Release Date: May 5, 2008
Label: Null
Genres: Rock
Number Of Tracks: 10
The Slip is impressive in the way that it experiments with electronic elements and the shape of the rhythms, which sometimes are non-existent like in the vapid tones of “Corona Radiata.”
The SlipFeatured review by: UG Team, on may 14, 2008 4 of 13 people found this review helpful
Sound: Singer/songwriter/industrial rock shaman Trent Reznor is marking his 43rd birthday with the release of Nine Inch Nails new album The Slip. Produced by Reznor, Atticus Ross and Alan Moulder, The Slip comes out one month after NIN released their Ghosts I-IV album featuring thirty-six instrumental tracks that experiment with sound waves, mechanical textures and various levels of penetration channeling electronic effects and processed beats into the mix. The Slip has all of those too but weighs it's instrumental tracks evenly with it's vocal tracks, so fans who like Reznors bluesy rock timbres will be pleased. The music is a stirring cauldron of machine-sounding twists, automated movements and fictional effects juxtaposed by industrial-soaked passages, downbeat grooves, electro-flashing parcels, and sonic illusions producing a free flowing opiate-crazed oasis. Whether you like NIN or not wont make a difference because any judgment you have of Reznor supersedes his skills to experiment with sounds by manipulating their tones, contrasts, volume, and sharpness. The Slip is not like listening to NINs previous hits like Head Like A Hole or Closer, but there is no straying away from the crunchy industrial sounds that have long been associated with NIN. Some tracks loom of dark and disturbing turbulences like Hero Down and the downward spirals of Demon Seed, whose illbient textures and industrial crunching create sensations that can be described as elegant pain and internal torturing personified in it's dazed soundscapes and gloomy distorted phrases.
Reznor has never been one to have songs that adhere to the typical song structure where verses and choruses are put together in an orderly fashion. Rather, the passages have a serpentine glide and the vocals will grab at the notes and smear like spray paint across the electro-spheres in the track Lights In The Sky where the pulsating keyboards seem motionless beneath Reznors vocal hip-hop digs and careens. His pitch has a bluesy texture similar to Lenny Kravitz which is noticeable in Letting You and 1, 000, 000. The programming is cutting-edge and highly moody. Numbers like Discipline and Echoplex rack up club music with processed beats relatable to Bauhaus and Rage Against The Machine. The album turns to static vapors completely void of emotion on Corona Radiata as if the soundscapes are traveling through outer space, while The Four Of Us Are Dying have a more seductive appeal with eerie sound effects and astro-glides. The Slip has some aspects of NINs previous releases, and yet, it is something entirely different. The album enters another realm of electronic music that isnt for clubs but propagates fantasy theatrics. // 6
Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics, similar to the music, have a dark and eerie tone to them like in Lights In The Sky where Reznor sounds as if he is entering the gloomiest recesses of his mind. He expresses, Shes mostly gone / Some other place / Im getting by / In other ways / Everything they whispered in our ear is coming true / Try to justify the things I used to do / Believe in you / Watching you drown / Ill 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 dark and macabre is still very much a part of NINs music. // 7
Impression: The Slip is impressive in the way that it experiments with electronic elements and the shape of the rhythms, which sometimes are non-existent like in the vapid tones of Corona Radiata. Other times the processed beats have a crazed-Frankenstein stomp like in Demon Seed. Nail Inch Nails, much like their music, is constantly changing with Trent Reznor as the bands single permanent member. In it's present incarnation, Reznor is accompanied by drummer Josh Freese, guitarist Robin Finck, and keyboardist Alessandro Cortini. Similar to peoples perceptions of a mad scientist Reznor is very much like one, always experimenting with sounds and on the cutting edge of avant-music so deeply bizarre. In Reznors case, he thinks of innovative ways to change industrial rock and avant-electronica. The music is creepy and spooky but once you understand where Reznor is coming from by applying the character of a mad scientist to him, the music starts to become a piece of enlightenment and a lot less frightening. // 7
The Slip
Reviewed by:
Mask_Of_Sanity, on may 15, 2008 4 of 4 people found this review helpful
Sound: Trent Reznor never ceases to surprise, as Nine Inch Nails released "The Slip", an album that came out of the blue (much like Ghosts I-IV) and was released free of charge (as Reznor's treat to say "thank you" to the fanbase). One can safely assume that a free album may very well end up being not that great, but that is where The Slip surprises us. It is no Pretty Hate Machine or The Downward Spiral, but it is an album that I personally cannot believe was free. The album starts off with 999, 999 (which at first glance of the album track list, can be assumed it is an intro track to the second song), which creates an illusion that The Slip may very well be an all instrumental album like the Ghosts albums were. But nope. In comes in 1'000'000, and what do you know? Lyrics and vocals! The majority of the album puts out the sound Nine Inch Nails is known for: Distorted, chaotic, dark industrial obsidian. A few of the tracks give off a "With Teeth" feel, while some give off a "Year Zero" presence, and some have their own feel. Nonetheless, The Slip, like every other Nine Inch Nails record, has it's own sound that can be easily pin pointed by any NIN fan. The hooks are all there, which was quite expected, and some songs (Letting You, Lights In The Sky, Echoplex) I find myself listening to on repeat numerous times. Although none of the tracks are "boring", I find that some tracks, although being good, tend to lag. As their own song, they are great. But while listening to the CD as a whole, the lag tends to slow down the 10 track 40 minute album. For a free album, the sound is anything but expected. In fact, this album should not be judged by the fact that it was distributed freely, as it fits in nicely in the modern Nine Inch Nails libary as an album that is good enough to grow into and to truly appreciate. // 8
Lyrics and Singing: Trent's still got his writing capabilities, so that's all well and good. The lyrics are still powerful and deep, which Trent is known for. The balance between instrumentals and sung tracks is great, and there isn't too many of either or. Trent is never afraid to allow people into the deep black hole of his life and of society. // 9
Impression: This album, being a free one, makes me feel honestly very guilty. It's as if I were one of those people in those cheesy furniture adverts: I honestly feel that I have stolen something really beautiful. But no, I haven't. It was a kind gesture from one of the greatest minds in modern music. Now that Trent's sober, he has become extremely prolific, and none of his albums thus far have shown any sign of deterioration in any area. Stand out tracks Letting You, Echoplex, Lights In The Sky, and The Four Of Us Are Dying remind Nine Inch Nails fans of how beautiful, yet destructive, human nature can be, and like almost all of the other Halos, the listener can trully connect with Trent with a spiritual bonding. It can't really be stolen or lost, but if I lost it on my harddrive (or whatever), why the hell wouldn't I get it again? A)It's free, and B)It's worth it. // 9
The Slip
Reviewed by:
HWFG1, on january 14, 2009 2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Sound: Nine Inch Nails' second independent release, The Slip, came as a surprise to the fans, completely free-of-charge (unless you felt the need to buy the limited edition CD/DVD combo with live rehearsal footage that came out in July), and without any advertising, other than a message from Trent Reznor on nin.com simply stating "Two weeks", much in the way of Ghosts I-IV, NIN's first independent release.
Albeit free, The Slip doesn't lack in quality music. The 10 tracks are filled with keyboard, guitar, drums, bass, vocals, and the other weird instruments that the band has become known for using. "999, 999" is an instrumental, ambient track, that segues perfectly into the drums of "1, 000, 000". "Letting You" opens with an energetic drum beat, which is soon accompanied by guitar and bass, as well as Reznor's vocals, and is one of the more energetic tracks on the album. "Discipline" opens with a simple drum beat, which is soon joined with a catchy guitar riff and some reverberating bass, along with Trent's voice. Piano enters in the second verse, and carries on throughout the rest of the song. "Head Down" is one of the more aggressive songs, with hard-driven verses and softer choruses. "Lights in the Sky" is a quiet, almost interlude-esque track, consisting of only piano and Reznor singing for most of the song, and leads into "Corona Radiata", the longest song on the album. It is more reminiscent of his work on The Fragile or The Downward Spiral, with an ambient, 4.5 minute-long intro, at the end of which, drums fade in, and different sounds creep their way into the end of the song. "The Four of Us are Dying" opens with an effect-driven drum-beat, and is soon joined by bass, and guitar manipulated with more effects. It is the third instrumental track on the album (After "999, 999", and "Corona Radiata", and leads into the album closer, "Demon Seed", which features distorted bass, and an upbeat drum beat. // 10
Lyrics and Singing: This record features a departure from the most recent records in terms of lyrics. The Slip delves into personal matters once again, particularly in "Lights in the Sky", and "Head Down".
Trent hasn't lost his ability to write lyrics people can relate to, or lyrics that force people to think, and, he most certainly hasn't lost his ability to sing. While most of the tracks are mellow, "Letting You" and "Head Down" show that he can still belt it out when needed. // 9
Impression: The Slip is a great album, especially for the price (*cough*free*cough*). The songs flow really well, and aren't repetitive, other than the fact that all of the non-instrumental tracks begin with some variation of drums, then guitar, then bass. It is, in my opinion, the best album NIN has put out since The Fragile (not to say With Teeth, Year Zero, and Ghosts I-IV were bad, mind you). // 9
The Slip
Reviewed by:
Gr0tevis, on may 27, 2008 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Sound: Nine inch nails 8th studio album (including Broken and excluding the remix albums) was released on the 5th of May, 2008. The sound is good, having downloaded the.Flac version of the album I was not disappointed. I'd already downloaded Discipline and listened to Echoplex but was not very excited by those tracks in their single formats.
999, 999 is a throbbing instrumental opener which leads into 1, 000, 000 which has a slightly "Done before" feeling for myself. Letting You is decent but Discipline is the first seriously good track on the album, followed by Echoplex and Head Down, the former two tracks sounding far better in the album format, and the latter being one of the highlights of this album. Lights in the Sky is a ballad easily on par with Johnny Cash's version of Hurt, The Day The World Went Away and Ghosts 34/Zero-Sum. quite possibly the best song on the entire album, simply piano and Reznor's voice. Corona Radiata is a 7 and a half minute instrumental song which is very good to say the least, excellent soundscaping. The Four of us are Dying is another instrumental which paints a bleak if beautiful picture of a wasteland, Demon Seed (which is the last track) is simply a let down for me, dwarfed by the preceding tracks, a long(er) song should have finished the album. // 9
Lyrics and Singing: The "crooning" on Lights in the sky is great, but Demon Seed seems slightly forced, those lyrics could easily have been supplemented. The is also drifting more to the instrumental side of things it seems, which is rather good but may have more reasons rather than simply being easier (you cannot always write about Angst, eh Limp Bizkit? )
Mr. Reznor is on top singing form these days, sounding rested after Ghosts I-IV. // 9
Impression: This album manages to sound like Nine Inch Nails but without copying any of their former work. For fans of The Broken EP, The Fragile and Year Zero particularly in my opinion. Best tracks are simply Head Down, Lights In The Sky and Corona Radiata.
Worst track is 1, 000, 000, while not being bad, (here he goes again) is not on par with the rest of the album. Still very well deserved of a 10 in my opinion, Will it stand tall with Pretty Hate Machine, Year Zero and The Fragile in the years to come? Only time will tell, but for me, this album is on course to be on repeat in my stereo for many years. // 10
The Slip
Reviewed by:
Muse=Rock, on may 28, 2008 0 of 8 people found this review helpful
Sound: I downloaded The Slip off the NIN website for free and it definitely sounded like a free album. The first few songs on the album were okay such as 1, 000, 000 and discipline. But halfway through the album went completely down hill because of effects being overused and songs becoming boring. // 4
Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics were the only really good part of this album. I have not listened to much NIN before this album but I can tell that their Trent Reznor is a half decent vocalist. Sometimes the lyrics are repetitive but usually they are good. The song with the best lyrics would probably have to be discipline. // 7
Impression: This album was not great compared to other albums around but because it's for free you Can't really complain about it. Maybe I just need to listen to it more for it to grow on me but I highly doubt that will happen. The vocals are good as well as some of the drumming except for when a dance or hip hop type drum kit is used. But the overuse of effects is what puts me off with this album. If It got removed from my computer I don't think I would bother downloading it again. // 4
i think the guy who wrote this was a little harsh on the grade. to me it's an album i can listen to all the way through and not skip any tracks. so by my standards its great album. and you can't judge this album too harshly because its FREE. major thanks to trent for giving back to the fans. i think he gives back to the fans like no one else in music.
i think the guy who wrote this was a little harsh on the grade. to me it's an album i can listen to all the way through and not skip any tracks. so by my standards its great album. and you can't judge this album too harshly because its FREE. major thanks to trent for giving back to the fans. i think he gives back to the fans like no one else in music.
It being free doesn't mean people should add points to their rating of the album, just because the band hand the balls to do it...
It being free doesn't mean people should add points to their rating of the album, just because the band hand the balls to do it...
Well giving a middle finger to a label does take balls, but giving it away after uncountable hours of man power, physical investment, equipment purchasing, server running and processing... giving it away for free doesn't require balls, it requires a huge self sacrafice for a statement, considerably a stupid move if you really think about it. Don't confuse that with balls.
It's really good album. And it was a kind gesture from them releasing it free. Anyway, I'm not a NIN fanatic, but I like their sound, and this album showes their professionality in that. I'd give an 8 too.
It's not all the kind of NIN stuff I like to be honest, but it is a good album. Head down, discipline and 1,000,000 are my favourites, but I would skip a couple of the others. It's a 7/10 for me.
i thought that review was a bit harsh, i think its a really great album and it deserves something more along the lines of 8.5/10.
this wasn't a very impressive review anyway -
Some tracks loom of dark and disturbing turbulences like Hero Down
I didn't like it. I used to love NIN awhile back and I saw the posting about their free CD and immediately downloaded it. I just couldn't stand any of the songs. It just wasn't for me.
This would be an 8 for me. 1,000,000 sounded too much like "The Hand That Feeds" and I don't care for "Discipline", but the rest of the album was excellent, although it's slightly underwhelming as I'm still waiting for Trent's follow-up to The Downward Spiral and The Fragile. Oh, and this review is mostly verbose garbage that really does not describe the album; for all the meandering descriptions, the reviewer does not even explain the mediocre ratings.
Never really been a NIN fan but I dowloaded this album and, for a free album, it's brilliant! Discipline, 1,000,000 and Demon Seed are my personal faves. 8/10
Beautiful album. Loved it. Amazing for a completely free one as well =)
I liked this review as well. All the other reviews of the album came at it with a 'dance music' attitude and didn't like it because it wasn't high enough in energy.
Trust UG to see the artistic and musical values of it as well. Artistically, this is one of the best albums I've heard.
I enjoy listening to The Slip more than Ghosts I. I feel Year Zero was vastly under rated. The Slip for free was an added bonus, I would have gladly paid for it. Thanks Trent! I can't wait to see them at Red Rocks in September.
The second half is amazing, as a whole it is too short, some of the songs are weaker by comparison to other NIN songs and albums, but the lyrics are right on par, especially Lights in the Sky. If this wasn't NIN I'd say 9/10, which seems a bit unfair, but compared to other stuff I voted 8/10. Still awesome, but Trent has big things to live up to.
Only problem was it was too short. Again, that's the only problem, aside from the Spiral this is my favorite NIN album. The 3 instrumentals, aside from A Warm Place, are the 3 best NINstrumentals (ha, I'm so clever!) ever. Discipline is a fantastic single, Letting You rocks like crazy and Demon Seed is just awesome.
Suav Nitebeest wrote:
Oh, and this review is mostly verbose garbage that really does not describe the album; for all the meandering descriptions, the reviewer does not even explain the mediocre ratings.
There are people here saying that its a short album, and yes, it was short compared to recent albums. But how many tracks does Pretty Hate Machine have on it??? Oh that's right, 10!!!!!
The review itself is, though very long, and wonderfully verbose, ultimately a load of hollow nonsense. Words which cannot be used to describe The Slip. Absolutely fantastic album, if a little more commercial than the Nin I'm used to. That said, for him to bring out two albums of all new material within a year of the truly remarkable Year Zero is an astonishing effort, and I applaud Mr. Reznor. Great album, stupendous artist...
I think Ghost I-IV is already up for grabs on the shelves am I correct? While "The Slip" will be sold in disc form later.
Anyway, I just gotten into NIN. Wasn't a fan and even had this skepticism about industrial and electronic sounds. But Trent Reznor's courageous maneuver in releasing it for free had me give it a shot and eventually opened my eyes.
From a guy who didn't ever give a damn about this type of music, I'd give this album 8/10.
but... most of the tracks are just quiet noise...
thats a bit naff and cheap - besides it sounding unpolished and very... umm... amateur.
bands shouldnt do free albums if it takes all the effort out that they put into albums that actually bring in cash.
I liked the album, i found that most of the songs in the begginning started off with some kind of drum intro and i found that kind of repetetive. I enjoyed it though nonetheless. My favorites were discipline, 1,000,000, lights in the sky and the last instrumental (the name escapes me right now).
Overall though a pretty good album.
i'd give this a 8.5/10, it does sounds like that Trent Reznor did not take as much time on this than his previous albums.
I didn't think it was too great. His worst so far. It had a few great songs, but that's it. And I was hoping he would continue with political lyrics such as in "Letting You". His whining is getting old, and so is he.
6/10
Poor review...
You do nothing but praise Trent, not a single word against the album... 6.7?
That's like a teacher saying "Oh, you wrote a fantastic essay! D+!"
I went on their website the other day when I got to school and I found that they'd released an album that day. I was pretty pumped to get home and check it out.
I downloaded it and listened to it straight through and I thought it was really great. I really like 1,000,000 because it sounds like an opening track.
I know that some people are always saying Trent should go do more stuff with the downward spiral feel to it or PHM etc. But the thing with Trent is that he's not about doing the samething, he's about doing something different.
the song is all about the details, listen to it again closely and turn it up. when i did that i fell in love with the song. its one of my favs as well!!
Poor review...
You do nothing but praise Trent, not a single word against the album... 6.7?
That's like a teacher saying "Oh, you wrote a fantastic essay! D+!"
Agreed...this review is shit. If any of you guys picked up ghost you would recognized some recycled samples with in some songs. Only thing i felt about this album was it was too short..Why? I didn't feel the need there should have been 3 instrumental tracks 1-2 is fine enough..What was the reason for ghost then? although this was way better work overall than With Teeth and Year Zero.This is Reznor best record since the fragile. I am sick of people saying the only reason they download it was the reason it was free"freeloaders". If you didn't like the album don't rate it..NIN is not meant for you ... The Slip was meant for the FANS! There needs to be a another review on this.
the song is all about the details, listen to it again closely and turn it up. when i did that i fell in love with the song. its one of my favs as well!!
yeah but thats just it isnt it - a whole bunch of silence with a little bit of "detailed noise" here and there isnt a song is it. its just a load of silence with a little bit of, very quiet, noise!
The real art in this album is how each song has its own artwork... take a minute to look at it. really minimalist but quite descriptive of each song.
I really liked this album, but it wasn't at the standard of "The Downward Spiral" or "Year Zero". I have yet to hear Ghosts I-IV, and I'm sure it won't disappoint.
To me, this album was (musically, not lyrically) somewhere in between Year Zero and Ghosts 1.
Also, one of my mates (therefore not necessarily a credible source) reckons NIN are releasing 9 (yes, nine) free albums this year. Can anyone confirm/deny this?
yeah but thats just it isnt it - a whole bunch of silence with a little bit of "detailed noise" here and there isnt a song is it. its just a load of silence with a little bit of, very quiet, noise!
I'm sorry that you actually have to pay attention to the song while listening to it, I know that's an awful lot of hard work on your behalf. Seriously all music is made up of silence and noise, that was a very weak point you made.
I can't help but feel NIN are incredibly over rated, i'm constantly reading things about Trent's 'musical genious' etc. and i really like 'Right Where It Belongs' so i went out and bought With Teeth and to be honest i just didn't really see any creative flares there really. Can anyone suggest where it's good to start with them, or are they a bit of a cult thing?
I can't help but feel NIN are incredibly over rated, i'm constantly reading things about Trent's 'musical genious' etc. and i really like 'Right Where It Belongs' so i went out and bought With Teeth and to be honest i just didn't really see any creative flares there really. Can anyone suggest where it's good to start with them, or are they a bit of a cult thing?
listen to the fragile, one of the best albums of all time in my opinion. The downward spiral is amazing. pretty hate machine is good but it sounds a little dated but those songs are awesome live. but yeah listen to the fragile and the downward spiral and you'll love NIN.
the song is all about the details, listen to it again closely and turn it up. when i did that i fell in love with the song. its one of my favs as well!!
yeah but thats just it isnt it - a whole bunch of silence with a little bit of "detailed noise" here and there isnt a song is it. its just a load of silence with a little bit of, very quiet, noise!
sometimes people say (or type) things that make me want the human race 2 no longer exist. this is one of those times. please, sir/ma'am, go back and read what u wrote, then explain 2 me what u believe music is.
SGslinger wrote:
U call this crap music? I did the free download and was like WTF is this crap? I guess they must be an acquired taste.
ac/dc much? it's called musical taste. check your grocer's freezer section.
It being free doesn't mean people should add points to their rating of the album, just because the band hand the balls to do it...
Well giving a middle finger to a label does take balls, but giving it away after uncountable hours of man power, physical investment, equipment purchasing, server running and processing... giving it away for free doesn't require balls, it requires a huge self sacrafice for a statement, considerably a stupid move if you really think about it. Don't confuse that with balls.
Trent has a shitload of cash, I'm sure. So it has nothing to do with either.
But self-sacrifice, regardless of what you deem smart or not, does take a certain amount of balls.
I believe this is not the case. Trent just wants to share his music for the **** of it. Now thats a true musician.
As for the UG team review, I wouldn't consider NIN avant-electronica until Year Zero. That shit is just strange and unpredictible.
Idk about The Slip, as I haven't heard it, but it sounds intriguing.
Poor review...
You do nothing but praise Trent, not a single word against the album... 6.7?
That's like a teacher saying "Oh, you wrote a fantastic essay! D+!"
Unfortunately that happens though I might be mistaken though to a comment above I might recall Trent uses silence strategically in songs which is done well by the way.
I can't help but feel NIN are incredibly over rated, i'm constantly reading things about Trent's 'musical genious' etc. and i really like 'Right Where It Belongs' so i went out and bought With Teeth and to be honest i just didn't really see any creative flares there really. Can anyone suggest where it's good to start with them, or are they a bit of a cult thing?
With Teeth was more of a song-based album, more mainstream I guess. Listen to klynch.
to me it sounded thrown together, kinda like Trent wasn't even trying anymore. i am a big NiN fan and this album was a huge let down, no wonder it was free. even the Singer/songwriter/industrial rock shaman Trent Reznor couldn't bring himself to charge for this piece of crap 2/10 waste of time downloading.
If you like NIN you may be interested in the album I just finished last month. It is also available free. Licensed with the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Licence. This licence lets you use this music for commercial products or make remixes or other derivative works, so long as you give credit to the original artists.
Politics Apocalypse is political and subversive post-industrial rock with an interesting mix of classical instruments, guitars, electronic beats, and a small dash of aussie hip-hop. You can download the whole 11 track album at no cost at our website.
http://www.politicsapocalypse.com
We are also doing a name your own price CD (starting at cost price).
I dont mean to spam but I am trying to get the word out to those who may be interested. BTW I love The Slip, great album.
Promotion is going great with 2800+ album downloads since last month. If anyone feels inclined you can let other people here know what you think of it or drop us a line by email or the guestbook.
jahyarain wrote:
sometimes people say (or type) things that make me want the human race 2 no longer exist. this is one of those times. please, sir/ma'am, go back and read what u wrote, then explain 2 me what u believe music is.
i sir, understand music to be able to be put to a beat or rhythm, something i can listen to and enjoy - i.e. other, better NIN albums and such. if you can listen to 7 minutes of nothing, with a little fuzziness here and there, AND enjoy it, then fine - good luck with that.
but i really dont see what the hell is so good about a track of silence (which i might add, you'd normally pay a fair sum for in the currency of your choice), that i had to turn up to full volume on my PC to even hear that there was actually something coming out of my speakers.
When i heard it for a first time - i didn't get the thing...
i thought it was an intersting album, but neither year zero nor ghosts...
but after a few days of intro beat of letting go ringing in my ear i realized it's great. It is differnet and sounds very heavy, but it still has this great atmosphere i love nin for...
I thought it was great. Absolutely loved it, easily 8/10. I downloaded it and I'm gonna buy the hard copy as well =] (I love hard copies, hate downloads, but I had to have this.)
Don't we all love free stuff? For this reason alone "The Slip" by Nine Inch Nails gets five stars. The album was available for digital download on Nine Inch Nail's official website in early May.
This ones on me, Nine Inch Nails guru Trent Reznor stated on the site.
Recently, (July 22, 2008 to be exact) the physical album was released accomodating anti-ipod fans who like to sit and stare at album covers for hours.
After escaping "The Man" (aka Interscope Records) frontman Trent Reznor has been busy releasing 2 albums in 2008. His album "Ghosts IIV" was released just 2 months prior to "The Slip" in March. According to Reznor "The Slip" was recorded in only three weeks.
Reviews of the album have ranged from pure genius to a bore. My first listen had me leaning more towards boredom. We've all heard Reznor's "sound" before, typically consisting of a dark bass, light drum machine and quirky sounds. Could you even tell the difference if someone switched out "The Slip" with another one of his latest albums (especially Ghosts I-IV)?
But after a few listens I found a special creativity and dark beauty hiding beneath that familiar sound. There are a few catchy songs that are constructed more solid than some of Reznor's latest creations, specifically "Discipline" and "Echoplex." My favorite are the haunting instrumentals "Corona Radiata" and "The Four of Us are Dying."
I imagine this ablum will do little for Reznor's commercial appeal. It is not radio friendly. But I never sensed that Nine Inch Nails strove for commerical appeal. Reznor is a true artist and the Captain looks forward to his creations free from the limits of a record label.
I've got to say, I disagree with all the negative reviews. My first impression was "It's alright, but meh." but after listening to it repeatedly I constantly find myself liking it more and more. The Slip managed to take elements from the last 3 NIN albums and mix them with entirely new ideas. I've got to say it was definitely one of the better albums to come out in 2008
I hate how everyone seems to hate the length of this album. Length has almost nothing to do with an album. It's still 43 minutes. And all of it was free to listen to, the way it should be.
1,000,000 - amazing live. Echoplex the best song on the album. The instrumentals fit in almost perfectly, especially 999,999. When I saw NIN live, the tone and mood that 999,999 gives brings great anticipation and excitement for all that followed.
Corona Radiata felt like it needed something more. Pretty much was a filler. Other than that, I loved this album.
9.5/10
i love nails.. the thing i like more is how trent keeps progressing his sound more and more.. i give this a 8.5/10 (only because the fragile and downward spiral get a 10/10) but listening to this and comparing it to his previous work just shows that he will always have something "new"
Some tracks loom of dark and disturbing turbulences like Hero Down and the downward spirals of Demon Seed,
hmmm....isn't it "Head Down"??
I was gonna say...
Anyways, Yeah I thought it was pretty good, however, if I had to pick my least favourite release, this would probably be it. It is stil very good though, I would say about an 8 or a little higher.
Great cd. Obviously not on the production level of TDS or the fragile or even PHM for that matter. He obviously didn't do it for the money, and I like the fact that he reaches out to other fans by trying different things then just the 3 most famous works of his art.
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