track by track. note that this comes from a casual NIN fan. that means someone who is cognizant enough to recognize what's expected and how good it can be and enjoys the music in the right place (i.e.: not during a birthday party when we're with friends we havent seen in awhile and trading stories, richard, you jerk), but doesnt have the same "favorite songs" devout fans have, nor enjoys this "i'm crazy in da head" mentality that runs throughout each and every fucking album.
it also means a lot of "personally" and "i think" because i know there are songs i like that expectant and hungry nin fans may detest.
so. onward.
all the love in the world - good title for a song which doesnt say what songs called that usually imply. minimal but engaging, builds up and plays ut excellently. continues the streak of fanastic openers, no matter what the album.
you know what you are - best track. so fucking memorable live that i was taken back to it. it a bit like candy though, there's enough yelling and genuine anger to get into it, but you dont know how good or bad it is until 3 months later when you may or may not realize that it's pretty laughable (star fuckers inc. anyone?)
the collector - also done live. but i remember that i took this time to think about how the new material was generally unexciting. because this song sucks. it's not atrocious, but just persistently dull
the hand that feeds - what helm said. the wierd thing about this song is that it fails because it doesnt develop, but at the same time i like it when it ends. the early ending just says there were pactically no ideas for this one because there was a lot of room for improvement.
love is not enough - decent. forgettable.
every day is exactly the same - love this one. if trent refuses to change what he's talking about, he can at least provide music that doesnt scream "ISNT THIS GUY FUCKED UP?". as a NIN track, it's a bit of a failure coz it sounds like a really good track from Garbage, but personally it's a keeper.
with teeth - i like the beginning
trent likes different rhythms to his music, which is cool, but sometimes it works and sometimes it doesnt. this one's beats hop and skip until all momentum halts and it meanders. and when it ends you realize 5 and a half minutes passed.
only - ok. the beginning sounds like Fischerspooner, but stick with it. it's not great, but it'll be underrated. i think it's really good. it's the track that says what the changes in this album are, and whether you're going to humor it or whine about how the downward spiral was so much better.
getting smaller - this is a rip off of something, but i can't place it right now. also a track to see if you'll be curious or make a
. i find it fun to listen to. decent chorus and he goes "FLIP FLOP! FLIP FLOP! FLIP FLOP!" which is like the best thing on album.
sunspots - real good, personally. you'd like it too, depending on what standards you go by. as just a song, it gradually gets better as it keeps going, as a NIN song, you're gonna ask what happened.
the line begins to blur - close second to 'you know what you are.' i didnt think so much of this for awhile and then it just sorta clicked. trent sounds 30 feet away from the mic, theres enough static, theres enough movement in the drums, there's enough reverb w/ the guitar, and the songs reaches out just enough to make a really great NIN song without being overblown.
beside you in time - two great songs in a row! it's the subdued stage of trent now, the same stage that made 'la mer' and other such fluff that was really hit and miss but was admirable anyway. this one's a hit. it's low key, but the pace is fast, and the growing hum of these guitars increase ever so slightly that it creates this good tension that is ever so slowly relased throughout the rest of the song. totally beautiful.
right where it belongs - the lesser brother of the one before it. decent. has some good qualities about it, but just becomes a non-entity after awhile. it'd be excellent live though.
), and his whole "i either hurt myself or im fucked up" thing isnt terribly appealing either, but it should still be fun.
Linear Mode
