For a lot of fans, NIN hasn’t been the same since “The Downward Spiral”. Most of the material since that landmark album has felt like variations on the same theme. “With Teeth” was a bit less introspective than “The Fragile”, but it was also perceived as a bit safe and repetitive. If Trent Reznor is to be believed, this album was the result of a personal epiphany of sorts: a concept album about a repressive society in the near future. It’s been done before, with mixed results, but this is NIN and anything’s possible.
(Just a note: there’s a wealth of online information about Reznor’s vision behind the songs and hints to the deeper context of each and every cut. It’s literally impossible to address every aspect of that; instead, this is just my interpretation/reaction to each song in the album sequence. Your mileage, as always, may vary.)
1) Hyperpower! – A short intro, basically setting the mood with a nice wall of sound. It ends in anarchy and destruction, which sets the stage rather effectively. (7/10)
2) The Beginning of the End – Good driving beat, good exploration of the breakdown of civility in the world of Police State. The intensity builds over the course of the song. Still, nothing special. (7/10)
3) Survivalism – An unusual sound, which puts the listener out of the comfort zone, which is entirely the point. The lyrics are a great commentary on the ability of a population to accept and condone brutality in the name of personal survival, the breakdown of common concern for fellow man. (8/10)
4) The Good Soldier – This song has a great groove and a solid vocal line. More about the Police State and the role of the man sent to forcibly take control of his former world. This is a bit more conventional, but it actually works better for it. (10/10)
5) Vessel – Now this one just leaves me cold. There’s clearly a purpose to the unusual arrangement, but it’s beyond me. There’s a definite sexual vibe, a hint of commentary on drug addiction, and a whole lotta noise. My suspicion is that the idea is mind control through introduction of specific drugs and technology to the population, which is interesting it and of itself. (5/10)
6) Me, I’m Not – Things move back into something a bit less bizarre with this one. The lyrics are particularly obscure, but seem to deal with self-identity and, once again, the idea of withdrawing internally to ignore the truth. (6/10)
7) Capital G – Now this is a great song, another one with a great groove, and one of the best on the album. In essence, this is about how people give up their power to their leaders, who abuse the power, and how those with power care nothing for their followers or the future. Obviously, there’s a current reference, but it’s a fairly timeless commentary. (9/10)
My Violent Heart – This sounds like the manifesto of a former soldier turned revolutionary. It starts out very soft and restrained, but it ascends into something far more angry and ugly. An effective blend of theme and execution, though not the most exciting song on the album. (7/10)
9) The Warning – This one has a strong beat to it, which is good, because the song actually feels like someone explaining a plot point, not a song in and of itself. The warning seems to be from an unknown agency, possibly aliens, come to save the world from its misuse by humanity, if things don’t change. Very strange. (6/10)
10) God Given – This would appear to be the response: use of state-sponsored religion to control the masses, complete with bigotry and holier-than-thou hypocrisy. The song moves along at a brisk pace. Another song with a good driving beat. (7/10)
11) Meet Your Master – This one is a bit more conventional than a lot of the preceeding material, but it works very well. It should play far better out of context than some of the rest. The song hardly requires further explanation for those who feel disaffected, though it’s a bit more subversive than it appears. (8/10)
12) The Greater Good – This ties back to “Vessel”; one assumes that the revolutionary leader has been captured and subjected to the mind control once again (or the first time, who knows). The best description of this song is “soundscape”. It’s disturbing mood music, but it has a good beat and keeps up the intensity well enough. (6/10)
13) The Great Destroyer – The enemy hiding in plain sight, the supposedly assimilated warrior searching for the right moment to strike back. This is more of a rock song than some of the more electronic fare, and I like that variation. The middle section, however, threatens to destroy the song completely. (7/10)
14) Another Version of the Truth – This is an instrumental, a staple of NIN albums since “The Downward Spiral”. It progresses between the dread of coming annihilation and the calm before the storm. Taken in context with the rest of the album, it’s a worthy display of musicianship and concept working hand in hand. (7/10)
15) In This Twilight – This is a meditation on the end of everything known. I like how the vocals are mixed amid the discordance. This should be an interesting song to hear live, considering how some of the vocal lines are designed to soar. (8/10)
16) Zero Sum – And now, the moment of judgment, the consequence of ignoring the warning. The confession of those in power, the regrets of those who chose not to resist. It’s not much of a crowd-pleaser; more of a wrap on the concept, largely spoken word. An unexpectedly low-key end to the album. (6/10)
Needless to say, it’s recommended to listen to a NIN concept album more than once, because it’s easy to lose sight of the vision amongst the noise. I listened to it enough to absorb the ideas and concepts and get a feel for the music. In the end, I still don’t think this is as infectious as the early NIN efforts. It could gain more in the long run, but even after passing through the initial reactions, this is just average with an interesting but overly-familiar concept.
Rating: 7/10
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