I later went and saw the tour that accompanied this release and it was phenomenal. I loved every minute of it.
Although I enjoy this album a lot, it's by no means Reznor's best work. It's still above average by any means, but it seems a bit disjointed. At least to me. For collector's and fans, "The Slip" is the 27th Halo.
As with previous releases, "The Slip's" opening track, '999,999' is a cresting wave of sound seguing into the first actual song on the disc. It's an ambient pulse that gradually gets louder until the pulse pounding drums kick in for '1,000,000'. This song makes me think of that moment in life where you look in the mirror and wonder, "How the heck did I get here?" It's the realization things haven't quite happened the way you wanted them to. Even a rock star like Reznor can feel this sense of detachment. It's followed by 'Letting You'; which is basically an outcry against the political lies politicians of the day used to drag the US into another war. He cries in disbelief that even when we know the truth, we let the people who deceive us get away with it and we still follow their direction. It's a song raging against apathy and a battle cry for accountability. In cases like this, I think Reznor is probably one of the few artists who can be political without crossing a huge moral line. Mostly because what he's calling out for isn't revolution or a change in government, he's calling the listener out to hold people responsible for their actions. In other words, we have to stop letting people get away with bad behavior.
In its own way, 'Discipline' continues the theme. This incredible track blazes forward like a funky train rolling down the tracks. He finds himself unable to find a thread or way to organize his thoughts. He finds that in another person. Maybe a sounding board he can share his thoughts with. It's in the sharing that he finds a structure. A way to shape what he's feeling into something more than abstract thought. It's this discipline of his audience/confidant to preserve his sanity. To focus his rage. His anger.
'Echoplex' is a more complicated concept. Live, this was one of my favorite performances of the tour. On the album, it's a thought provoking song. It seems to aspect 'Discipline' in a strange way. Where the listener is the one who brings structure to his thoughts, 'Echoplex' is his way of viewing them from the distance of the stage or from his position in live. He wonders just how effective his influence is and just how powerful it could be as well. Interesting subject matter. 'Head Down' kicks in with a stuttering drum track and some distortion ripping over the top of it. I feel like this song is Reznor telling his public that the image we have of him isn't really who he is. It's a facade. A character he plays. It's just a fantasy. But it's not real. This is an idea you hear from other artists like Alice Cooper or Marilyn Manson. I believe it only to a certain degree. The music he creates and shares with the public obviously comes from a very personal place and he shares honest feelings and thoughts. Because of that, it's hard to divorce a character from the real person underneath. I see Nine Inch Nails concerts as being filled with special effects that enhance the reality of the music and the song writer. In that sense, there is a distortion covering him. But what's underneath is still real.
'Lights In The Sky' is a terribly sad song. Of all the tracks on this album, this one feels the most personal. It's a farewell of sorts to a specific person. We may never actually know who, but there are so many metaphors for death in this tune, one can only speculate... This is a simple piano and vocal track. Very effective and minimalist. The next number is the longest on the disc. 'Corona Radiata' is one of the soundscapes he's been working on lately. It could've easily fit on "Ghosts" or on the soundtrack to one of his film scores. It starts off like a note held in an infinite loop. Sound is filtered, and layered around it, but it doesn't change until midway through the song when it devolves into a painfully slow distant beat. It trudges along and sound begins to swell up and surround it. This is a remarkable soundscape. One of his best. The crescendo is magnificent and haunting.
'The Four Of Us Are Dying' builds on a small sounding beat and more subtle noises to create a something that sounds like a satanic carnival rolling into town. There's something sinister moving through this track and it's remarkable. It flows into 'Demon Seed', the final song. He finally realizes what his purpose is. He has to use his influence to destroy the system of control governing our world. He must rage and fight against everything that champions as right that which is actually wrong. And quite frankly, we're given the choice to go along with the ride or get out of the way.
There's an amazing theme running through this disc and I could actually discuss it in depth for hours. Even though I think it pales in comparison to his other works, this is still an exceptional record and shouldn't be discounted. It feels more like a personal period of reflection and epiphany for Reznor. He took it and turned it into music and shared his journey for his fans to hear.
For those of you lucky enough to go for the ride, it's a thrilling experience. For those of you who didn't, you really missed out.
The DVD contains 5 songs from the album recorded live from the rehearsals for the tour. They were filmed in June of 2008. It's a short set, but one that's enjoyable to watch. You see the band perform the music without all the special effects of the live stage. It feels somehow more genuine even though the stage show was incredible.
My final words for "The Slip": WITHOUT A DOUBT AN INCREDIBLE RELEASE! A MUST HAVE FOR EVERY NINE INCH NAILS FAN AND THOSE WHO ARE CURIOUS ABOUT REZNOR'S WORK! AN UNPARALLELED EXPERIENCE!
NINE INCH NAILS - THE SLIP
AUDIO
01. 999,999
02. 1,000,000
03. Letting You
04. Discipline
05. Echoplex
06. Head Down
07. Lights In The Sky
08. Corona Radiata
09. The Four Of Us Are Dying
10. Demon Seed
VIDEO
01. 1,000,000
02. Letting You
03. Discipline
04. Echoplex
05. Head Down
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