An incredibly heartbreaking track off a creative album, While I'm Still Here brings to mind mortality, not only of the listener but also of the artist. Reznor's words sound applicable to his career, his relationships, his very life. The best album of 2013, Hesitation Marks reminds the listener of the passage of time; not only directly as on this track but also indirectly by the similarity of the sound of the album compared to works nearly 20 years old (The Downward Spiral). Invoking the past, whether intentional or not, gives the listener the intense feeling of an end approaching to what was begun long ago.
An incredibly heartbreaking track off a creative album, While I'm Still Here brings to mind mortality, not only of the listener but also of the artist. Reznor's words sound applicable to his career, his relationships, his very life. The best album of 2013, Hesitation Marks reminds the listener of the passage of time; not only directly as on this track but also indirectly by the similarity of the sound of the album compared to works nearly 20 years old (The Downward Spiral). Invoking the past, whether intentional or not, gives the listener the intense feeling of an end approaching to what was begun long ago.