Each passage I did of the album from track 1 through to 14, the deeper my love grew, and the more excited and obsessed about it I became. The more I listened, the further I seemed to understand it. Yet, I kept returning to it, eager to make sense of its critical acclaim for some reason.

The years of listening to ‘surface level’ and ‘single based format’ music had left me almost conditioned and confused as to why this record was held up with such high regard. It was so abrasive and noisy that it completely took me off guard, and I didn’t know what to do with it. However, on my first listen, I didn’t understand it. Understanding that the pivotal album of NIN was The Downward Spiral, I was drawn to it from the vast catalogue of works.

So I began exploring through different albums and artists, genres and styles until I ended up on a name I had heard continuously whilst growing up in the ’90s, but for whatever reason, never indulged. Why we feel a certain way or are drawn to certain things are not an exact science, but we never know where we might end up or what we might stumble upon during our journey through an absolute minefield of artists.Īfter years of music listening, I tired of the formulaic music I had rested on and yearned for something that would challenge my expectation of an album and an artist. And that’s the best thing about music we can explore and meander through different genres and tastes, especially in today’s streaming market. So many people’s favourite records are found in nostalgia and based in a past time, but mine is purely based on exploration until I found what I was looking for, even though I had no idea where I would end up. One of the strangest things about my love for The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails is that it bloomed only a few years ago. Kel Pinchin, Modern Error – Nine Inch Nails, The Downward Spiral, (1994)

Nine inch nails downward spiral album