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Really this is some of the best stuff he's put out in years. This album is the "apology" or return from that. Several fans were put off by Year Zero and the change in sound that was on it. I listen to this album often and rarely skip a track and when I do it's not because it's a bad track, it's because I'm not in the mood for that song. This album is excellent. Not quite as strong as the last few by NIN, but it returns to their older style of music. Personally I liked Year Zero a lot, but this album is very accessible for his hard core fans and those that preferred the first few albums to what he's been putting out more recently.
The album increases with strength as it progresses even as it mellows, and by the end, you'll be adrenalized by the power of Reznor's music, tone and lyrics.And as the Beastie Boys once prominently proclaimed, "you can't fart on that." However, if you're looking for a surreal trip into the mind of a genius, then give this a try. This is not a hard-core rock-album like some of Reznor's previous works. In fact, the two weakest tracks (in my opinion) are the only two that explore his techno-metal roots. It's not his best album, but compared to much of the music offered up by the over-caffeinated, morning-zoo, pop-culture, radio-world at our finger-tips, this is pretty d@mn good.
Reznor's voice even sounds upbeat in an Iggy Pop sort of way, which contrasts nicely with his usual red-hot lyrical angst. They fit well with the rest of the album despite their stylistic differences, largely because they sound more exotic than moody. The first track "999,999" serves as a tense lead up to "1,000,000" which charges forwards with aggressive, fast-paced electronics accompanied by live drums (either that or live-sounding drum samples). Overall, it is remarkably good for a free album, much like Radiohead's "In Rainbows." More importantly, it's an album that lives up to NIN's long and varied creative legacy.
"Corona Radiata" and "The Four of us are Dying" are both adventurous ambient pieces that lack the emotional heaviness that previous NIN instrumentals have been caked in. Year Zero told a story much like the Downward Spiral Had, With Teeth attempted to be usual NIN fare, while Ghosts was in a league of its own. Finally, the album caps off with one final rocker, "Demon Seed."The Slip is uniquely digestible for a NIN album, and probably deserves praise based on that alone. Reznor tries new things in the Slip, and at the same time it harkens back to Broken-era NIN, if only for its lack of restraint. The albums preceding it were much longer and relied more upon lyrical narrative and complex musical structure. All in all, With Teeth, Year Zero, and Ghosts represented almost FIVE hours of music total, all released in the span of a couple years. From the opening tracks thru Lights in the Sky, the album is almost entirely straight-up rock and roll dissonance. These "rock" tracks may not have the complexity or depth NIN has displayed in the past, but it's undeniable that they are well-written, catchy, and energetic.
Along with its fun, NIN-lite style, it also lacks the excesses and hiccups detectable on Year Zero and With Teeth. As the last album in a striking creative streak, it's inevitably for the Slip to get some flak. So, it's no wonder that the Slip may seem paltry in comparison- it's stripped-down garage rock sound certainly doesn't help either.However, after multiple listens, the Slip has started to sound superior to Year Zero and With Teeth for me (Ghosts isn't even worth comparing, it's an entirely different animal), and is even becoming one of my favorite NIN albums. The album's second phase starts with "Lights in the Sky," one of the most beautiful piano pieces the man has ever written.
In the package, is the record, THE SLIP, on CD, which plays well and is interesting to listen to. Also contained is, the rehearsal sessions of the some of the songs shot in HD, I believe, which makes for good viewing.
It is excellent. I have enjoyed seeing them live a few times and they are still an excellent band as far as a live show is concerned. It is the simple fact that his music just isn't good anymore. If you like music with heavy loud guitars and great choruses then go pick up the new CKY (Carver City). While I did enjoy NIN's earlier material, his new stuff just doesn't do it for me. It isn't that I want to hear The Downward Spiral 5 times over. Trent has seemed to have lost that spark of angst and cynicism that made albums like The Fragile, and Broken so addictive and visceral.I may be being a bit too harsh but,I have listened to NIN since Pretty Hate Machine and I think as a long time fan I deserve to voice my own opinion.
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