Review: The Slip

The Slip

Nine Inch Nails

2008

I am biased when I say that 2008 was a good year for Nine Inch Nails, from my perspective at least. Touring, 2 albums within the span of 2 y- hold the phone! 3 albums within the span of 2 years and this is where my review starts.

2008 was indeed a good year for Nine Inch Nails. But an even better year for fans. Instead of being treated to a routine wait period of at least 5 years, the waits were considerably shorter: With Teeth was released in 2005 and people were shocked by Year Zero in 2007 and even more surprised by Ghosts I-IV in 2008. Imagine their faces when a few months later they got The Slip, for free!

Get it? Trent gave people The Slip! Ha!

Joking aside, I was just as shocked by such a release schedule. Granted, it's been done before but for someone like Trent Reznor to deliver material so frequently was almost unheard of. What makes things more interesting is that The Slip was written and recorded in three weeks and still stands head and shoulders with the rest of the Nine Inch Nails discography because it blends in quite well with the rest of the Nine Inch Nails discography. The themes frequently covered are present (though one can argue that there is a change of sorts, or at the very least the approach has shifted through the lyrics) and the fact that the production was basically rushed only enhances that which Trent Reznor articulates so goddamn well every time (angst, anger, tension, among other things). Letting You, Discipline, and 1,000,000 to name a few. (The latter two I remember very clearly as being played live in 2008 during a concert for the Lights in the Sky tour because I had to stop myself from shrieking like an excited schoolgirl, as they opened the show.)

The music on The Slip tends to vary from "standard NIN" to "Year Zero level NIN" to more "'casual listener'* friendly NIN". That's to say: while Trent maintains his violent poetic delivery of eloquent snarling, he still manages to create something that can serve as an introduction for anyone who wants to check out Nine Inch Nails but is turned off by a few seconds of anything preceding a cover of Johnny Cash's "I Hurt Myself Today to See If I Still Feel" and "I Want to Fuck You Like an Animal", and of course "Will You Bite the Hand that Feeds You". The Slip is catchy as fuck, while still maintaining a bleak and haunting atmosphere for the listener when it counts: Lights in the Sky.

Regarding that bit of facetiousness above: face it. Some people are like that and are unwilling to dive into something if it appears more bleak than beautiful because they'll focus too much on the bleak and "he keeps saying fuck over and over", rather than simply accepting that this form of expression speaks volumes and resonates with a ton of people, and for that reason IS beautiful. Bleak is beautiful sometimes, friend.

By that same vein, The Slip is an album that only proves some people are fucking geniuses. The album straddles a fine line on which the music shifts stylistically to appear to belong to a different album and band altogether but make you think they're ripping off Trent Reznor. Along that same line, you recognize elements in style and delivery from previous albums (though not right away on the first listen). By that, I mean, The Slip slips in (Jesus, did I really write that?) over time to deliver a satisfying listening experience that snarls "This is Nine Inch Nails."

*I couldn't think of a term that wasn't "full of foot in mouth."

8/10

Review: Ghosts I-IV

Ghosts I-IV

Nine Inch Nails

2008

It was a few weeks before September of 2008 when I listened to Ghosts I-IV for the first time. It was probably late at night, as is often the case with the things I do. I'm just more of a night person, especially these days but that's not the point. The point is that I first listened to Ghosts I-IV sometime in late 2008 at night and this is where my review starts.

When one thinks "Nine Inch Nails", a lot of things come to mind. One of the few things that don't come to mind is "an instrumental album." That being said, it's interesting to listen to Ghosts I-IV for that reason alone. It's not exactly what you'd expect from Trent Reznor but that's by no means a bad thing. In fact, it's in many ways a good thing as it expands his range and audience. More people listening to Nine Inch Nails is always a good thing. More people listening to any band is often a good thing, despite what hipster and music snobs may tell you.

I tend to think of Ghosts I-IV as more of a venture into quieter Nine Inch Nails territory rather than a radical departure. If anything, the listener can make the listening experience more or less of what Reznor may have intended. The energy is still there only in a different exploration of what one has come to expect from the name Nine Inch Nails. By energy, of course, I mean the sonic elements that we've come to expect that have always spoken for us what we can't articulate. You can still hear the ferocity and ire simmering, the only difference is you don't have Trent Reznor snarling something bizarrely poetic this time around. He lets the instruments do all the talking.

It defies expectations that have been set by preceding albums though to be fair, there have been shades and hints from the very beginning. Some are more obvious than others ("A Warm Place") and others have been not as blatant ("That's What I Get"). And it had always been a wish of mine to listen to Trent Reznor do something entirely instrumental. I'm sure others might have been keen on seeing an instrumental release by Reznor, and they got it with Ghosts I-IV (and would get it again with the scores for The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).

I find Ghosts I-IV to be excellent reading music. Especially when re-reading Neil Gaiman's Sandman from time to time. The fact that I can listen to this album and read is what makes it one of my favorite instrumental albums of all time. It can set the tone for a number of different books and stories without distracting you from what you're reading (thereby allowing you to gain control over your focus.)

If I really had to think of one flaw is that sometimes the pieces bleed into each other in an undecipherable blur. The distinction isn't there sometimes unless you actually look at the track name (the fact that it's all in numbers makes no impact or difference to me). Though I'd imagine one would have a hell of a time trying to think of titles for every piece. As such, it becomes very easy for Ghosts I-IV to disappear into the background though it ultimately does a good job at haunting you because you don't always have to rely on spoken words to carry a message.

8/10

A mi barba

A mi barba:

Te extrañaré

Mi cara estará desnuda
Vulnerable
Se verán mis labios y lunares
El viento y el frio bailarán libres
No me podrás proteger
Contra la nieve, la lluvia, el sol
El viento, el frio, el calor

Adios, mi barba

Te extrañaré

Lo rojo mezclado con negro
Como sangre derramada en el espacio exterior
Cobre brillando en la oscuridad
Como en la luz se rie una sensación de paz
y calmada violencia

Adios, mi barba

Te veo en otra estación
En algunos meses
En algunas semanas

En mis memorias

Adios, mi barba