Nine Inch Nails - Slip (W/Dvd) (Dig)
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Free Music Notes for Slip (W/Dvd) (Dig)
Free Music Review: His best in years
Hit: 5 Stars
His best in years. I love this album from start to finish. Nice to have it finally released. The flow is perfect.Free Music Review: Newest Nine Inch Nails Album
Hit: 5 Stars
From the times I have already to listen to it, I think this is one of their better worksFree Music Review: nin new cd
Hit: 5 Stars
pretty god , of cause I don't own the CD , I got the digital copy from nin's websiteFree Music Review: The earthiest, rawest, most spontaneous album Reznor has released
Hit: 4 Stars
4.5 Stars
For the first fifteen years of NIN's inception, fans would have to wait patiently, five or six years to hear new music. It was just a fact of life that it took forever for Trent Reznor to record and release a new album...in the past few years; however, the opposite is now true.
Including Saul William's "The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust!" (which Reznor helped write and produce) and "Year Zero Remixed," (both 2007) Nine Inch Nails new album "The Slip" (2008) is the sixth album Trent Reznor has released in the past three years. Sobriety and (as of last year) being free of a major label have certainly been agreeable to Mr. Reznor.
"The Slip" (Halo 27) is not what one might have expected after the grand, dysphoric "Year Zero" with its' Public Enemy beats and songs concerning what a hell the United States will look like in 15 years. "The Slip," by contrast is probably the earthiest, rawest, most spontaneous album Reznor has released. Since only a few weeks were spent writing and a few more spent recording this album, one can see why. Luckily, however, the album manages not to sound rushed or sloppy. It seems that Reznor got the ball rolling, went with it, and didn't over think anything. Guitarist Robin Finck, keyboardist Alessandro Cortini and drummer Josh Freese also made contributions to the album.
Unlike "Year Zero," no time is spent contemplating the state of the world. This probably works for the best, as two albums in a short period of time concerning how bad things could get in the U.S. might be overkill. Rather, like most NIN albums, "The Slip" is personally reflective--although at 43, Reznor's lyrics seem to be a little more refined.
As the album begins, one is lured into a false sense of calmness with the short, low-key opening "999,999" before being thrust into the pounding "1,000,000." Noisy, loud and intense, this track makes for an ideal opener. The momentum doesn't let up with the equally forceful "Letting You," whose sort of peculiar, off-key chorus is where its strength lies.
"Discipline," the album's first single, might at first seem like a rehash of "The Hand that Feeds" (from "With Teeth") but after a few listens it is clear that this song is superior. The groove here is just undeniable. "I need your discipline, I need your help...you know once I start I cannot help myself" Reznor proclaims, possibly fearful that he might one day fall off the wagon--or otherwise lose control.
The almost claustrophobic "Echoplex," another outstanding song, has a sort of hypnotic feel. Laid-back, this song kind of grabs hold of you without you even noticing. The somewhat disparaging "Head Down" is a little reminiscent of the bizarre (yet awesome) "Vessel" from "Year Zero." The melodic chorus kind of comes as a surprise.
Maybe one of Reznor's most heart-felt songs, "Lights in the Sky" is the album's strongest gem. Stripped down, this piano composition is deeply melancholy--although Reznor isn't bemoaning himself--rather this song seems to be directed at someone whom he cares deeply about, stating:
Watching you drown
I'll follow you down
And I am here right beside you
The lights in the sky
Have finally arrived
I am staying right beside you
The rest of the album is mostly all instrumental work. Following "Lights in the Sky" we are led to "Corona Radiata." Over seven minutes in length and minimalistic, one might think it would get a bit monotonous--but it never does, staying intriguing until the very end. The subtle, haunting guitar work leaves a lasting impression. A little noisier and a little more intense "The Four of us are Dying" is no less memorable.
Reznor seems to say that he's about to lose it in the hectic closing "Demon Seed." This one may take a few listens to really get into--but it's definitely very cool and a good way to conclude the album.
The accompanying DVD featuring the band rehearsing "1,000,000," "Letting You," "Discipline," "Echoplex" and "Head Down" is very cool and will definitely be of interest to fans of the album.
Free Music Review: The Slip
Hit: 4 Stars
Three and a half stars.
You know, I'm not going to bore you here with the story of "The Slip", being that I don't assume that Nine Inch Nails has many casual fans anymore, and anyone is interested knows that it is availble for free on the groups website. Rather, let's for go that whole discussion and move directly to the record itself.
Being prolific, apparently, is very good to Trent Reznor. After having to wait five years for 1999's "The Fragile", and six years for its insipid followup, 2005's "With Teeth", I didn't expect a new Nine Inch Nails record, going with their average pace, until 2010. But here we are in 2008, and Reznor has released three strong records in a row, with "Year Zero", the instrumental collection "Ghosts "I-IV", and his newest record, "The Slip".
It is true that there isn't a whole lot new here. The record utilizes the things that Reznor has been doing pretty much every since the beginning: hard rock/ industrial, with some ambient instrumental pieces and "ballads" thrown in for good reason. This record is also a logical progression from his last "with singing!" LP, "Year Zero", as it boasts a (for him) more minimalist production sound and emphasis on big beats.
But you know what? For an artist who has been recording for almost twenty years, Reznor and his defacto project, Nine Inch Nails, can be forgiven for not reinvinting the wheel. The man never sounds bored on "The Slip", rather providing new colors for his already trademark sound.
"The Slip" starts off with a short ambient piece before launching into "1,000,000", a propulsive, driving song that sets the tone for the first half of the record. "Letting You" follows suit, all punchy drums and loud guitars crashing together with more enthusiasm than many of Reznor's peers and followers can put into an entire record. "Discipline" is flat out the funkiest song the man has ever commited to tape, going back to the disco-esque hi-hat work from his biggest hit, "Closer", with a bass line as tight and fluid as anything he has committed to tape (or, computer hard drive, as it were). "Echoplex" isn't as hard hitting as the earlier songs, but is still Nine Inch Nails rock, patented 1992.
On side B of the record, Reznor slips into his more subdued material. The instrumentals that adorn this part of the record are reminscent to what the man did with "Ghosts", and the ballad like "Lights in the Sky" has a tossed off feel that compliments the song perfectly, sounding vaguely like something off of "Still", the bonus disc that came with his live record, "And All That Could Have Been".
Now, I know I used a lot of references there to Nine Inch Nails earlier catalog. Again, "The Slip" is a piece of that catalog, and it's actually kind of comforting to hear Reznor hitting a groove. "The Slip" is also Reznor's most consolidated record since his debut, having just ten tracks and running under fifty minutes long. There is no overarching concept here, just a tight record, something new for Reznor.
Now, the cons. Reznor still remains a fairly terrible lyricist. The man continues to write like a fifteen year old dissed by a girl in high school, all pent up rage at nothing in particular. His words continue to be a drag, and where "Year Zero" at least saw him trying to grow out of it and look at something outside of himself, here, once again, he points the finger right at Reznor, and doesn't come up with anything interesting to say.
Also, the sequencing is flawed. By putting all the rockers at the beginning and the ambient stuff at the end, it hurts any sort of flow that could have been accomplished by mixing it up, spreading it out, the record would have a stronger impact than it does.
"The Slip" is not the great Nine Inch Nails record. But it is a strong album from Reznor and crew, a worthy addition to their canon, and one that is worth adding to your MP3 library.
NOTE ON PHYSICAL EDITION: This edition comes with a 24 page booklet, digipack foldout, a bonus DVD that features the band playing five of the songs live in rehersals, and a nifty sticker pack for everyone's lunchboxes.