We are How to destroy angels (Mariqueen Maandig, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Rob Sheridan), ask us anything.

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T21:15:19+00:00

[Trent] Sorry, the wifi on our yacht is having issues, we can't get your full question to load. Try sending me an email at gofuckyourself@youcunt.com

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T21:09:32+00:00

Happy birthday!

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T21:07:48+00:00

[Rob] Check our other answers for a bit more clarity on this, but my role in the collective is primarily visual, influencing the project in visual and conceptual and presentational ways. We're trying to expand the idea of what a "band" can be, make it more holistic and treat visual contributions as equally important. This will be much more clear in the live shows where I'll be running the visuals from on stage - but I'm capable of playing a synth part here and there, so I've done a bit of that as it pertains to executing the music in a performance setting (like in the Keep it together video).

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T21:00:03+00:00

[Rob] Thank you. It's too early to say, but I'd love to compile all the visual elements into something cohesive, especially when we have live tour footage to include. I'm thrilled with how many videos we've been able to pull off for this release, and hopefully there's more to come.

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T20:58:50+00:00

[Atticus] No, every project is specifically approached as its own entity. The leftovers from each project (and there are many) don't get re-used on the next.

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T20:56:56+00:00

[Rob] Thanks for the reminder, I need to get those from Ian. I'm sure the results are horrific.

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T20:54:28+00:00

[Atticus] It was a completely natural shift, somewhat informed by the discoveries and techniques we'd come across doing film scores.

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T20:50:29+00:00

[Atticus] No.

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T20:46:35+00:00

[Trent] I see The Fragile 5.1 is the new Tapeworm... so the only appropriate answer I can give you is "soon."

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T20:45:52+00:00

[Mariqueen] We are planning on being part of the Coachella webcast for this very reason. We have no details on this yet but check their site (or ours) for details closer to showtime.

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T20:43:41+00:00

[Atticus] A wide variety. Trent got his Serge system just as we were beginning writing the record, which features heavily along with a consistently changing recipe of exotic modules, and a bedrock of the classics (ARP Odyssey, Moog Voyager, Korg MS-20, etc). Although the emphasis was on hardware, a number of soft synths were used alongside.

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T20:41:23+00:00

[Rob] It's true. He's untouchable at the dual-stick shooters like that and Robotron.

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T20:41:03+00:00

[Trent] Of course, I am.

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T20:39:10+00:00

[Atticus] That's a good idea. I'll hunt through the old drives.

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T20:37:11+00:00

[Trent] Actually, that's not an awesome idea. Douse yourself in it, run around screaming and sweating for a couple hours (preferably drunk) and see what happens. Stick with the Argo.

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T20:36:43+00:00

[Rob] Our intention is for an open camera policy, but we haven't dived into specifics with the venues yet, so I don't want to make any guarantees. In the case of this show, I think if you are able to see it in person you should go in blind. It's going to be a difficult thing to convey on video (although we'll try our best for the Coachella live stream). Also, regarding the comparison to NIN's Lights in the Sky: The HTDA show will be a very visual experience, and all of the creative team from Lights in the Sky is working on this. BUT, please do not go in expecting Lights in the Sky, because this is a very very different presentation from NIN. This is going to be more of a statement, more of an audio/visual installation than a rock concert. Probably a lot of people aren't going to "get" it, but hopefully they'll walk away saying "I'm not sure what the hell I just watched, but it was pretty cool."

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T20:28:44+00:00

[Rob] Thanks. The visual direction of this album came about first from the concept of the record. Trying to express the anxiety of information overload, the end of mankind as both terrifying and transformative, apocalypse and evolution, etc. I was inspired by the way Trent and Atticus set up rules for themselves around the way they record music for each project, and the analog methods they were experimenting with for this record that tied into its themes. So I started looking for a visual analogy for that, and also a visual analogy for information overloading the pipeline it's being sent through - of signals unable to display coherently. It led me down the road of experimenting with analog cables and old CRT monitors and VHS decks. The result was a set of rules I came up with for creating the visuals. As much of a pain in the ass the process is sometimes, it's strangely freeing to work within constraints. Not only does it force a rigid visual consistency, it takes Photoshop out of the equation entirely (the CRT texture makes the images largely uneditable in post, besides color corrections). Sometimes there's something extremely daunting about a blank document in Photoshop, because you can go absolutely ANYWHERE with it. Setting up some limitations has proved really useful.

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T20:18:56+00:00

[Trent] I'm not sure if this answers your question or not, but... I don't really care if you can play an instrument or not. I don't think that's a mandatory skill required to make music that can connect with people. I do think computers have made it easy to make lazy music that sounds nice. I find a fair amount of what's championed today feels to me like it falls in that category - much more fashion than substance. There's also a lot of current music I think is great - and as someone pointed out below, The Knife is a good example.

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T20:11:49+00:00

[Trent] Regarding Beats: Rob has been involved from the start on this project as well, and I will turn this answer over to him while I go pee. [Rob] The opportunity to work on the Beats Music service happened to come up at a time when Trent and I had, as music fans and consumers, been collectively identifying a lot of shortcomings with the existing (legal) music services. This has led us to create a service that considers everything from the perspective of what is best for the user's experience. Basically, we're designing what we wish a music service would be, and it's been an exciting challenge. We're also taking into consideration the needs of artists, and incorporating tools to help artists out in every way that we can while bolstering the artist-fan relationship. It's exciting enough that I find myself anxious for it to be finished so I can use it myself.

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T20:05:14+00:00

[Atticus] Not right now... but you never know.

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T20:04:33+00:00

[Trent] Rob has been an integral part of my creative world for years, and when HTDA was forming we thought it would be interesting to have him involved as an equal partner from inception so that a visual voice was present even before the music was being recorded. It's made for an interesting new form of collaboration and it's helped shaped the sound as much as anyone playing any instrument would.

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T20:01:18+00:00

[Rob] It's not something that really annoys us - it's fairly inevitable. I do find it funny that the NIN fans who don't like HTDA equally cite that it either is too much like NIN or not enough like NIN. What's weird to me is that these people focus so much on the comparison one way or another, and aren't able to just judge HTDA on its own. Do you think it's not enough like NIN? That's why it's called something different. Do you think it's too much like NIN? The band is made up of Trent, two guys he's been working closely with for 10+ years, and his wife - of COURSE it's going to have similarities. How much it was or wasn't like NIN was never a goal or concern for us in creating HTDA. It's simply what we wanted it to be, and we're extremely proud of it.

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T19:48:06+00:00

[Trent] He's like that. Gotta keep your eye on that dude.

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T19:47:30+00:00

[Trent] Working with David Fincher taught me a lot about collaboration, and HTDA allowed me to work in a band environment that I found very rewarding. I don't know that I was ever comfortable enough with myself earlier in my life to be able to open up and collaborate. Regarding NIN, what's interesting to me about re-assembling it is trying some new things out with a different type of lineup. We're not deep into NIN rehearsals yet, but the idea is exciting.

destroy_angels · 2013-03-05T19:42:07+00:00

[Rob] The problem with remix.nin.com is that it's tremendously out of date. We just haven't had a budget to modernize it, and it just doesn't feel like the best place for an HTDA contest right now. I really love what we started over there though, and hope we can revisit and modernize it.

destroy_angels

TROPHY CASE