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| The Slip | 
 enlarge | Artist: Nine Inch Nails
Label: The Null Corporation
Category: Music
List Price: $24.98
Buy New: $13.99
You Save: $10.99 (44%)
New (50) Used (14) from $11.45
Avg. Customer Rating:  79 reviews
Sales Rank: 416
Format: Limited Edition
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 5.3 x 5 x 0.4
Model: HALO 27 CD-LE
UPC: 766929934627
EAN: 0766929934627
ASIN: B001B71NOI
Release Date: July 22, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Most orders shipped within 24 hours. All items include original artwork and packaging. We do not ship to Brazil, sorry. Satisfaction Guaranteed!
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| Tracks:
| • | 999, 999 | | • | 1,000, 000 | | • | Letting You | | • | Discipline | | • | Echoplex | | • | Head Down | | • | Lights in the Sky | | • | Corona Radiata | | • | Four of Us Are Dying | | • | Demon Seed |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Album Description
Limited edition includes a bonus DVD. The Slip (also known as Halo 27) is the eighth major studio release by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. The album was produced by Trent Reznor alongside Atticus Ross and Alan Moulder.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 74 more reviews...
The earthiest, rawest, most spontaneous album Reznor has released July 24, 2008
42 out of 50 found this review helpful
4.5 Stars
For the first fifteen years of NIN's inception, fans would have to wait patiently, five or six years to hear new music. It was just a fact of life that it took forever for Trent Reznor to record and release a new album...in the past few years; however, the opposite is now true.
Including Saul William's "The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust!" (which Reznor helped write and produce) and "Year Zero Remixed," (both 2007) Nine Inch Nails new album "The Slip" (2008) is the sixth album Trent Reznor has released in the past three years. Sobriety and (as of last year) being free of a major label have certainly been agreeable to Mr. Reznor.
"The Slip" (Halo 27) is not what one might have expected after the grand, dysphoric "Year Zero" with its' Public Enemy beats and songs concerning what a hell the United States will look like in 15 years. "The Slip," by contrast is probably the earthiest, rawest, most spontaneous album Reznor has released. Since only a few weeks were spent writing and a few more spent recording this album, one can see why. Luckily, however, the album manages not to sound rushed or sloppy. It seems that Reznor got the ball rolling, went with it, and didn't over think anything. Guitarist Robin Finck, keyboardist Alessandro Cortini and drummer Josh Freese also made contributions to the album.
Unlike "Year Zero," no time is spent contemplating the state of the world. This probably works for the best, as two albums in a short period of time concerning how bad things could get in the U.S. might be overkill. Rather, like most NIN albums, "The Slip" is personally reflective--although at 43, Reznor's lyrics seem to be a little more refined.
As the album begins, one is lured into a false sense of calmness with the short, low-key opening "999,999" before being thrust into the pounding "1,000,000." Noisy, loud and intense, this track makes for an ideal opener. The momentum doesn't let up with the equally forceful "Letting You," whose sort of peculiar, off-key chorus is where its strength lies.
"Discipline," the album's first single, might at first seem like a rehash of "The Hand that Feeds" (from "With Teeth") but after a few listens it is clear that this song is superior. The groove here is just undeniable. "I need your discipline, I need your help...you know once I start I cannot help myself" Reznor proclaims, possibly fearful that he might one day fall off the wagon--or otherwise lose control.
The almost claustrophobic "Echoplex," another outstanding song, has a sort of hypnotic feel. Laid-back, this song kind of grabs hold of you without you even noticing. The somewhat disparaging "Head Down" is a little reminiscent of the bizarre (yet awesome) "Vessel" from "Year Zero." The melodic chorus kind of comes as a surprise.
Maybe one of Reznor's most heart-felt songs, "Lights in the Sky" is the album's strongest gem. Stripped down, this piano composition is deeply melancholy--although Reznor isn't bemoaning himself--rather this song seems to be directed at someone whom he cares deeply about, stating:
Watching you drown
I'll follow you down
And I am here right beside you
The lights in the sky
Have finally arrived
I am staying right beside you
The rest of the album is mostly all instrumental work. Following "Lights in the Sky" we are led to "Corona Radiata." Over seven minutes in length and minimalistic, one might think it would get a bit monotonous--but it never does, staying intriguing until the very end. The subtle, haunting guitar work leaves a lasting impression. A little noisier and a little more intense "The Four of us are Dying" is no less memorable.
Reznor seems to say that he's about to lose it in the hectic closing "Demon Seed." This one may take a few listens to really get into--but it's definitely very cool and a good way to conclude the album.
The accompanying DVD featuring the band rehearsing "1,000,000," "Letting You," "Discipline," "Echoplex" and "Head Down" is very cool and will definitely be of interest to fans of the album.
 Trent's New Discipline July 22, 2008
35 out of 49 found this review helpful
This review is for the downloadable version of The Slip that has been available for free on the NIN website for several months. Today (07/22/08) the same MP3-only version of the album (with ten songs) was made available here on AMZN, along with the limited-edition physical CD. I know nothing about the bonus DVD that comes with that package. Here I am reviewing the music of The Slip for the benefit of fans wondering about the album. The bonus DVD on the physical release is probably only essential for collectors or those uncomfortable with downloading. But note that the album's music is still available for free on the NIN website (apparently forever), and Trent Reznor is obviously willing to forego royalties in order to cut out the middlemen who distribute physical products.
The digital music era has freed Trent from record company strictures, and he sure is active lately, as The Slip is technically his fourth album-length product in about a year (though the double Ghosts I-IV should be regarded as an experimental side project). I was not too enthralled by Year Zero, finding it forced and unfocused, but The Slip is much more coherent and self-contained, with Trent displaying a sense of "Discipline" that allows him to both look forward and build upon his past strengths. The blistering "Letting You" recalls Trent's classics of barely-contained rage, and the fascinating "Echoplex" recalls some of the moody experimentation of The Fragile. The quiet and haunting "Lights in the Sky" is surely Trent's best piano ballad ever. The two extended atmospheric experiments, "Corona Radiata" and "The Four of Us Are Dying" hearken back to the most terrifying quiet moments of The Downward Spiral while also feeling fresh and forward-looking. The only misstep is the weak whispered vocals on "Demon Seed," though that track is still a powerful close to Trent's most focused album is recent memory.
In fact, this might be the tightest collection of songs in the history of NIN. Trent no longer has the need to create albums as lengthy as record companies want when they want them. Faithful NIN fans should get their hands on this, either physically or virtually. [~doomsdayer520~]
 Sub-par, compared to Year Zero and Ghosts; it is free, though. July 22, 2008
32 out of 58 found this review helpful
The problem with The Slip is that there's almost nothing new about it. Even that aspect of it isn't new. NIN already have one "let's just rock out and have a good time" album, 2005's With Teeth. That album is also more fun to listen to than this one.
It's somewhat disappointing when you consider Trent Reznor's other recent work. Year Zero (2007) was a startling, original reinvention. At least, I personally would never have expected the voice of nineties teenage angst to become a visionary prophet of the apocalypse. Ghosts I-IV (2008) was uneven, but it was also an original move, possibly the only thing Reznor could have done at that point without repeating himself. And although it may have been too long, many of the tracks on it truly expanded Reznor's horizons as a composer.
But even the best songs on The Slip would have sounded more or less average on With Teeth. "Discipline" is a very catchy single, but it's practically a rewrite of "The Hand That Feeds," except the production leans more toward the electronic sound of Year Zero. And the drum track sounds like it comes from Blur's "Song 2." I'm sure it will sound great live, but it really shouldn't be an album's greatest draw.
The loud angry songs all sound very similar, and much more rudimentary than even the songs on With Teeth (which were already stripped-down). Songs like "1,000,000," "Letting You" and "Head Down" use almost identical two- and four-note guitar riffs. Of course, NIN albums were always more about Reznor's vocals than the music, but these songs don't have any particularly interesting vocal rhythms either.
And the lyrics, man, they're really phoned in. It almost seems like they're just mash-ups of typical NIN phrases: "when you crawl on your hands and your knees," "I feel a million miles away, I don't feel anything at all," "Believing your charade, begin to suffocate," "This is all a dream and none of you are real," "I'll give anything," "It keeps growing and I can feel it breathe," "Now I know what this is all about," "I will use my fist to destroy everything I can," etc. Even Year Zero suffered from this problem a little, but there Trent made a concerted (and successful) effort to tell a story about the world around him. Here, he's back to railing against "them" and describing his emotions.
The second half of the album changes gears completely and sounds more like Ghosts. But there, too, most of the music isn't as good as the best Ghosts tracks. "Lights In The Sky" is Reznor's least interesting piano ballad (if you want to hear one of his more interesting ones, try I-1 on Ghosts), and "Corona Radiata" is the kind of droning ambient loop that appears in a few Ghosts tracks, except here it's stretched out to seven and a half minutes to become the longest song on any NIN full-length. Yet it really doesn't have any more musical content than "999,999," the minute-long "Pinion"-like opener.
The one interesting exception is the instrumental "The Four Of Us Are Dying." In addition to an evocative title, it also has an excellent, deep bass line. Trent has never been the best guitarist, but he's become very good at writing bass lines -- all the good songs on With Teeth had bass and not guitar leads, Year Zero had a few of them too (especially "The Warning"), and so did a few of the best Ghosts tracks. Perhaps he's been secretly taking lessons from Peter Hook. Anyway, this bass line rumbles ominously with a softer keyboard rhythm laid over it, creating a cool dark-ambient vibe. Hopefully this is the kind of thing he'll be exploring on his next album.
Also, the one vocal track that grew on me with time was "Echoplex." It would have fit in well with the less aggressive bass-driven songs on With Teeth. The music largely consists of a bouncy drum rhythm and more of that deep bass, with little else of note. But despite the upbeat rhythm, the song itself sounds kind of murky and ambiguous. It never builds up to any kind of climax, instead there's a break in which Trent whispers in time with the beat. The odd tension makes it stand out.
I don't want to sound too critical...he did release the entire album for free, and it's still up for download on NIN's website. And critics liked it for once, so I might be in the minority. But I still feel that it falls below the standard Trent has set in the past two years. Perhaps one should view it as an EP and not a full-length album.
Cheese with yer whine? Awesome as usual, Trent. July 23, 2008
12 out of 14 found this review helpful
First, I'd like to point out that all you whiners complaining that this is the same as Trent's other stuff are the same people that are the first to whine when your favorite band comes out with new stuff (that you don't like). You're also the same people that get all mad at concerts because they only play a couple of the older hits. STFU already!
This album is absolutely great. What's even more fantastic is what Trent is doing for the music world. Even if you don't like his music, you can't ignore his message.
In a world of pedantic, money-grubbing, music fan hating old farts that are the MPAA, Trent rises above and shows us where the real energy & effort should be spent - on catering to the fans of the music instead of suing them.
Trent doesn't EXPECT anyone to buy his album because he's released something new (again!). He gives (part of) it away as a free download, then creates something amazingly unique. His marketing techniques are pure genius.
I'm just one of many long-time NiN fans that have gone out of my way to purchase everything Trent has produced because of his attitude towards the music industry and MPAA.
We need more artists like Trent. If your favorite band still has the MPAA leash around their necks, DON'T buy the CD - the MPAA makes too much money from them, and the artist doesn't get squat. Go to the concerts, buy the merchandise, and urge them to go independent like Trent.
The only way we can fight the MPAA is to avoid them like a plague. They will eventually wither and die like the rotting old corpses that they are.
The NIN albums that's just..."there". July 23, 2008
11 out of 17 found this review helpful
Agree with the other reviewer. There is not a new thing here. NIN's music used to be more emotive and varied when there were longer gaps between released. The Slip is a great rock record, but the same lyrics, riffs and song structures are here that you heard on Ghosts, Year Zero, and With Teeth. Not a bad thing, but I wont preach about how amazing it is...not this time. Echoplex is a great track. Love the beat. This album is almost more minimal than a lot of the tracks on Ghosts. Am I the only one who has heard Trent say "I can't stop myself" and "on my hands and knees" one too many times? Get it if you have all the others because it is still a good record. Just don't expect change.
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