Seeqpod is Awesome... and Probably Illegal in Some Way

Apologies if I'm late to this party, but Seeqpod is an application that... well, basically, it allows you to whore a bunch of songs from the internet, put 'em in a playlist, and do pretty much anything you want with it. Like oh, I don't know, embed it in your blog.


SeeqPod - Playable Search

Enjoy the tunes, y'all. More to come.

Album of the Week

I'll be honest; there isn't anything remotely interesting out this week. The biggest CD release of the week is Usher, and there's no way I'm willing to spend more than this sentence talking about that. Cyndi Lauper has a new one, and I'll listen to that right after I forgive Oasis, Creed and Nickelback for their contributions to music. It's pretty much a sad sight across the board; at least, there isn't anything I'd even consider as an "album of the week". So... why bother posting at all? I dunno, just seemed like something to do, so I'm doing it. But, while we're on a roll, how about a look into the future, where there are actual half-interesting albums being released.

Coming Up for June 3:

WEEZER: The Red Album
Song: Pork and Beans

We've already discussed this, so I'm not wasting any more energy on it. I must admit, however, that this is a pretty neat video. How many horribly overexposed YouTube stars can you spot?



OPETH: Watershed
Song: Porcelain Heart

This is a very mellow song by Opeth standards, but their trademark melodic prog-metal is still awe inspiring. Some may call it pretentious. It is. But, it's also ridiculously good.



DISTURBED: Indestructible
Song: Inside the Fire

To be honest, I stopped caring about this band on album #2, where ProTools might as well have written the fucking songs. I will admit, however, that "Inside the Fire" is a good song, even if they'll never pull it off live.



There's more, but I got shit to do. Maybe later this week we'll take another peek forward.

A Pissing Vinegar Update

So, it's 12:39 am as I start typing, and I'm going yard saleing in the morning, then working at 10. I shouldn't even be awake at this point, let alone posting on my blog. But, here I am, proving my undying devotion to you, the reader (not a general statement; I know there's only one of you left, but it was kind of you to vote on my poll 3 times).

I was skimming through some old posts, and came across last summer's PV in which I announced the boycott of Empire Theatres. Those of you who remember that may recall that gears turned, stuff was said, and I got to see "Halloween" (albeit a week late). The boycott was very short indeed, and if you haven't discussed the subject with me, you may be under the impression that everything is hunky dory between myself and Empire.

You're not stupid; you know I wouldn't be telling you this if that were true. And, having been reminded by my own boycott advice (which includes an update if developments happen), I decided it best to let you know that the boycott is alive and well.

After the "Halloween" incident, I thought that things might change for the better here in town. However, that's not the case. In fact, it may have gotten worse. I suspect that, because attendance numbers were low for "Halloween" (probably due to the fact that everyone had gone out of town to see it or downloaded it out of frustration), head office determined that genuinely horrific horror movies don't do good business. They must have determined a lot of things, because since then there hasn't been much of anything remotely edgy playing in that theatre. The last movie I saw while eating that wonderful, heart stopping popcorn was... "Halloween".

Now, going almost nine months without a visit to the theatre might seem like the kind of thing someone who refuses to pay for a movie ticket would do. Don't get me wrong, I hate Hollywood to death, but there are movies I want to watch. It just seems like my taste in movies isn't shared by Empire Theatres. And, I can understand not being able to watch something as twisted as, say, "Rec" on the big screen. But, when you can't watch "Cloverfield" on opening night, there's a fucking problem here.

That's right. Us, the supposed big city, didn't get "Cloverfield" on opening night. Think about that, and keep in mind the hype that movie got. I wanted so badly to see that movie opening night, and those chump ass fuckwads couldn't deliver, despite the fact that it was a PG-13 flick (they're usually all over non-violent horror). That's when I rekindled the hate.

So, I've been actively boycotting Empire Theatres (again) since January 18th. Since then, the theatre has not gotten a lot of other movies that a lot of other people wanted to see. "Diary of the Dead" wasn't that big of a shock to not get; "Harold & Kumar" was. It's to the point where they're so fluff-centric, we're not even getting edgy comedies. It seems as though if it's not a bonafide blockbuster or for kids or couples, it doesn't exist. As of this writing, there are 5 movies playing at Studio 5; two blockbuster adventures (Indiana Jones & Iron Man), a kids movie (Narnia) and two romantic comedies (Made of Honor & What Happens in Vegas). No sign of "Harold & Kumar" (playing in Moncton). No "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" (playing in Moncton). Admittedly, there isn't much out at the moment that's edgy; makes it a little difficult to prove my point. But, when you consider that every single movie playing in Miramichi is rated PG, you begin to understand what I'm talking about. This is made a little clearer when you dig a little deeper on what isn't playing.

"Harold & Kumar" is an R-rated flick. It's a "crude" comedy. Kind of like "Superbad", "Knocked Up", etc. We had those two movies. However, sometime in recent months, some wires must have gotten crossed, because crude has been ousted by cuddly around here. But why? You may have heard the same excuse I have; there are only so many reels to go around. Makes sense, I suppose. Except that there are currently 48 Empire locations (that aren't specialty or single movie theatres). "Harold & Kumar" is playing in 22 of them. Nearly half. And, nearly half of those are in Nova Scotia theatres. In fact, it's playing in four different theatres in the HRM (Halifax Regional Municipality, for those unfamiliar). FOUR. No spares to go around, I guess. And, just so I'm super clear on this, Miramichi (population 18,129) doesn't get the flick, but Amherst (9,505) and Bridgewater (7,944) do. Two copies of the flick being shown to a smaller population than my town.

It's so obvious now; when it's all spelled out, I completely understand. If you want quality R-rated entertainment, Empire Theatres has a seat waiting for you. That is, as long as you live in a major urban area and/or Nova Scotia. If not, you can go fuck yourself, because we could give two shits about what you dirty, smelly, backwards hicks want to see. Do the world a favour and either kill yourself or move to nicer area... like Amherst!

The next movie I watch in theatre will be "The Dark Knight". When it opens on July 18th, it will mark the six month anniversary of the reopening of my boycott. And, you know what? Six months is a pretty good run. I'll be sure to reflect on it all as I watch the credits roll... at the Apollo, a nice, independent theatre in Bathurst, just 45 minutes away that has a better track record for edgy movies than the fuckhole corporate monopoly. Even if it's playing here (which it will; it's a blockbuster), it'll be worth the extra gas money. I get the pleasure of knowing I'm no longer supporting a theatre that doesn't support me, and I get to eat at Wendy's.

With all that satisfaction to look forward to, why in the hell didn't I boycott you from the start?

Pissing Vinegar? What's That?

You can't just come back after, what, two years? Has it been that long? I'm too lazy to check. Anyway, you can't just have all of a sudden some striking return to the profanity-oozing vitriol that got people to visit the Webhole in the long, long ago when it was known as the Emporium. But, if I've learned one thing in my 32 years, it's that your fiancee is not one to be arguing with. When she said she wanted more Pissing Vinegar, I don't know if it was for her, or for the rest of you. However, I know when I must do what I must.

But, you don't get a new PV just like that. Like I said, it's not an old pair of shoes you grab out of the closet and strap onto your feet, then run a marathon. It takes time to get back into game shape; maybe more time than I care to put in. Besides, like I've said before, I'm just not as angry as I used to be. I consider this a good thing, but apparently the majority would rather see me seethe than breathe. So, I'll do what I can. Don't expect me to fake it, though; I'm not going to rail against something unless I firmly believe railing is in order. With that in mind, don't expect that every other week stuff I spoiled you kids with all those years ago. When it's time to vent, I'll vent, not before. It's going to take time.

You need to be patient.

When it's time, you'll know.





Okay, here's the situation...

My job is fucking awesome. Working in a record store is a wonderful, beautiful dream. The store is my happy place, my utopia and my all-star rock show all in one. When I think back to all of my other jobs, none of them come close. Granted, my choices are bored-to-tears tourism centre lackey, overworked and under-appreciated radio announcer and call centre verification worker. So, I suppose it's kind of saying having sex with a human is better than having sex with a pine tree, a bottle of barbicide or a cheese grater. Suffice to say, as a music lover since 1984, I can think of no better job on earth.

Unfortunately, it's probably back to the cheese grater before too long.

There's truly something disheartening about the modern music scene. It's sad to say, but looking back on the arrival of Napster and the horrified cries from the rich guys in fancy suits warning of the death of the industry... they could have been right, you know? I don't want to admit it; I was always a believer that if the music was good enough, people would buy it. We, the consumers, would continue to support the art form, no matter what. The landscape would change, but at the end of the day, the trees would still sprout fruit for the harvest.

But, take a look; the orchard looks like a scene from a Tim Burton movie. Album sales continue to plummet. Digital sales are skyrocketing; a buck a piece for severely reduced sound quality songs, consumed happily by millions of apathetic souls who don't know bit rates from bison shit. Those who do care about sound are taking full advantage of today's faster internet by downloading lossless torrent files in about the same time it took to download one song ten years ago. The technology has gotten too good, and the industry has handled the situation so poorly that no one even cares if it dies anymore. The greedy record companies deserve to falter, let music go back to the people. They're all valid opinions to have; I certainly can't blame anyone who hates on the industry that frantically threw lawyers at the problem, rather than learning the digital ropes and trying to find a sensible solution.

Some argue that the music industry signed its own death warrant by releasing a shitty product and charging too much for it. I actually agree with this; $20 for a CD with one good song on it is not performance. But, with the internet the way it is, you don't have to pay sight unseen anymore; check something out and buy it if you like it. It only makes sense. Sadly, far too few people use this philosophy. I have a regular visitor at the store who is first in line when one of her two favourite artists puts out a new CD. She often stops in to ask what we recommend. That's one of the greatest things about being a music buff working at the record store; other music buffs want to talk to you about what's out there. Problem is, nowadays most of the people who ask me what's good (the aforementioned customer among them) are taking that advice directly to their torrent search engine. On a daily basis, a conversation takes place in the store where one person is interested in buying a CD, but doesn't because their friend offers to burn them a copy. It happens right under my nose that often; people don't even feel bad about walking into my store and announcing that they're doing their part to put it out of business.

The future is just as bleak; the kids don't even consider buying music unless it's cheap. If it's easier to shell out ten bucks for it than to use up the time and bandwidth downloading a burning it, most kids will go for it. But, finding a regular customer under the age of 25 is more and more rare.

So, what do we do about it? In my case, nothing. If our store is going to be closed, the damage is done. Whether or not it happens sooner or later is no matter; even if we have a really busy summer, we'll still be looking over our shoulders all fall. The big bad Wal-Mart up the street doesn't help; I've learned that 95% of the population is more than willing to spend an extra $2 on gas as long as they can save $1 on a CD or DVD. It's the same with every other product, too; that's a lot of the reason why a good dozen stores have gotten out of our mall in the three years since Wal-Mart opened. It's looking grim in that mall, and things aren't getting better. When the mall is owned by an outside company in a large city, I guess they could give a rat's ass whether the spaces are filled as long as they make more than they spend on the place. I could go on for pages and pages more, but I've got to end this rant before I smash the keyboard in frustration.

So, to summarize, Wal-Mart is an evil, fiery pit of despair, and the music industry is a sinking ship. Looks like I'm swimming to hell.

Here endeth the ePISSle.

Album of the Week

Foxboro Hot Tubs: Stop Drop and Roll!!!

It's one of the worst kept secrets in rock history, this band is. But, if you really and truly don't know, Foxboro Hot Tubs are Green Day. Can we just get that out of the way and move on to the music, people?

"Stop Drop and Roll!!!" comes as an expanded version of the 6-track EP given away on the net last December. These tracks serve as "Side A" of this album, except here the obscure sound bites are absent (they were rather annoying before every track, but I kind of miss the count in followed by "You're doing it fucking wrong!" at the beginning of "Highway 1").

Now, another of rock's worst kept secrets has, for quite some time, been Green Day's love of sixties rock music. One of their first recordings was a cover of The Who's "My Generation". They later gave a faithful rendition of the Kinks' "Tired of Waiting for You". It shouldn't come as a shock, then, that these two bands are paid highest respects on this, a sixties inspired effort all around (right down to the barebones vinyl-themed packaging). The Kinks are more prominently featured in the sound, especially in "Alligator", the virtual sequel to "You Really Got Me". "Red Tide" bears close resemblance to "Tired of Waiting for You". The Who's moment comes in "27th Avenue Shuffle", first cousin (if not twin brother) to "My Generation".

This could have become a problem on the record, as most of the 12 songs bring to mind another song from rock's storied history. But I, for one, let it slide for two reasons.

Firstly, the record's finest moments sound more like Green Day than any other band. And it's not just Billie Joe's voice that gives them away; it might feature psychadelic keyboards, but just try to listen to "Ruby Vroom" without "Hitchin' a Ride" coming to mind. Then again, that song reminds me of "Stray Cat Strut", so I guess it all reaches backwards.

Which brings me to the second point. Yes, this album might play like a classic rock mixtape, but it's not like this is the true follow up to "American Idiot"; let's not take it so seriously. Face it; Green Day are under enormous pressure to follow up that album. That they took some time out to record these songs speaks to an urgent need to blow off some steam and just rock out. Truthfully, they should be applauded for dusting off their record collections and stepping away from the soapbox for a minute.

Not to say that it's all sunshine and lollipops. The lyrical content on "Stop Drop and Roll!!!", for the most part, counteracts the shimmery grooves and jangly rhythms. There's an ample dosage of live fast / die young litanies, while other common lyrical threads are escape, loss of control and hopelessness. It's a record that oozes as much frustration as it does fun. But, that's always been Green Day's main strength; the ability to make you feel good with the music, even as Billie Joe tells you that he's miserable. And, a good chunk of the album finds him miserable. About precisely what, we can only hazard to guess, but Green Day's proper follow up to "American Idiot" has been penciled in for the fall and, with it, one can't help but think that a lot of eyes and ears at Warner Music Group are intensely focused in Green Day's direction, hoping for another smash record that could potentially save the music industry (a little far fetched... but just a little).

Can they really be blamed for sidestepping the crushing weight of expectation and having a little fun? At the end of the day, isn't that what music is supposed to be all about? Isn't it possible that, by looking to the past and digging through its treasures, Green Day has shown us all why we fell in love with music in the first place? Call me an overexcited, blithering fanboy if you will, but "Stop Drop and Roll!!!" just might be a more powerful statement from this band than even "American Idiot". At the very least, it's a hell of a lot more fun to listen to.

"Stop Drop and Roll!!!" is out (and reasonably priced) now.

The New Weezer Album (Probably) Sucks Balls, and They (Definitely) Know It

Business first; after a few measly weeks, I've already decided to kill my chart again. Two reasons, actually...

1. I thought to myself, "what does a chart represent in the grand scheme of things but popularity?" Upon further reflection, I determined that a chart is kind of an odd way to recommend music these days. After all, it doesn't really promote you to check anything out as much as it screams out, "I like the new Sam Roberts single more than I like the new Weezer single, so you should like it too!" Of course, this is a bad example, since everyone knows how horrendous the new Weezer single is, but you get my point ;)

2. Nobody looks at the damn thing anyway. When I make a post, I'm guessing most of you read it through my Facebook feed anyway, without bothering to actually visit the blog. I know this because I posted a poll a couple of weeks back that pretty much said, "I'll do a podcast if you want me to", and no one's gone for that option as of this writing. So, with that in mind, fancy stuff on my sidebar is essentially useless, because no one's there to see it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not bitter or anything; I'd also be inclined to just snag the article from Facebook rather than go through links and new tabs and shit. I'm just saying, I thought it would be a cool thing to do, then had a change of heart on it, and didn't see any indication it was worth the effort anyway. So it's gone.

Onto the article. Feel free to comment, correct or threaten at will.

The interweb was all aflutter a month or so back, when it was announced that the new Weezer album would be, like the Blue Album and Green Album before it, self titled (aka the Red Album). Visions of "The Sweater Song", or even "Island in the Sun" started floating above our heads; with the exception of "Pinkerton", the only Weezer records that have been truly great were the self titled records. It had seemed the mighty Weez were on a slippery slope, after the metallic, clumsy "Maladroit" and the self-help infused, synth pop inspired mess of "Make Believe". But, lo and behold, we were being graced with a self titled Weezer record; surely, they'd regained their senses and were set to unleash the beast.

Well, the single "Pork and Beans" popped that balloon in a hurry. It's the kind of quirky/sludgy rocker Rivers Cuomo could write (and sounds as though he sung) in his sleep. Nevertheless, rock radio was all over it, since it was a new Weezer single. Now, Interscope had originally delayed the release of the record a week from its intended date of June 17. Then, last week, it was announced that the record would actually be out on June 3, a full three weeks before what was given as an official release date. As an excuse for the move, they cited "popular demand and the intense reaction to the Pork and Beans single". Now, I know that the popular demand part comes from Weezer's dedicated fan base, who are on the brink of orgasm this close to release date. What's unclear is the "intense reaction" to the single; are they referring to the spins at rock radio, or the hundreds of not-so-glowing reviews on blogs the web over?

More tracks have surfaced in the last week; "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" is a 6 minute boast rap/prog rock/epic singalong combo that's easily the strangest thing Weezer have ever recorded. It hearkens back to the Who's "A Quick One While He's Away" in that it sounds like nine songs in one. That was awesome when the Who did it; I accepted it when Green Day did it. Whether or not Weezer deserves props for it is more of a head scratcher; it's oddly charming, but more keeled toward "odd" than "charming".

Then, there's "Heart Songs". I don't even want to talk about it; it's just sad. Not in the "affects you emotionally" way, but rather the "Rivers, who did what to you to deserve a song this fucking awful" way.

All could be forgiven by "Troublemaker", a rollicking headbobber that's all but guaranteed to be the second single (and probably should have been the first). It's tight, it's catchy, it's classic Weezer, despite and/or because of the trite lyrics. "Everybody Get Dangerous" is rocking too, but with more of a nighttime, "Maladroit" vibe. It's passable, but it's no "Don't Let Go".

And those five songs constitute the first half of the album. So, unless the latter half is a rare beast of the B-side trumping the A-side (see "Back in Black"), the Red Album is shaping up to be somewhat of a dud. Which, as lukewarm reactions pour in, tracks continue to leak and (most importantly) word gets around, pleads a pretty good case for rush release. Because if you give the internet a month to kill something, you better believe it's gonna die a horrible, horrible death.

Three years ago, I had called "Make Believe" Weezer's make or break record. Now, a couple of weeks away from what is likely going to be the band's third lackluster album in a row, I think I can safely say that they're broken. Despite owning all five Weezer records and the Rivers Cuomo demo disc, it looks like I'm finally done with the Weez.

Of course, it's not the first time a band has strung together disappointments; we lose bands to this kind of thing all the time. It just stings a little more with Weezer. If you think back to this time ten years ago, this band had been written off by fans and critics alike after the moody, slow sales performer "Pinkerton" which, in hindsight, is probably their best album. They were forgiven with the Green Album, which is extremely rare in the music biz. Forgiveness from anyone but the hardcore fans after this will be a miracle.

Things Not to Do List

So, last night was the QOTSA show in Halifax; cool venue, great set. Sound was fantastic, the band was tight, all the "hits" were played (although I would've like a couple more from the first album). Their live CDs/DVDs don't do this band's performance justice. It was a little short (Pearl Jam spoiled me; I now expect all bands to play for at least 2 1/2 hours), but overall well worth the price of admission. $40 is much less than most bands on QOTSA's level charge these days, and I'd wager that those bands don't put on as good a show.

The setlist:
Go with the Flow
Do it Again
Feel Good Hit of the Summer
The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret
3's & 7's
Misfit Love
Burn the Witch
I Never Came
In the Fade
Monsters in the Parasol
Turnin' on the Screw
Make it Wit Chu
Little Sister
Battery Acid
You Can't Quit Me Baby
Sick, Sick, Sick
No One Knows
(encore)
You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar, But I Feel Like a Millionaire
Song for the Dead

I sadly missed most of Mugison's set, but was fortunate enough to snag a copy of "Mugiboogie" for $10... autographed and handed to me by the man himself. We didn't have much of a conversation (Me: Sorry I missed your set, I saw your videos on YouTube and you guys seem pretty awesome. Mugison: That's great, thank you for your support, etc.), but he seemed genuinely happy to be grinding it out at the merch table for the few of us who showed the common decency of giving some props to the opening band. For those of you curious about the band, Google them, then snag "Mugiboogie" for yourself when it's officially released (on Ipecac, no less) June 24.

Anyway, I am a little wiped out from the experience, so there will be no Album of the Week this week (it was only going to be the new Death Cab anyway, and I'll save you the suspense; it's just okay). The chart will be up later in the week, maybe on the weekend. Just throwing this up here to let you know I still think about you from time to time.

Off you go.

Album of the Week

Nine Inch Nails: The Slip

If I had a time machine, I'd transport back to 2004. Seems kind of an odd choice, I know; the world wasn't really all that different four years ago. George Bush was fucking the world over, gas prices were high, and the music industry was dying. One would think that, given the luxury of time traveling, a more important time would be at the top of the list. There have been, after all, many moments in history that would be truly awesome to relive (my birth) or experience for the first time (what happened after I blacked out from chugging all that Hermits wine). But, no; I stick with 2004. That way, I can look back on Nine Inch Nails' discography and, more specifically, Trent Reznor's torrid pace of one studio album every five years. Throw in all of the singles, remix albums, live sets, videos, etc., and at the end of 2004 we were given a grand total of seventeen "halos" in fifteen years.

If I had a time machine, I could go back to 2004, tell you that not only was "With Teeth" coming in May 2005, but that in the three years to follow there would be three more albums, one being a double-disc instrumental opus, one being a sprawling post-apocalyptic concept album, and the other being distributed free of charge through Trent's own website. And that "The Slip" was Halo 27, the tenth "halo" within the span of three years.

In 2004, you would have bet anything against that. Which would make me a very, very rich man today.

If you're not a NIN fan, you may not have been paying attention to Reznor's antics for a while. Suffice to say, there's bound to be a million articles circulating the web regarding Trent's chosen methods of business recently, and not nearly as many actually discussing "The Slip" in a purely musical context. For the benefit of the uninitiated, I'll provide a Coles Notes of the situation, and you can look into the details on Wikipedia or something.

Last year, Trent Reznor got really angry with his record label (and, come to think of it, the music industry in general) for being greedy little pricks. Late in the year, he left his label to a small amount of fanfare, and folks started to speculate about what NIN's future held. In March, "Ghosts I-IV", a 2-hour instrumental melting pot, was released for free (vol. I mp3's), cheap (I-IV mp3's), more expensive (2xCD), and holy shit (fancy box, bluray, vinyl, CDs, Trent's John Hancock). This initiative, it's safe to say, made Trent Reznor more money than any of his previous projects did (possibly all of them combined). Not bad for an experimental two-disc set that he didn't even have to write lyrics for. Much ballyhooing was heard regarding the revolutionary approach to releasing music. So, today, the coup de gras; "The Slip", Nine Inch Nails' second release in two months and the first example I can think of (by a major label artist) where the entire album is available in a variety of formats (mp3, FLAC, Apple lossless... basically as awesome sounding as you want) directly from the artist's website, is completely free of charge, and is totally okay to make copies for your friends, post on your website, or any other means of what is usually considered copyright infringement. Bottom line: an unprecedented and potentially industry saving/destroying tactic that could have only come from a forward-thinking artist like Trent Reznor.

So, then, now that you're caught up, is "The Slip" worth the price? Duh. It's hard to get ripped off by something that's free (unless she has the clap). See, that's the thing that makes this album so hard to review; can you really rip on something that you didn't have to pay for? Isn't the point of these reviews, at their essence, to convey to the reader whether or not I think he/she should shell out cash for it? In a rare case such as "The Slip", is it a good review if it's all dogshit except for one song that people would, theoretically speaking, pay money for? You can see the paradox.

Thankfully, these moral tightropes needn't be traversed, because "The Slip" is not shitty at all; far from it, actually. In fact, the first half of this album packs more punch than any of Reznor's recent body of work. Sliding in after a quiet, brief intro, "1,000,000" breaks down the door and starts gunning. Riding a distorted groove and stomp-worthy back beat, it expertly combines the tunefulness found on "With Teeth" with the jagged noisefests that inhabited "Year Zero". And oh yeah; it rocks really hard. It's followed by the crushing "Letting You", which can only be described as Reznor's twisted take on punk; it could be the noisiest, heaviest song in the NIN catalog (and no, I didn't forget about "Wish"). Of course, man cannot live on rock alone. "Discipline", the set's radio single (whatever that means these days), chugs along on a smooth groove that wouldn't have sounded out of place on "With Teeth".

The album's midsection packs a terrific one-two punch. "Echoplex" jumps out of the speakers like the older, smarter, more handsome brother of "Only". It's melodic, foot-tapping, and a prime example of Reznor pulling off awesomeness without the aid of smack. It's followed by "Head Down", front runner the highlight of the set. The riff is menacing, the beat dirty but funky, and Reznor's vocal style in the verses is reminiscent of "Meantime" era Page Hamilton. Its chorus ups the melody a touch, but on the whole, this is Nine Inch Helmet, and it is amazing.

Which makes it all the more disappointing when the tune sputters out and makes way for "Lights in the Sky", a brooding and introspective mood piece (granted, it wouldn't be a NIN record without it) that kills the buzz of the exhilarating first half of the album, and ushers in a lull that lasts until the album's last track; "Lights" is followed by two meandering instrumentals (after "Ghosts", didn't he get this out of his system?!) to make the trio of tracks a near 16-minute long crater in the album. By the time "Demon Seed" brings back the vocals and ups the tempo again, it's a welcome return, but you can't help but get the urge to move it higher in the track list next time you listen so that you don't have to sit through 15-plus minutes of mood music to hear it (I find it works best between "Letting You" and "Discipline").

Maybe, in this respect, "The Slip" works better as an EP than an album. At 43 minutes long, it's not much longer than "Broken" anyway (not to mention far shorter than any NIN album since "Pretty Hate Machine"). After all, the two instrumental tracks don't exactly feel at home here; they'd probably be better served cut out of your "Slip" folder and pasted onto the end of "Ghosts". What you're then left with is a short but solid batch of songs, right up there with the best of Reznor's post-"Downward Spiral" work.

But hey! Don't take my word for it; since it's totally free, you've got no excuse not to just pull it down for yourself and start listening!