Search - Nine Inch Nails :: The Slip

A good end to a great stretch

Donald A. Planey | Chicago, IL USA | 11/13/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As the last album in a striking creative streak, it's inevitably for the Slip to get some flak. The albums preceding it were much longer and relied more upon lyrical narrative and complex musical structure. 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. 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. 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. 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. From the opening tracks thru Lights in the Sky, the album is almost entirely straight-up rock and roll dissonance. 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). Reznor's voice even sounds upbeat in an Iggy Pop sort of way, which contrasts nicely with his usual red-hot lyrical angst. 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. The album's second phase starts with "Lights in the Sky," one of the most beautiful piano pieces the man has ever written. "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. They fit well with the rest of the album despite their stylistic differences, largely because they sound more exotic than moody. 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. Along with its fun, NIN-lite style, it also lacks the excesses and hiccups detectable on Year Zero and With Teeth. 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."

Great album, get it for free @ nin.com

Jeremy Anderson | 10/16/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great NIN album. Each song is a masterpiece. But unless you're buying the physical cd, DO NOT pay for it!!! Trent Reznor has made a point of giving his music to his fans for free since leaving Interscope Records. Go to nin.com and download this entire album for FREE!"