Matt Bellamy is more musically talented than Trent Reznor

Discussion in 'Other Music' started by Mark, Apr 6, 2008.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. #41
    Louis

    Louis Message me if you need to talk. We love you all. LPA Team

    Joined:
    Apr 17, 2005
    Messages:
    8,769
    Likes Received:
    333



    Here's something else that I've noticed as far as Trent Reznor is concerned:

    A lot of people only say that he's so incredibly talented only because a lot of others do. It seems to be a bandwagon thing. I mean, I do agree that he's a very talented musician to say the least, and that he's established himself as an elite musician at that. However, it seems that not a lot of people give credit to Matt Bellamy, and only seem to go as far as the voice to point talent credits.

    I do believe that Matt Bellamy is more talented in some ways. You see Trent who can play several instruments, but from what I've noticed, you'll never see Trent Reznor do something with guitar or piano that could be compared to the piano in, perhaps, Butterflies and Hurricanes, or guitar that could be compared to something so diverse and interesting to perhaps Hysteria, Plug In Baby, or especially Knights of Cydonia. Not to mention, if you've ever watched Muse's live performances, Matt improvises a lot. It's pretty much amazing how much he does it and how awesome it sounds in the set.

    I've seen some of Nine Inch Nails live performances, and I personally think that Trent would establish himself as a better musician than Matt if he could do things like that with all of the instruments that he plays.

    One thing I'll give credit to Trent for is how he can incorporate pure noise into making pretty awesome music. I'm not going to lie but I don't many other people who can make pure noise, using pure static and just some sort of wretched sound and turn it into something beautiful. Trent does that. However, I've noticed other music of Trent's that is just noise and it's nothing spectacular at all.

    In no way am I attacking Trent and I personally have a lot of respect for the guy, I just think people need to start giving a bit more credit to Matt, even if you believe Trent is a better musician. Both are musical geniuses and I think both deserve a lot of credit no matter what you may or may not believe.
     
    Last edited: Apr 6, 2008
  2. #42
    Dean

    Dean LPA Addict LPA Addict

    Joined:
    May 8, 2004
    Messages:
    18,858
    Likes Received:
    140



    I think we can all agree that Colin Hay owns them both.
     
  3. #43
    Chris.

    Chris. LPA Super Member Über Member

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2003
    Messages:
    12,474
    Likes Received:
    29



    I don't see why it's such a crime to like Nine Inch Nails or Trent Reznor a lot. This whole fandom thing is being blown so far out of proportion. Yes, people on here love Nine Inch Nails but why all of a sudden do we have to put up with thread after thread trying to prove why Trent's a piece of shit artist that doesn't deserve any praise? Honestly, I could see having a thread about Matt Bellamy, but to try and prove why he's more talented than someone else is ridiculous.
     
  4. #44
    Disenchanted

    Disenchanted The Black Parade is Dead! LPA Super Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2006
    Messages:
    6,415
    Likes Received:
    29



    Matt > Trent.

    Maybe it's because Trent and NIN's overrated, and that I really enjoy listening to both Muse and Radiohead.
     
  5. #45
    Dean

    Dean LPA Addict LPA Addict

    Joined:
    May 8, 2004
    Messages:
    18,858
    Likes Received:
    140



    There's been like one thread actually criticising Trent.
     
  6. #46
    Chris.

    Chris. LPA Super Member Über Member

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2003
    Messages:
    12,474
    Likes Received:
    29



    Well this thread isn't exactly putting him in good light.
     
  7. #47
    Louis

    Louis Message me if you need to talk. We love you all. LPA Team

    Joined:
    Apr 17, 2005
    Messages:
    8,769
    Likes Received:
    333



    It's not a crime to like Trent Reznor a lot. And it's got nothing to do with trying to prove that Trent is a piece of shit artist. It's the fact that liking Nine Inch Nails seems to be based more on the image of looking like you have good musical taste than it is acknowledging that Trent Reznor is a talented musician. Everyone's been jumping on the bandwagon, and these threads, although at times unnecessary, show that there are other people besides Trent Reznor in this world who also make good music, if not better music, and deserve the same sort of respect he gets.

    No one in here has actually said anything about Trent being a shit musician. If anything, we've all acknowledged Trent as an elite musician and have given him his credit. This is just a thread regarding whether or not people think that Matt Bellamy is more talented. None of it has to do with putting down Trent or Nine Inch Nails.
     
  8. #48
    Chris.

    Chris. LPA Super Member Über Member

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2003
    Messages:
    12,474
    Likes Received:
    29



    But why are you looking at it like that? Why does it have to look like we like Trent just to be cool? In the last thread that Daniel started, I'm pretty sure all of us admitted that Trent had faults and NIN has some bad CDs, so it's not like we're blindly worshipping the band to be cool, but now we get another thread to try and prove why someone else is more talented than he is. Trent Reznor is not the most talented man in the world and I'm pretty sure no on here believes that.

    As I said before, I could totally see a thread about how Matt Bellamy is talented but why does it have to be about how he's more talented than Trent Reznor?
     
  9. #49
    Iain

    Iain i am a sloth LPA Super Member

    Joined:
    Mar 22, 2007
    Messages:
    5,532
    Likes Received:
    12



    Because some people are of that opinion, I guess. I know far too many people who just like NIN because it's cool to like them. Personally, I dont' care if it's cool or not. If the music's good enough, I'll listen.
     
  10. #50
    Louis

    Louis Message me if you need to talk. We love you all. LPA Team

    Joined:
    Apr 17, 2005
    Messages:
    8,769
    Likes Received:
    333



    Why does it have to look like that? I don't know. That's not a question I can answer for you. That's just what it looks like to me. Can I help that that's my view of the storm that took over this 'Other Music' forum was partially a bandwagon? Not really. That's just how I view it. It's not that I think that Nine Inch Nails is getting more credit than it deserves, but it just comes off to me as a "I'm going to talk about them and say I like Trent Reznor because everyone else is." Maybe I'm wrong. I never doubted that. That's just what it looks like to me.

    There's nothing wrong with trying to prove that someone else is more talented. People just like doing that. Mark wanted to do it, and why he did is just something you have to ask him, not me. Perhaps he too is sick of the Trent frenzy and wants to put someone else in the spotlight over him. Maybe it wasn't necessary and could have just made them talk about Matt. However, I would imagine that a reason why he titled it as such was because people would just go on about how there are more talented people, and a name that would probably come up in place of Matt Bellamy is Trent Reznor. So, in turn, that might be a reason why Mark wanted to blatantly state that Matt is better, to avoid the Trent turnaround and to perhaps further explain Matt's talent and why he's definitely up there, perhaps farther up than Trent Reznor.

    So, I can't really give you a legit reason. You'll have to hear it straight from the horse's mouth (just for the record, Mark, you are not a horse).
     
  11. #51
    Chris.

    Chris. LPA Super Member Über Member

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2003
    Messages:
    12,474
    Likes Received:
    29



    All the Nine Inch Nails talk was confined to one Nine Inch Nails thread though, so if you didn't want to read about them, you didn't have to. It didn't really take over "Other Music".
     
  12. #52
    Dean

    Dean LPA Addict LPA Addict

    Joined:
    May 8, 2004
    Messages:
    18,858
    Likes Received:
    140



    People have just said they prefer one or the other, outside of the whole debate about whether Muse are Radiohead rip-offs or not. Not to mention that this discussion isn't specific to NIN, so if it were put in their thread it would take that over. Chillax.

    To contribute to the Radiohead/Muse thing, you can only really say that about early Muse and early/more straightforward Radiohead. After that, is Matt Bellamy sounds a bit like Thom Yorke. And they're a rock band. That's about it. If anything they come closer to ripping off Rush, but I wouldn't even accuse them of that.

    But yes, to reiterate my original post in this thread, Colin Hay is the world's greatest living musician.
     
  13. #53
    Louis

    Louis Message me if you need to talk. We love you all. LPA Team

    Joined:
    Apr 17, 2005
    Messages:
    8,769
    Likes Received:
    333



    Well, perhaps the way I worded that was incorrect, but it's still a fairly popular thread. That's the point I'm trying to make, as far as a lot of people liking NIN, whether or not it be for image.
     
  14. #54
    $pvcxGhxztCasey

    $pvcxGhxztCasey meanwhile... LPA Addicted VIP

    Joined:
    Mar 14, 2003
    Messages:
    15,888
    Likes Received:
    44



    this thread boggles my mind, and not because people think Matt Bellamy is more talented than Trent Reznor, either.

    so, maybe i'm not able to comprehend this situation correctly since i'm exhausted from work, but because my two NIN threads generated a fair portion of the Other Music subforum, it's because people are bandwagoning and only liking NIN because it's popular? no, i guess it has nothing to do with how alot of people on these forums (BELIEVE IT OR NOT!) actually do like Nine Inch Nails and/or Trent Reznor.

    nah, fuck it, they're just trying to look cool on the internet.

    EDIT: I guess the comment by... whoever about liking NIN to have the image of superior musical taste was directed at me, since i have that very phrase in my signature.
     
  15. #55
    Mark

    Mark Canadian Beauty LPA Administrator

    Joined:
    Jul 14, 2002
    Messages:
    24,864
    Likes Received:
    463



    The reason I made this thread isn't to take on the NIN fans (for I'm one of them) or the Trent love here, far from it.

    I'm a gigantic fan of both these bands. They often alternate from #1 and #2 of my favourite bands. I'm highly familiar with both their entire works (perhaps moreso than anyone else when we're talking about the two bodies of work collectively). But this thread isn't a NIN vs. Muse pissing match, it's the musician Trent Reznor vs. the musician Matt Bellamy.

    There's no question about Trent's creativity and innovation as an artist. The stuff he comes up with is bizarre and inspiring. He's a highly talented musician who is unique to virtually everyone.

    But over the last few months as I've become more and more of a Muse fan, it has dawned on me that I believe Matt Bellamy is a more talented musician. Perhaps more "skilled" would be a more apt description. Piano-wise, guitar-wise, and vocals-wise I give the edge to Matt Bellamy in every category. I haven't included lyrics in the equation (something Trent wins in my mind), since it isn't an exclusively musical trait.

    I haven't seen Trent Reznor do anything on the piano that parallels Matt's complexity on "Butterflies & Hurricanes". I haven't seen Trent Reznor do anything on the guitar that parallels "Stockholm Syndrome". Vocally, I don't think it can be argued that Trent has more of a range than Matt. There are other arguments that can be made for other performances by Matt vs. those of Trent, but those are the first examples that come to my mind.

    I'm not trying to take anything away from Trent Reznor, he's a fantastic musician. But like you, Casey, I like to open others' eyes to new music as well, and I have a real belief that Matt is superiorly skilled musician than Trent and that his work is worth checking out for those who are open-minded to new music.

    Now can we continue this discussion without the personal barbs and focus on the debate at hand?
     
  16. #56
    $pvcxGhxztCasey

    $pvcxGhxztCasey meanwhile... LPA Addicted VIP

    Joined:
    Mar 14, 2003
    Messages:
    15,888
    Likes Received:
    44



    i'll be the first to admit that trent reznor isn't a steve vai or a jeff buckley. i, for one, think while reznor is shit on the guitar (like someone said before in this thread, he's been playing for 20 years and he's still the most basic guitar player there is). i do, however, think reznor, while maybe not as talented as bellamy on the piano, isn't too shabby (basically the entire fragile album, still, selected works from ghosts, etc). vocals i gotta give it to reznor. bellamy's vocals, while he has a good voice and quite the set of pipes on him, it's grating after repeated listenings, where as reznor's is soft spoken (harsh at times) and has become well seasoned through-out the years. lyrics goes to bellamy, seeing as how while reznor can take the most mundane subjects interesting and complex, he has a tendency to never switch them up (minus Year Zero). Pretty Hate Machine, With Teeth, The Fragile.. all of those albums deal with isolation and hate (TDS being more like Year Zero, telling a collective story).

    I think as the years go on, Muse will probably surpass Nine Inch Nails in terms of popularity, while Trent winds down his career and focuses solely on production and the occasional album in the vein of Ghosts, most likely. It's even sided for me in this little debate, as I'm a HUGE fan of Nine Inch Nails, but I do enjoy my fair share of Muse tracks (i remember dancing in my room when the video for Time Is Running Out was first released; it's fucking infectious).

    Also, one of my favorite things about Nine Inch Nails is how Reznor reinvents the band each time he goes out and tours in support of an album. While you may see one or two people multiple times in a reincarnation, very rarely will you see the full band for one era pick up where they left off for the next era (ie: Fragility live era members weren't playing in the With Teeth live era, etc.)

    the only thing that pisses me off about this thread is, like Mark said, the personal barbs that seem to be thrown around like they're baseballs.
     
    Last edited: Apr 6, 2008
  17. #57
    Mark

    Mark Canadian Beauty LPA Administrator

    Joined:
    Jul 14, 2002
    Messages:
    24,864
    Likes Received:
    463



    Oh yeah, I'm not saying Trent Reznor is a shite musician. He's talented on each instrument. It's just when talking about musical skill, I think Bellamy gets the edge.

    That's understandable. That seems to be the major complaint by most who listen to Muse about Matt's tendency to let his vocals carry on and, as Cale puts it, "twang". I think it's a matter of getting used to it for some, as it is with getting used to NIN's music as a new fan. Personally, I've never had a problem with it.
     
  18. #58
    Louis

    Louis Message me if you need to talk. We love you all. LPA Team

    Joined:
    Apr 17, 2005
    Messages:
    8,769
    Likes Received:
    333



    Casey: I was the one who made the image comment, but it wasn't directed at you. I know you like Nine Inch Nails and I would never assume you to be the kind of person who says they like a band just for the image. You don't seem like that sort of person. And I'm not the sort of person who is going to make any personal attacks on people due to musical things.

    So nothing against you, is all I'm saying. I don't want to get into any fights over who is the better musician.

    - - -

    As far as what Mark said about Muse and Matt, I agree with him 100%.
     
  19. #59
    Rachel

    Rachel look at my horse. LPA Super Member

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2004
    Messages:
    5,416
    Likes Received:
    9



    I appreciate the fact that Trent actually knows something about chords and such, and involved himself in all aspects of music. I just don't like Muse, except two songs. Otherwise, I don't see what's so great about them. Neither of them are geniuses. They're just both good at what they do, two separate genres, two differing musical talents in regards to the genres.

    Next.
     
  20. #60
    Mark

    Mark Canadian Beauty LPA Administrator

    Joined:
    Jul 14, 2002
    Messages:
    24,864
    Likes Received:
    463



    I suppose you have to be familiar with both bands' works to understand what I'm saying.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page