"LA MER" - Nine Inch Nails // musical deep dive

[@caseyhamm4292]

this is the best nine inch nails song in my opinion. you feel exactly what he was in that moment, staring at something so bright it’s blinding. there’s something comforting about it but you know there’s something wrong

[@jacobfunnell65]

Charlie Clouser (who worked for Trent on The Fragile), talking about La Mer: "[T]hat one was NOT one that kicked around on the servers with all of us chipping away at it for two years - it just appeared on day, pretty much fully formed, out of TR's brain. At first it seemed like it might just be one of those quiet interludes that divide an album into two parts or whatever, but then I realized that it was like the centerpiece of the album, and contained and unified a lot of the melodic themes and motifs that were sprinkled around the rest of the album in various forms. Which was weird cause you'd think you'd do that piece first, containing the most complete rendering of those themes, and then extract bits from it to sprinkle around the rest of the songs as they developed - but in this case it was the opposite. Like TR had been flirting with those melodic and thematic ideas for two years and then, near the end of the process, managed to coalesce and condense all of that material into one coherent piece. So that was.... pretty amazing. Glad to see that track get much love from the fans."

[@MMMlewis5592-q1b]

I'll never forget in 2009 trent made a speech before playing this song he said long time ago he went away to this place where he thought about killing himself and then he said he was going back to that place to get married so kinda the glass was half empty now is half full

[@s.gharavi1614]

Always the showman. What exactly do you think this white American boy faced? LOL

[@thisisbillgates]

@@s.gharavi1614 what?

[@s.gharavi1614]

@@thisisbillgates everyone thinks of killing themselves. most people get married. trent's life isn't extraordinary at all.

[@thisisbillgates]

@@s.gharavi1614 who said anything about it being extraordinary sorry?

[@SomberSora]

@@s.gharavi1614 I mean, Trent is clinically depressive and struggled with severe drug addiction throughout his life before translating these feelings to music in order to elevate his suicidal idealism. But yeah, go ahead and invalidate his struggles and don’t forget to shove race in there to stir up internet drama. I can tell you’re winning bud.

[@Danny-sd5vm]

I remember going to see NIN live after the release of The Fragile. Everyone in the pit was going insane. I'm talking elbows, fists, knees, feet coming at you from every direction. Once they started playing La Mer it was complete stillness. As an 18 year old without any real life experience that song moved me and gave me this feeling that I can't put into words.

[@rhinippo]

Is anyone else enjoying watching the plants slowly taking over with each passing week? By the time we get around to the analyses of Ghosts VI, it's going to be Ixi playing from a rainforest . Love it.

[@iximusic]

Haha this gave me a hearty belly laugh. I was wondering if anyone was noticing my growing jungle. I haven't done an experiment yet to know for sure but I think the plants grow FASTER when I play NIN...I hope one day they envelop me and make me one of them.

[@fl00d69]

Yes. It seems absurd to say, but covid has definitely had at least 1 good aspect.

[@4theriders]

haha! this is my second video...likely not in order...i'll keep an eye out now that i'm subbed :D

[@stephenmarseille5425]

Hopefully a version of Audrey 2 won't have emerged, threatening the very life of ixi!

[@almosthuman6356]

Horticulture is my new passion

[@cavvic]

The lyrics "Nothing can stop me now" which was also in The Downward Spiral is not saying, "Hey, I'm at my lowest and nothing can stop me now," it is a phrase accepting death. 'Nothing (as in existential nothingness, death) can come for me now.' Nothing is something. It is death.

[@aettic]

I love that you're such a Nine Inch Nerd. I feel very similarly about NIN's music, but know virtually nothing about music theory (except what I've learned from these videos).

[@jimw5040]

15:45 was very, very nice.

[@GeranIsbester]

I’m not sure if anyone’s mentioned this yet, but Trent once said “Adrift and at Peace” off of Still is “the conclusion of La Mer” and listening to them back to back it just... fits

[@iximusic]

Yes, it really does. If you're interested I did a video on it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rWanZXmhrpZgqKs

[@GeranIsbester]

@@iximusic ooh i missed this one

[@darkalman]

First time I heard this song I hit back on cd player and listened to it three times. I had this weird feeling that he wrote this before wanting to take his own life... Decades later I saw a live performance where he admitted on stage that's exactly what he was thinking at the time He went back to that exact spot and married his wife there. Glad Trent is still with us

[@madnessbydesignVria]

On a long list of NIN songs I love, this is up toward the very top. The fact that it's so complex explains why my brain is drawn to it - like a moth to the flame... :)

[@vaughnnewman8903]

One of my favorite NIN songs. Love the composition and how the song builds to a jazzy, groovy jam that continuously moves to a crescendo, then falls back to a stoic piano/synth. You don't always need lyrics to be profound.

[@jeffwalker6815]

I saw them play this in 2006 but just as the drums kicked in it perfectly and seamlessly turned into Into the Void and it was like a million volt shock to the nervous system.

[@LivWildStyle]

Nine inch Nails Destroying the illusion of a beautiful dream Since 1989.

[@raptors661]

La Mer was a song I've always really liked, but I never really truly appreciated it until I lost my mom to cancer. Everything in the song just hit me like a ton of bricks.

[@iximusic]

🖤

[@lueymeteora1410]

I lost my Mum to cancer too, mate. Though, it was 25 years ago, it was - and still is - the biggest impact my life has ever sustained. If you ever want someone just to talk to who gets it, and isn't just handling you with 'kid gloves'.. please feel welcome to say hi. It's sometimes easier to voice things to some random anonymous person than to your circle of relatives & friends.

[@kidkodama]

I'll soon lose my mother to cancer and I had the same experience a few days ago. Powerful stuff

[@mondegreen9709]

I lost my mum to ALS, my dad to heart failure and most recently my grandma to Alzheimer's, but I guess it still resonates no matter what.

[@BrettCaton]

I've always fantasised about taking off in a space fighter to this piece of music, so it's surprising to me that someone else links the same piece to space travel.

[@Yon358]

Wow... Just got it in recommendations. YT channel dedicated largely to analyzing NIN based on music theory? I've been waiting for something like this for years. You can see my profile picture...hahahah Thank you for doing this!

[@michaeldavidson3055]

I love how uses the same motifs all through the different songs on the album. It really pulls the album together.

[@sunflowrfields]

This song always feels at first like floating on the water, rays of sunlight hitting the surface, and then being suddenly submerged to the depths of the sea: at the whims of the water, with no end in sight. Then, just as we accept our fate, we resurface--knowing death, but also knowing life again.

[@sparrowhawk81]

It's not that odd that someone would write a song that might sound pretty when contemplating suicide. This is kind of a dark subject but, people who are suicidal and actually do the deed tend to do so when they are on an upswing. The idea is that a downswing of depression is so bad that....you don't even have the motivation or energy to go through with it even if you are ideating about it. Maybe writing this song saved his life because he was able to put his energy into it rather than....you know.

[@iximusic]

Ah, thank you for this.

[@gateauxq4604]

TW suicidal ideation I have attempted on several occasions (Im doing better now tho) and when I shifted from the darkest depths of despair to planning the suicide a peace comes over you. It’s a sense of relief and happiness that you can see an end to the neverending pain that won’t leave you. The best representation of this Ive seen in media is in the Battlestar Galactica remake when one character has a wonderful night out with her ex, they make piece, and she is very happy talking with coworkers and friends but at the same time there’s a slight cognitive dissonance underneath it all. The act was very sudden but she had been suffering previously on the show so it wasn’t out of no where. The scene was shocking but I recognized myself in her behavior leading up to it. Talk to you friends and care for them when theyre low. If they get on the happy train then they are probably heading towards an end like an unstoppable force. Sorry if that got bleak but I think its something a lot of people don’t understand about suicidal people. It makes a lot of sense to me that this song was written while Trent was suicidal.

[@heresyx7409]

@@gateauxq4604 I would also say that suicidal ideation/planning gives the person back an illusion of control and often that is something that the person is lacking. This can also create a feeling of calmness. I too can definitely imagine this song being written in that state. I also can imagine the chord ambiguity being borne out of lack of concentration or inability to make any sort of decision. Trent has fantasised about the before and after in other songs but this one is, in my opinion, the only one where he is actually one step away from it. The Lovers may be a close neighbour.

[@johncaccioppo1142]

Half the struggle, I believe, is building oneself a belief system that works to both prevent suicide when one is depressed and to create a sense of purpose when not depressed for a person who is idiosynchratic, ie. needs their own unique sense of purpose. The other half is learning to remind oneself that depression is not a disease but rather a symptom and therefore demands an ability to detach oneself from the sense that the strong emotions are contiguous with personal identity. "I am not these feelings, I am HAVING these feelings because something is weakening my nervous system, this is about my health, not my circumstances, in spite of whatever narrative my feelings are causing my mind to create." Also, the worst part, other people are triggered by their fears when you are depressed and typically only make the problem worse, how do you find privacy and create civil distance from others?

[@caseyhamm8822]

much like robert smith, i don’t think trent would still be with us if it weren’t for his music. it’s saved him just as much as it has saved all of us

[@MagnusMFX]

This song is so magical, there's just something about the dissonance in the chords, it feels nostalgic in a way I have never felt before. Love the video!

[@joeljezequel]

When I listen to your warm mer mashup, I have a strange feeling. A kind of nostalgia for depression, when this music generated extremely deep and strong feelings in me. No one should be nostalgic for depression, but I'm going to listen to this music again and try to find feelings that strong, but in a different way. Thank you!

[@hsitko]

Thank you so much for doing these videos. I used to have so many weird discussions with my jazz musician friends about his music. I got a lot of people into nin that were shocked when they realized how cool the song writing was.

[@SilentRunningRedux]

A long post may arrive here - my device is experience bizarre lag times. In chase it just disappeared altogether, I think, he rented a house in beachfront Massachusetts (and/or “Cape Cod”). To be alone and non-impulsively decide “to be or not to be.” I am so glad he chose life,and found happiness and an evolving contentment despite his perfectionism. He is a very private genius (private for our present times). Has spoken of severe depression, suicidality, and alcoholism but no long narratives as to how precisely he resolved these and continued to grace us with his presence. Marriage to Mariqeen, 5 kids and musical collaboration with her, (band: How to Destroy Angels, with a song they perform,in which she sings about having the “ocean… wash us all away”… many references to drowning, both literal and metaphorical, in his lyrics). On tne bright side again, he has now his his productive partnership with Atticus Ross, and the many fancy prizes that are affirming but that he never truly needed (he is too intelligent, despite stated insecurities, to rely on external validation). FYI Trent says he likes to play CHOPIN…. for himself. I A AM SO GLAD HE IS STILL WITH US. GENIUS.

[@Hepburner]

I've been listening to NIN for twenty years... These vids are amazing!

[@henryshults5119]

My favorite NiN song

[@marasmusine]

Oh! The A Warm Place/La Mer piece at the end was nice....

[@irishdrums4753]

I have allllways loved how this melody flows thru the album. “La Mer” immediately followed by “Into the Void” is pure gold.

[@davin6175]

I have loved this track since the day I heard it. In fact, the instrumentals on The Fragile are a big part of why this is (most often) my favorite NIN album. It is fun to try and analyse songs like this and try and figure out what makes them so weird or different. And I have done this as well. But let me tell you, when it comes to Trent's music, though he has a foundational classical piano background, when he is making these compositional decisions, he is probably not thinking about keys, chords or scales. He is playing and writing by ear and by his gut and emotion. What elicits the mood or emotion he wants? What moves him? What drives or grooves him? And remember, NIN as we know it started around the same time as MIDI and digital recording. One constant hallmark that I find in his music is LAYERING. He will set up a rhythm with one instrument, give it a certain number of bars and then introduce a new instrument with a new part. He may have 6 things going on in the chorus, and by the time he returns to the chorus a second time, there will be 8! MIDI, sequencers and digital recording platforms like Digital Performer, and Pro Tools make it easier and quicker to pile up track after track with fewer of the restrictions that you had in the analog days. The drums start on the one of bar four? What would it sound like if they came in earlier? Just go in and drag that track back! Yeah, that sounds better. Cool, let's redo it that way, wanna give it a try Bill? Of course Trent and the musicians and engineers and producers with him are all talented and creative enough to have come up with these ideas organicly as well. The point is just that sometimes the tools you use can influence the writing or vice versa. Digital recording lends itself to all kinds of editing and composing that can give a different perspective that is less linear and by the book. Does it matter if the next track I put down over that triad vamp is in the same key, or the same time signature? Well, does it sound cool? Alright then, good enough! It was also genius that he never totally abandoned "real" instruments. Be it piano, guitar, voice, drums, personally recorded sound effects. These are the sounds that tap into our subconscious emotions. All the drum machines, and synths and digital noise, and splicing and dicing he may do, if he uses some of these more familiar acoustic sounds, it gives us an "aural touchstone" if you like, to enhance an emotional, human connection.

[@theinfofficial]

i watched it all and got it totally. brilliant spot on work. that is interesting how you explained hearing this for the first time. I became a fan right before the release of the fragile and had time to catch up including the remixes so that by the time fragile dropped, I was so hype and ready and i picked it apart and would always make mixes of other songs mixed in or use songs from the fragile on mixes and La Mer is one that i obsessed over and even at some SUPER dark times. Its crazy now, decades later to be taking music lessons online willy nilly and then bump into content like this. Special indeed. Thanks again and YOU are the hero here for sure, or should I say heroine.

[@necr055]

I've listened to this song so much when I was in dark places and contemplating suicide. It's humbling, comforting and inspiring all at once. Thank you for covering it.

[@iximusic]

💜

[@ninmaniac87]

No, you're a hero! This is the favorite song from my favorite group. Each of your references to the other songs within the motif made me giddy. Gah, I love it!!

[@peach_total]

the thing i love so much about la mer (and a few other songs on the fragile) is that they sound like a happy memory, like a nostalgic look back to when things were better. or like being warmed by the sun through the window even though it’s bitterly cold outside

[@krnflks]

Also note that the bass line is the part from Into The Void.

[@aggelakas]

Trent's music works like poetry. Conflicting themes, the antithesis, the flow, are very common in poetry. So every song is structured like a poem. It is easy to the ear, like a small poem, but the genius behind it unravels when you start to delve into it.

[@jeffreycliff922]

there's something additionally beautiful in understanding this song better a little cookie crumb left by trent picked up by you thank you

[@stuartmayberry666]

Trent loves to use “imperfect” instruments in his music and even specifically mentioned it in relation to Ghosts I-IV.

[@joseolivagaytan1646]

This is such a thesis about not only NIN music but also psychology in music. Highly appreciated all the analysis, you are explaining why certain song creates certain feeling.

[@Reaps]

'La Warm Mer' was wonderful, i hope you record that one day.

[@rhinippo]

Can you hear 'A Warm Place' incorporated into Ixi's version or am I imagining things? Either way, it sounds great!

[@iximusic]

I've got an inkling to make some official mashups for y'all 🖤

[@iximusic]

You heard right! A Warm Place is the bassline, with the La Mer melody above.

[@rickao330]

@@iximusic A Warm Place also one of my favorites!

[@eatshitgoogle]

Speaking of Warm Place and other B-sides, how about nerding out about the very monotonic Erased, Over, Out? I'd dig that immensely. 😁

[@theinfofficial]

this has been one of my favorites off of the album since release. Watching this to learn what is happening blows my mind to think about all the times I tripped out over it but NEVER knew why. The only thing that I knew for sure, ALL of these years, was the dual time signature. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU DO HERE. This is awesome for not only musicians but listeners that just can't get enough. Kudos

[@taurusbull8276]

Could you break down "And All That Could Have Been" from the "still" album?

[@iximusic]

Yes :)

[@sparkleglitch13]

@@iximusic almost 10k now! I only joined a few days ago when it was around 3k! Well done!

[@mxyzplk68]

I like how you emphasize all of the pieces that are tied together throughout many of the songs on The Fragile. La Mer is heard throughout the entire album, with Star Fuckers being the one song that doesn't seem to fit the rest of the theme. It is as if La Mer IS his suicidal ideation, which is why you hear excerpts of La Mer in one form or another surfacing throughout the cycle of the the album's mood. I consider this whole album as one grand compilation just as Four Seasons was to Vivaldi.

[@twistypink6317]

The descriptions are poetic. The choices he makes are ugly but beautiful. Like our emotions when we listen. We see the beauty in our depression, and sad feelings. If he uses creating music to heal himself, than that's what is coming through. Him embracing those feelings. And when I write poetry about his music, it's because I am exploring my own. So... he is giving the listeners the gift of healing Music ROCKS!

[@ryangunwitch-black]

"La Warm Mer"... Yup. That's about what my head sounded like when I tried to do the damned thing. Glad I failed at that too!

[@michaelcastillo3231]

La mer is by far one of my favorite tracks by NIN because, in the end, it’s just Trents mind spilled out through piano. And all of us know how glorious it sounds.

[@littlebill1138]

A Warm Place is my absolute favorite Nine Inch Nails track. I'm so utterly blown away with the connection you found there and... La Warm Mer is just outstanding. Well done! I'd love a full video, or a track to stream.

[@TaylorMade1996]

Your channel is growing! Deservingly so, love to see it

[@iximusic]

Thank you very much! I still can't believe it. We'll be 1000 strong before we know it!

[@spacewooly]

This has always been my number one favorite NIN song. I have been a fan forever but when I heard this song, it just filled me with so many different types of emotions in a single song and I loved it.

[@sethhensley210]

I've commented elsewhere, but omg, thank you so much for undertaking this breakdown. When The Fragile first came out, I was perhaps not in the right place in life to get it. When I finally sat down, years later, to give it the mental space required, it became a sort of religious experience: I wouldn't listen unless I had a couple of hours free to take the whole thing in completely. Never having studied music theory formally, I have just enough understanding to appreciate what you've done and I love it. I don't know how you'd present it, but the four note progressions throughout the work (starting from the very beginning it's rather overtly announced that there's something going on in Somewhat Damaged) that are built upon, chopped up, rearranged, turned upside down and inside out, seem to me to give it the quality of a very modern symphony. IN ANY CASE, LOVE YOUR WORK AND THANKS AGAIN!!!

[@laeonflux]

You're the heroine, I'm slowly becoming a fanboy of these analyses. So good and detailed. I'll keep tuning in any chance I get.

[@meh54]

One of my fave NIN tracks. Thank you so much for this breakdown! I remember listening to The Fragile for the first time, headphones on, lying on my bed w/ my eyes shut. I thought 'No You Don't' was an awesome track. Then 'La Mer' started and it genuinely took me by surprise. Not just the stylistic contrast of coming after an industrial metal banger, but how beautiful and how...unexpected it was? Casual listeners might associate Trent Reznor's music w/ angst, depression, anger, solipsism, etc., but the dude can write some really beautiful, and - dare I say it - relaxing tunes.

[@WayneBristol]

NIN is a huge part of me. I love this channel so god damn much. Thank you, ixi music.

[@turn1win387]

This song sticks out so much for me....Right after I watched Watchmen and realized it was Trent and Atticus, my mind came back to this song....the best one on the Fragile. You're doing great!

[@Bradley_Lute]

No wonder why he became a soundtrack composer! He was already composing soundtracks for unmade movies in his albums. It is all very Cinematic and moving. I love it.

[@andrewmodel101]

The most fluid and comprehensive analysis of La Mer I've ever seen. It's my favorite NIN song and you carefully deconstruct it in such a beautiful way that I couldn't grasp before. I've always been wondering why this song makes me feel like I'm suspended in the air, so thank you for this and all your other wonderful videos!

[@FinchReznor]

Your talent is a godsend. The science and music theory breakdown makes me cry buckets from all your descriptions that feel so perfect. All these emotions from NIN and then this?! Oh man...

[@jayjaygeez]

Great, great analysis. NIN’s been my favorite “band” since I was a teenager and throughout the years, I’ve gone back to this particular song to pull me out of dark places as I found something incredibly beautiful and uplifting about it, which I found especially incredible (and a bit ironic) after finding out the story behind it years after first hearing it. Keep up the amazing work!

[@klors]

[@h4724-q6j]

I think this has been fairly consistently one of my favourite tracks on The Fragile, but it always changes with this album. All of the links to not only Into The Void but also We're In This Together and Just Like You Imagined are really interesting, and I hadn't consciously noticed all of it before. I think there's something to be said about this really being the soul of the album, at the centre of it all both musically and literally.

[@iximusic]

I was imagining that theme could be symbolic of something, something that carried the narrative of The Fragile forward into its conclusion with Still. That kind of bigger picture thinking about albums and discographies isn't my strong suit, but it's fun to think about. I could be wrong but I think I read that making The Fragile was a period of healing in Trent's life after hitting rock bottom - the suicidal ideations that created "La Mer". So I like your interpretation.

[@clearsidemusic]

I honestly never thought I’d see anyone get this granular on NIN with this quality, appreciation and detail. Loving how it’s piano based. Thank you for making these. Keep it up.

[@amandakaybarrett5537]

Someone shared this in the NIN group on FB. This is the first one I’ve seen and I’m REALLY looking forward to watching ALL your videos! I love this kind of analysis. I really feel TR will be remembered in history as a composer above all else. Just amazing emotion in the music. Thank you for this! And awesome job!! 🖤💕🖤💕🖤

[@iximusic]

yay! I'm on that group probably every day, it's so awesome to connect with other fans! I hope you enjoy the other vids too :) I think you're right about that, especially since he's been so active scoring films. Genius man.

[@metaman1982]

Yes, The Warm Sea...I would put a warm place on repeat to lull me to sleep at night many nights ago...it was a place of comfort and warmth. I edited out the static at the very end of the track to keep things at a consistent temperature. Nicely done.

[@akira-xn8vm]

I JUST FOUND YOUR CHANNEL I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS!!! im so glad you break down this song and his other songs i cannot express how happy i am seeing other people understanding how deep and complex it is. i appreciate you. never stop talking about nin!!

[@TheBrody1986]

Huge NIN fan and music nerd. I love it when songs get deconstructed like this. This is one of my top fave NIN songs. Kudos and thanks for this wonderful channel!

[@giantjulez9632]

New to your channel and just wanted to tell you I love your videos. I am a longtime and hardcore NIN fan but am clueless about music from a technical perspective. I am gaining a whole new view on songs I have listened to hundreds of times. Thank you for all your work and for making it understandable to the layman. You rock. Would love to see you analyze some of trents more ambient stuff like the greater good.

[@aggelakas]

What you are doing is beyond amazing. I don't think you understand how good you are.

[@bobjeff55]

This is my new favourite channel! You're awesome, plz never stop analyzing NIN tunes! It's so great to see these songs broken down from a musical theory perspective. I feel like I've spent decades trying to convince people that Trent is a musical genius but most people seemed unable to see past the more superficial goth/industrial/pop vibes and hear the brilliance of what is actually happening in the tracks. I'm glad T-Rez is finally getting the recognition he deserves. I would love to see you analyze these other Fragile era tracks:

[@iximusic]

More Fragile coming after the TDS series for sure!

[@InsomniacRocker]

When that 4/4 drum beat comes blazing in, it scratches an itch in my head every time. love this song.

[@bowlingninja]

A great blend of music theory and lesson.

[@laz001]

Ixi, I like the new overlays on the screen and the clear explanations - it makes things clear and easy to understand for a song that I’d never really thought was so complex!

[@iximusic]

Cool, I really appreciate that feedback and I'm glad it helped!

[@138laurax]

The frequency of this tune sends shivers down my spine. Most of nails instrumentals do. He’s incredible! I love how you break it down bringing yet more appreciation to his art

[@iximusic]

I have to say I didn't feel that until I saw a live version (not in person, on KZbin). Then I was like "oh. I think I get it now." The pain and acceptance was clearer. I'm glad you got something out of the video!

[@138laurax]

@@iximusic you’re beautiful and beautifully talented. I could only wish to be as gifted 💕

[@ekimevilone]

I don't think I've ever been so pumped to stumble upon a youtube channel. Selfish me wants you to do an analysis of literally every single NIN piece (every piece from The Fragile at the very least!) If you decide to do a part two, the even more selfish me would like analysis on the drum sequence as well lol! Loving your vids! Subbed and I will be watching every video you've put out thus far and from here on in. Hope your channel grows and grows. So good! I feel that so many people hear a NIN song from the Downward Spiral era, decide it's "too noisy", don't understand it and don't give NIN the chance it deserves, especially considering The Fragile album was what followed which, in my opinion, was peak NIN.

[@iximusic]

So many from The Fragile are coming! I'm hoping people that are skeptical, like you said, of the musicality of this album might see there's so much more here than noise!

[@ekimevilone]

@@iximusic Don't forget to do The Big Comedown since you mention Into the Void during La Mer's analysis since that (baseline?) is in all three songs which literally made my brain implode when I first listened to the album! Man, I can't wait for more of your vids! Binge watched the channel today lol.

[@iximusic]

I LOVE that track. You're saying the La Mer theme is in that track too?

[@ekimevilone]

@@iximusic Oh dear, after just listening to it again I think I'm actually wrong on this one. I thought the guitar riff was the same if not similar but I think I'm actually mistaken. I can't read music nor play any instrument so if it was, you being an avid listener of NIN would have for sure picked up on it. Totally put my foot in my mouth here (cringe). Maybe give it a listen though and let me know what you think (guitar riff right at the end of the track, after the crescendo).

[@ekimevilone]

Nope, I'm definitely WRONG. Carry on, ignore everything I said other than when I told you you're awesome.

[@MikeyBakerMusic]

I just ran across your channel and it is now my favorite thing on KZbin. THANK YOU!!!

[@tidalboxer]

I love the motif that rubs throughout this album. It’s so beautiful.

[@RyanMear]

Just one of the coolest songs to get lost in. Thanks for the break down!

[@RyanMear]

Definitely glad to have found your channel, it just makes my appreciation grow for music I've already loved for decades.

[@DavidCouttsPhotography]

Monday nights are now my Ixi NiN Analysis nights!! Top notch as usual, loved La Mer Chaude at the end!

[@iximusic]

Trying to make Mondays suck a little less! ;) And thank you!

[@mortimermacmanus8965]

"Nothing can stop me now." Thanks; I had no idea.

[@kvop32984]

When I first heard this song, I felt the sad hopelessness in the music right away. It elicited a strong emotional reaction from me to say the least. Later, finding out he was suicidal while writing it totally made sense. I wonder if people with mental health issues or depression just hear this song differently.

[@SuperFranciscodias]

Thanks for analyzing nin, I can't get tired of this, although I don't understand anything about music theory.

[@saturninebear]

I am addicted to watching these deconstructions. Thank you.

[@dashracer82]

i am SO looking forward to your take on "We're in this together" - one of my all time favorites, and my wife and i's wedding song.

[@CosmicBao]

When you went over the the part of the song that sounds like F Major at 14:40, I'm reminded of the opening score of To Kill A Mockingbird by Elmer Bernstein. I listened to that score so many times. So beautiful. La mer remains one of my all time favorite NIN tracks of all time.

[@tlkshowhst]

This channel is such a breath of fresh air. Thanks for geeking out for us.

[@flannelogue]

This is such a wonderful breakdown of one of my favourite nin tracks, and it perfectly explains why I love it so much. I knew a lot was going on in this track, but I really had no idea to what length, so thank you for this.

[@iximusic]

I'm glad you have an even deeper understanding now - music feels limitless to me. There's always more!

[@pos6666666]

I would put this on my CD player when I rode the train from Irving to Dallas and just stare out the window. It's otherworldly.

[@ryangunwitch-black]

Nice avatar.

[@BWRyan75]

As a 45 year old amateur guitarist who has played for 25+ years, I still aspire to understand more about music theory. KZbin handed me your channel, and as I’m also a NIN this was quite a cool find! I understand enough to not be completely lost (you do a GREAT job of explaining complex concepts) but there’s so much here that feels new and mysterious it wants me want to dive in and learn more. Really awesome stuff, I can’t imagine the amount of time and thought goes into each of these videos. Also, the editing trick of changing the color palette between C Major and C Mxy... was pretty genius. 😊

[@iximusic]

This wonderful feedback, thank you! I'm honestly so happy that these videos are inspiring other musicians and aspiring musicians to play more, learn more, and create more! A lot of my musical ear development is related to my perception of color, emotions, textures, etc. and I find it helps tremendously with intuitive memorization. I'm glad you liked that!

[@andrewrivera2481]

YOU are GREAT & I love you. Thanks for these, super accessible, understandable, conversational, passionate, & smart. You hit pay dirt with this idea and you are inspiring me to look for a my first real quality weighted keyboard and finally learn piano. Im a self taught drummer, guitarist, synth enthusiast, budding junkyard music producer and overall music nerd who has been digging into more theory over the last year and these vids are inspiring brain fuel. Fun fact, a few years ago I taught myself my DAW workflow by recording the most faithful covers possible of The Fragile Left disc.

[@iximusic]

This made me tear up! What keyboard are you looking at? And HOW can I hear your The Fragile recreations? 🙌

[@andrewrivera2481]

@@iximusic Aw, 😊! I would love to share them. Ive thought about throwing the tracks up on here but Im a total youTube noob and have no idea how (yet). Right now the tracks are just in my computer, Im open to suggestions on how to share and any recommendations on keys. Was looking at Arturia Keylab 88 yesterday

[@MrTumnus1987]

Thank you for needing out totally on this, my favourite NIN song. Really appreciate going into all the nuances of the instrumentation. This is my new favourite channel, keep it up!

[@Nolaboy74]

"La Mer" is my all time favorite piece of music. Here's why: I bought "And All That Could Have Been" CD/DVD package (with the original "Still") in 2001 from Virgin Megatore in New Orleans. When "La Mer" began I had a transcendent moment. It felt like the most familiar three thirds I'd ever heard, like it was something my subconscious had always known and was only just now revealing to me. Perhaps I hadn't been open to it, perhaps I was too immature spiritually? I don't know but I've never had a more complete musical "awakening" before or since. I don't like to use the word "soul" a whole lot but this song definitely spoke/speaks to something deep, deep down inside, hiding way back in the most secret recesses of this person I claim to be! At the time I bought "AATCHB" I was working for a cruise line and we were visited New Orleans every Friday. Trent was living there at the time in his crazy-huge house in the Garden District and his 'Nothing' recording studio. If you have ever been to New Orleans you'll know just how magical and hypnotic and dangerous and spellbinding that city is. Knowing that Trent recorded "La Mer" in New Orleans and that the spoken word intro is in French Creole by (what sounds like) a young black woman truly anchors the piece to New Orleans and all its dense history and magnificence. I'm not talking about the gaudy "beads and tits and booze" New Orleans, I'm taking about the dark, foreboding, ancient, weather aged, gothic New Orleans where it is just very possible that vampires do exist! Being on a ship that travels to NOLA means you have to traverse the Mississippi River from the Gulf of Mexico. 128 miles of twists and shallow bends with oil refineries and shadowy houses on its banks. In the wintertime a thick layer of fog sits on the river at night and rolls out of the way of the ships as they pass each other. The glow from the refinery fires and sporadic houses cast the most eerie shapes and shadows onto the water. It is almost like being underwater. I would sit for literal hours listening to "La Mer" and the "Still" record over and over and over as I drank in that strange and scary but ultimately comforting night scene. That then became my favourite thing to do whenever I was lucky enough to be on a ship that had New Orleans as a port. I have sense memory now of that very act; whenever I listen to "La Mer" or "Adrift And At Peace" I am instantly back on the river watching those shadows dance across the dark muddy water. It is sublime. As a drummer I picked up on the 3/4 against 4/4 thing early on and interestingly I read in interview with John Densmore of The Doors where he talks about 3/4 against 4/4. The Doors use it in "Light My Fire" in the long instrumental section. The drums play 3/4 accents again the keyboard bass' 4/4 riff. This technique was/is used my some shamans to invoke a trance-like state and "trance-like" is exactly how I would describe "La Mer" to someone who has not heard it. Thank you for this incredible, in-depth breakdown. It made me smile and laugh and reminded me ONCE AGAIN just what a genius Reznor is. He truly is my musical idol...along with Frank Zappa. Love this channel and I look forward to more. You are very talented. Cheers.

[@JeffCommented]

I don't know a thing about music except what I like, (and I like a lot of the same music Ixi does) but I love listening her dork out on why it's good.

[@HornedBee]

I like your choice of lipstick in your videos, just like nin harmony, unconventional but totally fitting

[@StottMikel]

This is my second favorite piece of music he's ever written.

[@King.J]

'La Warm Mer' was beautiful.

[@iximusic]

Thank you 🙏/thanks Trent

[@NO_MTV]

I’ve been wigging out over NIN lately, finding them in all of this right now and you’re my solace!!! Totally feeling these technical unhinged breakdowns of this track.

[@Sixus1Media]

Music theory nut here and huge NIN fan so enjoying these breakdowns

[@kellysmith7357]

this is one of my favorites! i love when the drums kick in SO much. this whole album is such an emotional experience, it's hard to listen to just one song without going back and playing the whole thing. Im so happy there are other people out there that appreciate the music this man creates. Thank you for doing these analysis videos!! I'm nowhere near the level of music education that you seem to have but I love picking things apart... tl;dr youre very thorough and your videos are wonderful ty :)

[@iximusic]

I just watched an interview where Trent is saying that he doesn't think any one song on The Fragile really stands on its own, that they need their friends. I really immensely enjoy talking to other fans, regardless of their musical background, because we always hear and identify different things in the songs, broadening our understanding and appreciation for the music. Never hold back if you want to contribute to a breakdown - I'd love to hear your thoughts!

[@refl3ktor]

Thank you for your thoughtful analysis. I'm a rock guitarist and i suppose that colors the way i think about this song. For me La Mer is squarely in C. I hear the bass first and the piano riff second. So i hear it as 1 (C), m3, 4, m3, 4, m6, m7, m7, ROOT. that's definitely my tonal and rhythmic home. So it's a phyrigian bass line, with a mixolydian riff, and a mixolydian melody all very much in C. i don't think of it starting on B flat. To me the second B flat is the penultimate step in the long climb back and rather glorious return, finally to C. I like the observation that the sustain pedal adds a tritone in the repeated riff. Hear that very clearly. When the distorted guitar comes in, it's still just the major second of C which adds to the mixolydian feeling. It really does hang on that and mostly refuses to budge, although it moves to another note. ( I'd have to listen again, but whether its major third or perfect fourth or even flat 7, it's still mixolydian). So for me: in C; modal, phrygian bass, mixolydian top. I think you feel joy, triumph, and released tension when the *bass* hits the C. So i guess i think the repeated riff is a measure off ( i think ). I find where i am in the song by the bass, and when it returns to the tonic. Thanks again for this thoughtful video. Thank you for including the words, too! ❤ You play beautifully

[@frazerrhughess]

Music theory nerds rise up! Love your videos.it feels like. You’re making them just for me! Thanks!

[@rodrigotellom]

I'm rewatching this video, and at 4:13 Ixi talks about how the key is the tonal center, where notes want to return, that's why we call it home. But the fact that this song "doesn't have a tonal center" or key is because the tonal center, the "Home", is, well, the sea (Le Mer). As we all know, Trent wrote this song at a beach house, where he was having thoughts of ending his life: "it was meant to feel like walking into the ocean and extinguishing yourself" [ kzbin.info2knEQPDdiek?si=2MrKSGxsVKRfG1-b&t=3979 ]. So it's a song where Home is the ocean-just like the ocean has no ending, you never get there; there's no home, you never get there.

[@joefiorini]

Ixi, thank you so much for making these videos! I’ve always enjoyed and been inspired by Trent’s use of textures & synths to make beautiful and interesting music. I knew he was a good musician but you have helped me appreciate the role music theory plays in the emotion of his music. I just discovered you last week but I have been devouring your videos and your analyses have inspired so much in my own music. Thank you thank you! Please keep up the great work!

[@velocityVC17]

Awesome video! I liked how you looked for clues for the key in the other songs that have this motif. It’s an outstanding piece of NIN music.

[@iximusic]

Thank you so much! It was fun to try to connect all those dots. It's really grown on me, or I grew into it - at first it didn't make sense back when I first heard it.