Danny Elfman and Trent Reznor have a lot in common. They both started out as outré weird-kid rock stars before becoming legends in the film-score world. (Reznor has two Oscars, and Elfman has none, which is weird to think about.) Last year, Elfman released a solo album called Big Mess, and then he teamed up with Reznor for a new version of the album track “True.” Today, Elfman and Reznor have joined forces again — this time for another new version of another Big Mess song. This time, they’ve taken apart and reassembled the album track “Native Intelligence.”
“Native Intelligence” is a churning, off-kilter rocker. On the new version of the song, Trent Reznor sings lead vocals, and his wracked-howl voice gives the song a very different feeling than the dramatic Elfman original. The Reznor versions of “Native Intelligence” and “True” will both appear on a limited-edition box-set version of Big Mess, which also includes more reinterpretations and remixes, as well as a 60-page hardcover book. Below, listen to the new version of “Native Intelligence” as well as the Elfman original.
The box-set version of Elfman’s album Big Mess is out now, and you can order it here. Elfman will perform at Coachella next month; check out our We’ve Got A File On You interview with Elfman here.
