Why you should listen to NIN’s The Fragile – for the first, or hundreth time
Written by: Mike
Growing up I was a big Nine Inch Nails fan. Pretty Hate Machine, The Downward Spiral, and Broken were all in regular rotation. As a kid, it was my first foray into dark music. I knew nothing about Joy Division, other post punk, black metal, or less mainstream industrial music. In 1999, when NIN’s The Fragile came out, I was l listening to terrible fucking music. I’m not afraid to admit that, and anyone that says they didn’t have their questionable (or full on regrettable) moment with music – is full of shit.
In 2001, I finally came to my senses and started listening to better music thanks to new friends. From ten on, the discovery spiral began. I found myself consumed in Refused, At the Drive In, Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, The Smiths, Joy Division, and so on… Pretty much anything you could fit onto the indie shelf at the record store. In 2005, I rediscovered my love for NIN with the release of With Teeth and went sifting back through Trent Reznor’s older material – excluding The Fragile. What I remember is hearing from friends and other fans that it was weird album, and that there wasn’t much singing on it. Plus, the release was hard to find so I never really took it seriously. Why I never just gave it a listen for myself is beyond me. How foolish!
After the With Teeth era, Trent Reznor’s material got repetitive. Year Zero and The Slip were unexciting. In the middle of those albums, he released Ghosts – which had more in common musically with The Fragile than any of his other releases from the 2000’s. Last year, Trent Reznor reactivated NIN – and my love for the band – with Hesitation Marks, their eight studio album. It’s his most critically acclaimed record since The Fragile and my personal favorite so far. It inspired me to revisit all of the older material again, including – finally – The Fragile. And as I’m sitting here writing this, I’m still flipping out over it. It’s become a need at this point to have to talk about it…
In 2013, I found myself listening to The Fragile more than any other record – old or new. Having listened to the album numerous times, I feel that I have a better understanding of Trent Reznor’s musical path. Many critics and fans will say The Downward Spiral is his best effort, and although that album is incredible in its own right, I would argue that The Fragile is really his masterpiece. I really felt like I had totally missed out when I finally listened to the record. On Reddit, the man himself has recently said that The Fragile is currently his favorite NIN album. And because that’s coming from the highest source possible, it’s something to trust.
The structure and track sequencing on the album is perfect. I’ll admit that I love experimental music as much as I do a good pop song. On The Fragile, Reznor takes both of those elements and blends them together like I have never heard before. But because these two musical elements are so different from one another, it can be a strange listen. It reminded me of some of the newer albums I’ve been listening to such as The Knife’s Shaking the Habitual. I don’t know if they were directly influenced by The Fragile, but in song progression and pacing it really comes through. One minute you’re rocking out to demonic drumming and Reznor’s strained vocals on “Underneath It All,” and then the next track, “Ripe With Decay,” is spaced out with creepy piano and an acoustic guitar sound. With a dose of signature NIN rock-oriented sound and new, surprising moments of Reznor getting weird with it, he was influencing future artists and challenging his fans.
Each listen had me wishing that more bands made quality heavy rock music with an experimental, almost fractured, twist. Appreciating it in the world of NIN, it musically encompasses everything that Reznor has done before and after. It’s clear that The Fragile was a turning point for Reznor. It was the last album where he sounds angry, self-loathing, and pissed off. Yet there was still a sense of his mellowing out… On “Please,” one of the lyrics is “The world is over, and I realized it was all in my head.” At 29, this is a feeling I can really relate to. If you have not given this record a chance, I urge you to. If you’ve heard it, listen to it again. Forget the fact that NIN are not the cool hype band, heavy music isn’t in style, and we are living in 2014. Give it a listen and let’s talk about it.