Nine Inch Nails – The Fragile (8.5/10)
Nine Inch Nails – The Fragile 8.5/10
Disc 1(Left):
1. Somewhat Damaged
2. The Day The World Went Away
3. The Frail
4. The Wretched
5. We’re In This Together
6. The Fragile
7. Just Like You Imagined
8. Even Deeper
9. Pilgrimage
10. No, You Don’t
11. La Mer
12. The Great Below
Disc 2 (Right):
1. The Way Out Is Through
2. Into the Void
3. Where Is Everybody?
4. The Mark Has Been Made
5. Please
6. Starf*ckers, Inc
7. Complication
8. I’m Looking Forward To Joining You, Finally
9. The Big Come Down
10. Underneath It All
11. Ripe (With Decay)
The CD version clocks in at over an hour and 40 minutes, and the LP is even longer. To truly digest and appreciate this album, you’ll need to clear your schedule for a bit, grab your best pair of headphones, and dive in.
The Downward Spiral brought worldwide attention to Nine Inch Nails in 1994, and for five years fans waited for the next sonic journey into Trent Reznor’s twisted world. The result was a two-disc magnum opus, something he is unlikely to top in the near future. The music on here is charged and emotional, and maybe more mature than its predecessor.
That’s not to say that EVERY song is a masterpiece. There are times when the album slows to a drag, as the angst, processed guitars, and layered synthesizers become old. Even then, there is reward in picking out the fine details and nuances only found in Nine Inch Nails releases.
In my personal opinion, the second disc (Right) is more enjoyable and memorable than the first. Songs like The Way Out Is Through, into The Void, Please, and the Big Come Down are shining examples of Reznor’s song craft, providing strong synth lines and deep bass that drive the tracks and keep them in your head long afterwards.
Still, the length does become problematic, and for the average listener, it may be too cumbersome to listen to compared to releases like The Downward Spiral and With Teeth. The songs themselves are great, but might just be too much of a good thing.
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