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61 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The earthiest, rawest, most spontaneous album Reznor has released, July 24, 2008
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.
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome little album from Trent., July 23, 2008
I've been a Nails fan since the Broken/TDS days. Yes, it's common knowledge that Trent's calmed down a little. It happens with age. Some people can't accept that. Thing is, Trent has continued to be on the cutting edge of music for the majority of his career. He doesn't care what you think. He doesn't make music solely for you. He makes it because he loves doing it and he's dedicated his life to it.
On to The Slip. It's a short album -- comparable in length to With Teeth. But that's where the similarities end. It's more of a straight up rock record at first listen. And you will hear a lot of Trent's signature lyrical pieces such as "Fading away," "I am here right beside you" and "put the gun in mouth." But that's part of the fun. Classic Trent. Classic NIN. This is fun little album with something for everyone on it. Two awesome instrumentals -- dark and eerie. A great piano/vocal song that could find a home on Still. And some really aggressive kickass rock songs. If you can't get into an album like this, I can't help you.
The Limited Edition DVD is well worth the price of admission. It contains rehearsal versions of five songs from The Slip. And the energy displayed here by Trent (with no crowd) is inspiring. The guy really loves what he does. And one of the things I love most about NIN is when you hear live versions of the songs it's never like listening directly to the CD. He throws in a lot of different touches here and there to his songs that just plain rock. Echoplex, Head Down and Letting You really capture the feel for me here.
If you're a fan of NIN, buy a copy. You won't be sorry.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Give it time.., July 27, 2008
Reznor has been quite a busy man these past few years. Long gone are the days where fans would have to wait 4 or 5 years for a new album to come out. There is so much NIN news going on right now..it's really great to be a fan.
In 2007, it started with the apocalyptic alternate reality game. Dozens of websites popped up relating to this futuristic mythology of the world. This eventually led to the release Year Zero. A truly great masterpiece composed Reznor. The album featured lyric themes never heard in the NIN world before and sounds that you would never think be considered music. This electronic masterpiece was one of the most creative and noisy albums of 2007.
A few months go by and BAM! Ghosts I-IV was released. "A soundtrack for daydreams" Reznor describes. He's definitely right. This is the most experimental and "out there" NIN has ever gotten. From beautiful piano pieces, to trippy guitars, and video game-esque beats, this album was amazing. It still managed to keep that classic NIN sound we all love.
Just when it couldn't get any better, another album comes along. Best of all, it's for free. THE SLIP.
When I first listened to The Slip, I was honestly disappointed. It felt generic and boring, the songs were badly recorded, and there was so much noise you could hardly tell was Trent was singing. I disregarded it for a few weeks before listening to it again.
As I started listening to it more. I began to realize how great it really was. The Slip is so much different from other NIN albums, yet somehow the it goes back to their roots of The Downward Spiral and The Fragile.
The first thing I noticed is the recording of the album. I found it to be sloppy and muffled at first, but now I think that's one of the things that make the album awesome. All the songs sound a like a garage band recording. This makes the music sound raw and in your face. It sounds like the band is playing right next to you. The most notable use of the recording quality I'm talking about is on "Head Down".
The flow of the album is superb. There's so much variety in the styles of the songs, but Reznor (of course) finds a way to make them all flow together. The album feels like one giant song split up into different parts (like a Pink Floyd song).
The albums starts off with 999,999 (Instrumental). The song starts out slow but slowly progresses, adding more and more layers of sounds and noises. Although it's an instrumental song, it eventually builds up with Trent's muffled and chaotic voice, ending with "How did I slip into this?-".
1,000,000 kicks off with hard beating drums and typical NIN synth riffs. This song is a classic NIN rocker. Very "With-Teethy". It leads straight into..
Letting You. This song starts out with a complex and fast drum beat before being overtaken by some very noisy bass and synth. There's definitely some Year Zero-esque lyrics here. It ends with an intense bang.
Discipline is the next song. Dark disco is the best way to describe it. It's catchy, dance-able, and full of NIN goodness. Be sure to watch to the "music video" ;).
Echoplex. This song is very dark, yet fragile. The chorus is really melodic. The ending of the song has a lot of build up and instrumental goodness.
Head Down is the next song. The best song off the album in my opinion. The song starts of very heavy and angry before going to into the epic and beautiful chorus. The end of the song gets intense and chaotic before calming down to a slow and ambient synth. This leads into..
Lights in the Sky. This is the "piano" song off the album. It really is just Trent and a piano. The lyrics are extremely well written and gives the album a turning point in atmosphere. It flows very well into..
Corono Radiata (Instrumental). This song starts out with 5 minutes of serene ambiance. By the end it quickly turns into a dark and surreal soundscape. A great instrumental.
The Four of Us Our Dying (Instrumental). The dark and surreal ambiance of CR continues with this song, adding more sounds and noises. Pairs really nicely with CR.
Demon Seed. This is a really original NIN song. I really haven't heard anything like it. I can't really describe it well either. You'll just have to listen to it yourself =D. It's a great closing song though.
Overall, The Slip is a really great album. It has a wide variety of songs that go together really well. It will definitely grow on you, so please give it some time. Highly recommended as a first NIN album to listen to. It covers all the areas of NIN, as well as covering some new ones.
Key tracks: 1000000, Echoplex, Head Down, Lights in the Sky, The Four of Us Our Dying, Demon Seed.
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