Review Summary: Trent Reznor's sonic collage of a career retrospective.
In many respects, "The Slip" is Trent Reznor's "you had to be there album." Unlike NIN's previous Industrial Rock staples, "The Slip" is an record that has frequently garnered more attention for its unconventional method of release than it has for Reznor's trademark interweaval of brooding electronic soundscapes and pop sensibilities. For NIN's die-hard legion of ghoulish fans, this was the album that their tortured hero released as a surprise gift, asking not a cent in exchange for his anguished musings. Perhaps more importantly, though, "The Slip" stressed Reznor's newfound prolific mode of creation and sobriety, as it was his fourth album in just three years- notable for the fact that it previously took him over fifteen years to reach that four album landmark as a drug-riddled misanthrope. Couple that relatively abundant output with the band's intense amount of high-scale touring, and there is little doubt that "The Slip" sounded better to the eager ears of NIN fans in 2008 than it does to longtime supporters looking back on Reznor's discography or to any newcomers brought in by the recent "Hesitation Marks." However, despite its compactness and slightly rushed feel, simply dismissing "The Slip" as a nice, if not necessarily great, little treat of release is a mistake that overlooks the album's more subtle nuances.
Often derided for having songs that sound like "With Teeth B-sides" and "getting boring at the end," "The Slip" unveils its true genius when viewed in a conceptual light. Sure, Reznor's tormented soul may sound a little tired when he churns out lines as predictable as "I need your discipline, I need your help" in a chorus-heavy lead single that he could have penned in his sleep, but the genius of "The Slip" is that his tiredness is precisely its point. Reznor unflinchingly inflicts lines like "Bet you didn't think it could happen to you / all used up, half way through" upon himself all throughout the album, clearly aware that it makes little sense for a successful and influential middle-aged rock star to bridle himself with the same angst that was his trademark during NIN's destructive, anger-laden heyday. It is thus that "The Slip's" main theme is Reznor grappling with his sense of purpose as he makes his way through his 40's, and he poses his self-questioning and self-criticism via a sonic collage that verges on being a full-on career retrospective. The propulsive drums that kick off the album in the anthemic "1,000,000" and the punk-rock muscle and anarchic energy of "Letting You" create a one-two punch that mirrors the unmistakable energy of NIN's early days while "Discipline" and "Echoplex" detail his uncomfortable slide into the claustrophobic world of an artist who fears his most impactful days may be behind him. "Head Down" is the album's turning point, as well as a clear standout. It is a banger of a track that surges with both blunt force and thought-provoking lyrics, eventually culminating in swirling electronic chaos that would feel at home on "Year Zero." The song then calmly and almost nonchalantly segues into the delicate, piano-driven "Lights in the Sky", which is essentially worthy of every "Hurt" comparison that is haphazardly thrown at it. This begins "The Slip's" transition into a section of reflective ambiance- perhaps only on "The Fragile" has Reznor previously penned something that has even hinted at the ominous brooding found on the slow building, seven and a half minute "Corona Radiata", a track that rewards patient listeners.
But what is all of this, this "career retrospective", building towards? What growth can Reznor achieve from this sort of artistic endeavor? The answer comes in the epiphany of "Demon Seed", a slightly off-kilter track that recalls the weirder parts of "Pretty Hate Machine." "Now I know what this is all about," Reznor asserts. "Now I know exactly what I am." What Reznor has finally realized about himself is not precisely clear to the listener, but the track pulsates with confidence and power. And after Reznor closed up the NIN shop for a few years to start a family, do a side project, and win an Oscar before largely reinventing the NIN sound with 2013's successful "Hesitation Marks", it's easy to see that maybe Reznor really was onto something in "Demon Seed." Perhaps he really did emerge from that album, that era of his career, with a newfound significance. Sure, "The Slip" may only contain hints of the genius that permeated "The Downard Spiral" and pale next to the majestic construction of "The Fragile", but it is an essential component of NIN's discography- an unabashedly honest and self-aware album that spans a career in its sonic aspirations and its insightful meta-narrative. And while this review may have been an argument against viewing "The Slip" simply as such, it IS a ***ing sweet gift.
