Fixed - Nine Inch Nails

...song, or at least the fixed version. Again, Wish on Broken was one of the better songs. There is a moment of hope in this song though, where part of the Broken song comes crashing in missing only the vocals. However it doesn’t last and the song starts heading off into drum and bass territory which again goes on and on and on, although we do get stabs of the Broken version again but to be honest that’s the only thing worth bothering about ...
...I don’t think I can make it to the end!


* Happiness in Slavery *

This track starts off somewhat better. Insistent drums and bass merge with a haunting synth and that pretty much sets the mood for the whole track. The lyric “Happiness in Slavery” bends in and out of the song although at over six minutes I feel the track is over long. However it’s not a particularly bad track and is the ... more

Broken was the first Nine Inch Nails album to have a complimentary versions album, the rather predictably titled “Fixed”. However unlike the other versions album it’s a fairly weak effort, surely NIN’s worst release. Trent Reznor is at his most industrial on this album, crashing, squealing, screaming, clanking etc take precedence over any tune. So after that less than promising introduction, onto the tracks themselves.

* Gave Up *

Opening with a siren and a distorted guitar things although this is all the song does for a long time while the vocals come in. Pretty dull really. Then after over a minute of that the vocals get all broken up and a fairly dancy beat comes in and this keeps going for several minutes, somewhat expectedly the song never really lifts itself out of the dull category, which is a shame as Gave Up was one of the best songs on Broken.

* Wish *

An introduction that sounds almost like the Pet Shop Boys (Apart from the fact that it goes on and on). We then move onto a throbbing bass drum and some whispery vocals but we’re a minute in and I still don’t like the song, or at least the fixed version. Again, Wish on Broken was one of the better songs. There is a moment of hope in this song though, where part of the Broken song comes crashing in missing only the vocals. However it doesn’t last and the song starts heading off into drum and bass territory which again goes on and on and on, although we do get stabs of the Broken version again but to be honest that’s the only thing worth bothering about this song. Did I mention it’s over nine minutes long? I don’t think I can make it to the end!

* Happiness in Slavery *

This track starts off somewhat better. Insistent drums and bass merge with a haunting synth and that pretty much sets the mood for the whole track. The lyric “Happiness in Slavery” bends in and out of the song although at over six minutes I feel the track is over long. However it’s not a particularly bad track and is the first track on the album that has actually been reworked by Trent Reznor.

* Throw This Away *

Reworking “Last” off of Broken it’s a slow brooding track and for a change it’s not overlong although at the end the percussion part of the song does tend to overrule the rest of the track. Not to bad though, again Mr Reznor is involved in the reworking.

* Fist F[]ck *

Another reworking of Wish that right from the word go just does not sound right. A song starting like this one does could easily end up as cheesy techno music. And it’s one hell of an intro at almost one and a half minutes. Then we move onto NIN do tribal drums for a bit and then some looped guitar and then the tribal thing again. That’s pretty much your lot, only seven minutes of it. No Mr Reznor on the reworking though – I see a pattern forming!

* Screaming Slave *

Another reworking of Happiness in Slavery, starting off with some very industrial noises and some biting synths although after the great intro that’s pretty much all the track does for about six minutes and then we get some random studio chat before returning to the previous style, finishing after eight minutes. Trent is involved but is only one sixth of the remixing team. To many cooks methinks.

Well, that was disappointing to say the least, Nine Inch Nails are one of my favourite bands but this album was quite dull – at times matching the Industrial section of MP3.com for quality (Dunno why but of all the genres I like there doesn’t seem to be much worth listening to in the Industrial section). Happiness in Slavery and Throw This Away are pretty good and outstanding compared to the rest of the album but that is the main problem. Two good tracks from six does not make a good album, although as with Broken, you should be able to get it fairly cheaply.

For full on NIN fans only.
 

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