I'm pretty sure that I'm the only person on the planet, including Trent Reznor himself, who prefers (albeit just barely) the post-"Fragile" NIN to the more widely-loved early "angsty" phase. Honestly I'm happy to do without the platinum-selling S&M gothic cheesiness of 20something Trent, especially when he manages (in his middle age, no less) to release one impeccably produced album after another. "The Slip" is the best release in NIN's newly prolific 2005-2008 phase; even the lyrics are good, which is sort of amazing, considering that this is (after all) Trent Reznor we're talking about. The track sequencing is just about perfect, and there's no filler whatsoever; the "rock" tracks use live drums to great effect, and the ambient pieces are among the best he's ever done (certainly a vast improvement upon the sprawling "Ghosts" quadruple-album). Best of all, it's free to download.

Style: Rock, Ambient

RIYL: Atari Teenage Riot, Joy Division

Download from NIN.com

Download: Demon Seed

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2008  Ambient  Atari Teenage Riot  Joy Division  Nine Inch Nails  Rock  Selfreleased  The Slip  playbynumbers