Trent Reznor has been kicking some serious ass over the last couple of years. He released an LP with How to Destroy Angels (a pretty bitchin’ band with his wife Mariqueen Maandig), he participated in Dave Grohl’s great Sound City project, he made a killer new Nine Inch Nails album, and he went on several big tours, which eventually culminated in Tension 2013, one of the most extravagant and jaw-dropping concert films I’ve ever seen. Oh, and he also served as chief creative officer for Beats Music, a relaunching of MOG, a Spotify-esque streaming service that’s been newly rebranded by Jimmy Iovine. Iovine is one of the masterminds behind the wildly successful brand of ridiculously expensive (and shitty) Beats by Dre headphones. Beats Music just launched today, and I haven’t yet tried it. The mobile interface looks slick as hell, though, and a Spotify alternative would be nice.
Make no mistake, Reznor’s on a roll, and it looks like the gravy train is gonna keep chuggin’ strong, because today Reznor announced that he and frequent collaborator Atticus Ross will be providing the score for David Fincher’s Gone Girl. This marks the third film score that Reznor has done for Fincher, and I think they’re a great pair. Both men are extraordinarily meticulous and famously prickly individuals with a penchant for making really good art. Reznor and Ross’ Oscar-winning score for The Social Network was a perfect fit for that film, and remains one of my favorite film scores of the last decade. Their more ambitious work on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was one of the best scores of 2011, but the critic community didn’t seem to notice until it won a Grammy in early 2013.
Reznor hasn’t yet announced what his plans for Gone Girl will be. I’d love to hear him tackle a different sound, perhaps inviting some strings to the party. If he sticks with the electronic sound, I certainly won’t be disappointed. Gone Girl is an adaptation of a Gillian Flynn novel that I haven’t read, but I hear is quite good. The film stars Ben Affleck, and arrives in cinemas this October, which we all know is a very advantageous time for a Ben Affleck vehicle to get released.