From PLeXitMIND Sent Wed, Sep 29th 1999, 19:42
From PLeXitMIND Sent Wed, Sep 29th 1999, 19:42
Here is a review my friend wrote:
THE FRAGILE
Five years have past since the birth of =91the downward spiral=92, and =
its=20
influence can undoubtedly be seen. Between =91pretty hate machine=92 and =
=91the=20
downward spiral=92, Trent Reznor has influenced and inspired a countless num=
ber=20
of computer nerds, rockers, and metal-heads. Trent=92s genius was to take=20
aspects of industrial, ambient, synth-pop, and rock and mesh them together i=
n=20
a manner never seen by the music community before. With a broad range of=20
influences like prince, black sabbath, depeche mode, skinny puppy, david=20
bowie, coil, ministry, public enemy, afx, and pink floyd, some people say he=20
took a lot of avant-garde electronic elements and techniques and added a hoo=
k=20
to it. It is very hard to distill an unfriendly genre for public consumption=20
without ruining its core essence. Reznor did not ruin the essence of the=20
underground; he embraced it. Regardless of what he did, Reznor is one of the=20
most respected musicians of this decade commanding respect in both the=20
underground and the mainstream. Now, with the new album =91the fragile=92,=20
people are wondering if it lives up to the hype and standards laid out by th=
e=20
first two albums. What Reznor has done here is made a concept album about=20
anger, despair, distrust, and betrayal that covers a broad range of genres=20
from metal, industrial, electronica(HAHA), rock, funk, and soundtracky=20
sounding stuff. While the album may not be a total innovation and=20
reinvention, it is definitely a great album and a nice progression for Tren=
t=20
Reznor.
You are not going to find better production and engineering than what=20
you will find on this album. Every sound has been fucked, ducked, shucked,=20
stacked, toyed, plowed, and eq=92d for days on end. All the sounds have the=
ir=20
own special and distinct place in the sonic environment. Even when things d=
o=20
seem to be out of place or too dense, they eventually begin to make sense=20
with repeated listens. The use of stereo is very cool on this album (not as=20
cool as Richard Devine or monolake), but still very interesting in places. =
I=20
was hoping that Trent would have a lot more of the idm influence on the new=20
album. We all know Trent loves aphex and autechre. Just for my taste, I=20
would have liked to seen more of the current underground electronic element=20
on the album. Oh well.
The album has a lot of different instrumentation: cello, upright bass,=20
guitar, slide guitar, synth, ukulele, piano, computer, trumpet, ect=85. The=20
arrangements are also very interesting with the use of a wide range of song=20
structures. While there is a lot of variety on =91the fragile=92, there is =
still=20
that recurring nin formula at work here: the use of a build up to power=20
guitar/noise choruses and crescendos. No one seems to do this better than=20
nin, but for my tastes I would have like to seen it used a little bit less=20
here. Every time a song kicks into a chorus, there seems to be a guitar=20
somewhere in the mix, usually the most prevalent thing. I sometimes long fo=
r=20
the synth driven choruses of =91pretty hate machine=92. Trent does just as =
good=20
a job at low decibel levels as he does at loud decibels (see the great below=20
for instance). I think the album could have been a little stronger if it=20
would have had a few more tracks in that vein, and a few less loud guitar=20
tracks. How bout a little more melodicism here and there, we know you got it=20
in you Trent. It would have also been nice to see a couple of dance tracks o=
n=20
there too. Maybe I am asking for too much variety? I don=92t know=85=85. =
I guess=20
after a five year wait, I just want a taste of everything Trent does well.
The sound design is good as usual. Tracks like =91somewhat damaged=92 =
=91the=20
way out is through=92 and =91the big comedown=92 have wicked new sounds and=20
textures. While the sound design is great in some places I think it is=20
lacking in others. The tracks =91the wretched=92 and =91please=92 have reha=
shes of=20
sounds that were on =91the downward spiral=92 and =91antichrist superstar=92=20
respectively. The title track has the use of a jp- 8000 preset in the break=20
down. (presets are not fucking cool). By the middle of the second disc I=20
begin to get tired of that processed fuzz guitar. Enough already. Do=20
something different. Sound creation has limitless possibilities. That is=20
just me being picky of course. All in all, the sound design is still pretty=20
tight and Reznor has become one of the greatest texturalist of the past ten=20
years.
Lyrically the album is not as bleak as =91the downward spiral=92, but i=
s=20
still pretty dark thematically. Trent seems to offer a little more hope on=20
this album than on previous. He has also matured vocally. He is still not=20
the greatest singer in the world but his technique seems to have gotten=20
better and varied (=91the wretched and =91the big come down=92). Either way=
, I=20
have always been a fan of Trent=92s emotional vocals.
Overall, the album is really tight. The typical nin tracks are better=20
than ever, and the tracks that are the least like nin are even better. Tren=
t=20
definitely has a sound that he can call his own. All the instrumentals are=20
worth something real special and make me feel all gooey inside with their=20
sci-fi appeal. "The fragile=92 is the type of album that makes more sense on=20
the fifth or sixth listen then on the first listen; that is the mark of a=20
great album when it doesn=92t reveal itself to one immediately.
=91The fragile=92 may not be the total reinvention and innovation some=20
people were hoping for but it is definitely a big growth for Mr. Trent=20
Reznor. It may have a few setbacks that keep it from the being a masterpiec=
e=20
like =91the downward spiral=92, but you are still not going to find a rock a=
lbum=20
this year that has as much depth and smarts as =91the fragile=92.
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