Holy Shit! This entry's longer than one line!
I'm listening to the new Nine Inch Nails album right now, hoping it's better than the last full album they put out. Here's my song-by-song criticism, as I listen to it:
1. All The Love In The World - This song stinks. Trent Reznor needs to rekindle his drug addiction if he thinks this song was worth releasing to the public. Towards the end, it sounds like a bad Lenny Kravitz impersonation. I'm embarassed to have listened to that.
2. You Know What You Are - This is much better. It's much faster, and sounds like something that could have been on the Downward Spiral. My anger over the awful first song has subsided.
3. The Collector - Eh, not really that bad, but not really that good either. Not much else to say about this one.
4. The Hand That Feeds - I've heard this one a million times by now. I like it, but it took a while to grow on me. The first half of it sounds better than the second half.
5. Love Is Not Enough - This song starts out really well, until Trent Reznor starts singing. He should have rewritten the first few lines before recording this one. After that though, it gets good. Overall, it's a dark, heavier song; much different from the more pop-oriented songs that came before it. I like this one.
6. Every Day Is Exactly The Same - This one is slower, and has more emphasis on the vocals. Not a bad song.
7. With Teeth - It sounds like he's practicing a televangelist schtick, the way he sings the title line (withah teethah). Other than that, the song is good. It's one of those that stops in the middle and then slowly picks back up.
8. Only - Self-loathing disco music. I suppose it's good, for what it is. Musically, it sounds similar to Marilyn Manson's cover of Golden Years.
9. Getting Smaller - This one doesn't really distinguish itself from all the other pseudo-rock shit out there. I'm guessing Dave Grohl contributed heavily to this song, because it sounds like every shitty Foo Fighters song ever made.
10. Sunspots - Slower song. Not that great. Forgettable.
11. The Line Begins To Blur - This is one of the better songs on the album. It transitions smoothly between distorted guitars and the more melodic chorus. Probably the best song so far.
12. Beside You In Time - This song seems to be building up to something, but can't quite get there. About a minute and a half in, I get the feeling it's going to be a let down. And I was right. It doesn't build up to anything significant. The song is alright, but the structure is irritating.
13. Right Where It Belongs - Here's another one that seems to building toward something that never comes. This one works better though. It's slow, but one of the better songs on the album. A good song to close with.
14. Home - I had a feeling this song would be good, and I wasn't disappointed. Has more of an old-school NIN feel to it. It doesn't appear to be on the track listing, so I'm wondering if it's going to be one of those track 99 songs.
15. Right Where It Belongs (alternate) - This is a stripped-down, softer and darker version of the song. Reminiscent of Hurt.
I'd give the album a B. There were some very good songs, a few mediocre songs, and a couple of shitty songs that should have never been done. It was too "pop" on a few of the songs, particularly the drums. I don't know if that can be attributed to Dave Grohl's influence or not, but it didn't help the album. Trent Reznor seemed to be trying to do things with his voice that he should never, ever, do again. It was better than The Fragile, but not as good as the first two full albums, or Broken.
You can listen to the whole thing here.
1. All The Love In The World - This song stinks. Trent Reznor needs to rekindle his drug addiction if he thinks this song was worth releasing to the public. Towards the end, it sounds like a bad Lenny Kravitz impersonation. I'm embarassed to have listened to that.
2. You Know What You Are - This is much better. It's much faster, and sounds like something that could have been on the Downward Spiral. My anger over the awful first song has subsided.
3. The Collector - Eh, not really that bad, but not really that good either. Not much else to say about this one.
4. The Hand That Feeds - I've heard this one a million times by now. I like it, but it took a while to grow on me. The first half of it sounds better than the second half.
5. Love Is Not Enough - This song starts out really well, until Trent Reznor starts singing. He should have rewritten the first few lines before recording this one. After that though, it gets good. Overall, it's a dark, heavier song; much different from the more pop-oriented songs that came before it. I like this one.
6. Every Day Is Exactly The Same - This one is slower, and has more emphasis on the vocals. Not a bad song.
7. With Teeth - It sounds like he's practicing a televangelist schtick, the way he sings the title line (withah teethah). Other than that, the song is good. It's one of those that stops in the middle and then slowly picks back up.
8. Only - Self-loathing disco music. I suppose it's good, for what it is. Musically, it sounds similar to Marilyn Manson's cover of Golden Years.
9. Getting Smaller - This one doesn't really distinguish itself from all the other pseudo-rock shit out there. I'm guessing Dave Grohl contributed heavily to this song, because it sounds like every shitty Foo Fighters song ever made.
10. Sunspots - Slower song. Not that great. Forgettable.
11. The Line Begins To Blur - This is one of the better songs on the album. It transitions smoothly between distorted guitars and the more melodic chorus. Probably the best song so far.
12. Beside You In Time - This song seems to be building up to something, but can't quite get there. About a minute and a half in, I get the feeling it's going to be a let down. And I was right. It doesn't build up to anything significant. The song is alright, but the structure is irritating.
13. Right Where It Belongs - Here's another one that seems to building toward something that never comes. This one works better though. It's slow, but one of the better songs on the album. A good song to close with.
14. Home - I had a feeling this song would be good, and I wasn't disappointed. Has more of an old-school NIN feel to it. It doesn't appear to be on the track listing, so I'm wondering if it's going to be one of those track 99 songs.
15. Right Where It Belongs (alternate) - This is a stripped-down, softer and darker version of the song. Reminiscent of Hurt.
I'd give the album a B. There were some very good songs, a few mediocre songs, and a couple of shitty songs that should have never been done. It was too "pop" on a few of the songs, particularly the drums. I don't know if that can be attributed to Dave Grohl's influence or not, but it didn't help the album. Trent Reznor seemed to be trying to do things with his voice that he should never, ever, do again. It was better than The Fragile, but not as good as the first two full albums, or Broken.
You can listen to the whole thing here.