A Short, Quasi-Review of the New NIN
Published May 03, 2005
I anticipated With Teeth with fangirl glee, I tell you. I wanted to love it, cherish it, make love to it, breathe in its glorious air....I wanted to embrace it.
I was teased with one song back in February. I was expecting brilliance. Genius. Aural orgasms.
Now, after fifteen or so listens, and fully understanding that it took me months to fall in love with The Fragile, I am ready to make my judgment.
The album is cold and unfeeling and has no soul, much like my ex husband.
That's it. My entire review. Subject to change in a month or so when I, feeling like I owe Reznor something for the hours and hours of self-pity he has afforded me with his music, will give it a few more listens and decide it has grown on me.
And of course, I'll be at Best Buy during my lunch hour buying the damn thing (the DualDisc format), because my obsessive compulsive nature forces me to complete CD collections even though some of that collection may be crap on a disc. 19 halos, man. That's more than Mother Theresa, I bet.
Bonus: The Ghost that Feeds: NIN meets Ray Parker, Jr.
Extra bonus: Dave Grohl appears on the album, which is like having gold in your pocket.
- A Short, Quasi-Review of the New NIN
- Published: May 03, 2005
- Type: Review
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Rock, Review
- Writer: Michele Catalano
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- Michele Catalano's personal site
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Comments on this articleComments
I wonder if your ex-husband will sell 100,000 units this week too. Just kidding. I'm picking it up at lunch too. I hope it's not THAT soulless.
As long as he sends his check, I don't care what he does with his units!
I always thought cold, unfeeling and soulless is what Trent was striving for.
This is Trent, at his best since well anything the past few years. In my mind, he is an artist first! That means moving ahead without questioning anything. Keep rocking Trent!!!!
I have to say I couldn't disagree more -- this is perhaps the most positive, uplifting, and joyous record the man has made. And not in a lame "yeah, now all let's be miserable together" sort of way.
I mean in a serious "You're right, it's up to us. Let's get our shit in order and be happy because we've earned it" kinda way.
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I strongly disagree - this album is a lot more musical and emotional than anything Reznor's done in a long, long time (think since The Downward Spiral.) I've been listening to the album for about a month now and my enthusiasm for it hasn't diminished - it's a great album, start to finish, save maybe for a stumble with the second song ("You Know What You Are") which is pretty childish and nothing new. What's most refreshing about With Teeth is that it's a pretty straight-ahead rock album, and it does so quite hard, but with an added twist, at least for Reznor - very strong sing-along melodies on a number of songs. Where The Fragile is hit-and-miss, more spotty and dreary than not, With Teeth is a strong, driving listen throughout its entire length, especially the last few tracks that form a tight arc of emotion.
And save your money on the DualDisc, unless you feel like going back to the store to return it when it won't work. My goal in life is to take this BS format DOWN.
But "The Ghost That Feeds" - that's hilarious. I may never be able to listen to "The Hand That Feeds" the same way again, but it was worth it.