May 6, 2008
nine inch nails_the slip
Nine Inch Nails has another nin album for free. trent likes you. he doesnt like the music biz. nin has offered raw tracks to download and remix for years now, but in a trend that everyone from Radiohead to Thin Fevers uses, its great to see a stadium artist like Trent Reznor offer his work for free, to a listener he knows will appreciate it, or not. thats the catch; there is no catch. its free. listen. like or dont like. in the case of The Slip, for me, its love.
but it takes some time for me to love a nails album, here is why.
but first, i really think trent needs to take a break, but at the same time, love that he his cranking out really amazing work.
i thought the downward spiral and the remix albums that peppered the bins of record stores for two years after its release was good output, but he is unstoppable right now.
i was not a fan of The Fragile; i found it to be too transitional, not cohesive, and longwinded.
i waited a few months to really listen to With Teeth, but when i dove in, the waters go deep, quickly.
i rocked that album for a year and then Year Zero happened. a great record, but it lacked sonic depth. subject wise it was on point, but the songs seemed rushed.
the the remix album came out (for free) - it made me revisit Zero for the basic tracks and to really listen to his approach to self recording and post production.
ghosts is really a masterpiece of contemporary media meeting art somewhere on the internet. its textures and visuals are the best of any concept album from the last 20 years….
but the slip? its a real record. its got a beginning and an end. everything in between is the journey that pays off in the end. ridiculous sounds ive never heard presented in a way that makes it specifically nine inch nails, but the listening isnt a chore, its a pleasure. except for the end of ‘the joy’….its a speaker blower of a frequency…. the slip is the dance by yourself album to keep close and share with those you know will get it.
yea, its aggressive, sad, and dark. but so am i. many people that love music cannot deny the beauty in subjects that otherwise dont fill their day, but at times, an album like this fits. it fits the way they are feeling or thinking, or its just the right thing to crank and rock to.
Good review. Thanks Ben!