Following the release of "The Fragile", Trent Reznor made significant changes in his life and returned to writing music with a new vigour. Around the same time my life began to spiral downward and this music arrived at the intersection of those changing fortunes.
Here I am playing the 2019 "Definitive Edition" on double vinyl, but CD was my format of choice back in 2005. As soon as the electronic rhythms and deep rumbling bass of opening track "Why Do You Get All The Love In The world?" began, I knew this album was going to be much more to my taste than its predecessor. When this song enters its second phase with the arrival of a kick drum and piano refrain, things begin to take off in the most satisfying way.
It seems inevitable that a ridiculously fast and noisy track has to follow, but "You Know What You Are?" is better than most of this type of song Reznor has produced before. "The Collector" has a distinctive bassline and some nice touches but is ruined by the acoustic drums (by Dave Grohl....yawn). Much more to my taste is the single "The Hand That Feeds" which seems to mix a dance beat with distorted guitars and Reznor's slick lyrics to great effect.
"Love Is Not Enough" is a slow paced and angry song that is mixed to perfection. The distorted vocals and guitar of previous album are here, but they aren't allowed to dominate and the finer detail of the backing track is given room to breathe. Whilst "Everyday Is Exactly The Same" uses acoustic drums, the rumbling synths and soaring chorus elevate this song to a level I worried we might not hear again from Nine Inch Nails. Whilst "With Teeth" is passable, it's the next track "Only" that a blows things out of the water and takes this album to another level. The solid funk of the bassline and the beat underpin some amazing lyrics that I must have sung screamed along to a million times, "I just made you up to hurt myself, and it worked. Yes it did."
"Getting Smaller" is another angry, rapid fire track but it succeeds as the distorted guitars on the chorus remain restrained and purposeful rather than merely generating a wall of noise as they have on previous albums. There's a malevolent air to "Sunspots" but it is one of the more vanilla tracks on here. We have to endure more Dave Grohl drumming on the lacklustre "Home" and "The Line Begins To Blur" before the drone of "Beside You In Time" signals proceedings are coming to an end. There is one final song in the form of "Right Where It Belongs" whose reflective melancholy finally brings the curtain down. 4/5
