaman for the '90s, obsessed with exposing the dark side he saw behind even the most innocuous façades. In fact, his theatrics on The Downward Spiral -- all the preening self-absorption and serpentine sexuality -- seemed directly descended from Jim Morrison. Yet Reznor's nihilism often seemed like a reaction against some repressively extreme standard of purity, so the depravity he wallowed in didn't necessarily seem that depraved. That's part of the reason why, in spite of its many virtues, The Downward Spiral falls just short of being the masterpiece it wants to be. For one thing, fascination with texture occasionally dissolves the hooky songwriting that fueled Pretty Hate Machine. But more than that, Reznor's unflinching bleakness was beginning to seem like a carefully calibrated posture; his increasing musical sophistication points up the lyrical holding pattern. Having said that, the album ends on an affecting emotional peak -- "Hurt" mingles drama and introspection in a way Reznor had never quite managed before. It's evidence of depth behind the charisma that deservedly made him a star.

Weezer's Blue Album

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Falling between the warped pop of The Pixies and the straightahead thump of arena rock, Weezer's debut album offers embarrassingly pleasurable pop thrills. Weezer is unabashedly pop. Songs like "Buddy Holly," "Undone -- The Sweater Song," "In the Garage," "The World Has Turned and Left Me Here," and "Surf Wax America" are filled with strong, simple guitar hooks and relentlessly catchy melodies. What makes the band so enjoyable is their charming geekiness; instead of singing about despair, they sing about love, which is kind of refreshing in the gloom-drenched world of '90s guitar-pop.

[Omaha Red Sox]

Nails easy.

[pokeyjoe]

I voted Weezer, I'm not a huge fan, but they're fun to listen to, and I definitely like them better the NIN.

[decoy562]

Weezer, never was a NIN fan.

[acsguitar]

NIN easy.

Weezer is a little gay

[The Artful Dodger]

Not a fan of either band, but I'd have to go with NIN by a pretty good margin here.

[1337_Dude]

This may be a vote out of ignorance more so then anything. But I like Weezer and NiN has never really done anything to make me want to listen to them, so I give my vote to Weezer.

[Callahan]

Two of the best albums of the decade...tough choice. But I'll go with NIN.

[Old_Style]

i voted for the blue album. looks like weezer got a tough first round draw though

[Dr. Duran Duran]

Toughest call of the tourney so far. I went with Weezer here, mostly because I still think Pretty Hate Machine is still NIN's best album. Weezer's self titled debut is also heavily influenced by The Cars, one of my favorite bands, so it gets a nod here.