The Fragile

Nine Inch Nails' *The Fragile* stands on the shoulders of giant *The Downward Spiral*, which is most probably why Trent Reznor took the double-album route for it, paradoxically to take away the pressure. It's indeed easier to take your sweet time exploring the nooks and crannies of your own creativity, and have the wiggle room to do so, than try to reenact what is impossible to reenact anyway. Instead, you can experiment more. You can leave things somewhat open-ended. You can have your cake, eat it too, and make a mess with the ingredients that are left on the kitchen table. As everyone familiar with Reznor's body of work already knows, the Nine Inch Nails mastermind would become a very productive film soundtrack composer in the decades following the release of *The Fragile*, and in retrospect, you can bet your S&M boots the experience of writing and recording an album as long-winded and "atmospheric" as this one taught him a ton of things. Interestingly, it was around that time that Reznor also produced and helmed the editing of the soundtrack album for David Lynch's *Lost Highway* (for which Nine Inch Nails also wrote and recorded the song "The Perfect Drug", sharing a lot of similarities with some of the specific tones found in this 1999 double album). So it seems that with *The Fragile*, Trent merely took his dreams -- no, cross that out, he took his *nightmares* -- to the big screen, only to then relish in the unsound, seedy spectacle afterwards. Reznor is indeed acting more like a cinematographer than like a rock star for this particular release, ordering "scenes" one after another, operating tonal jumps that may be more jarring than usual at times, but never forgetting the broader picture -- where the sum matters more than the parts. Take it or leave it, but you can't blame such intents. They make perfect sense in the very specific context the man found himself in by the late nineties. Of course, Reznor being the talented dark industrial pop songwriter that he is, he can't refrain from penning and constructing unambiguous bangers for the genre, which start to fully appear at the moment where the project really takes its stride, that is to say that stellar string of cuts between the fifth and the seventh slots on the first CD, going from "We're In This Together", to the title-track, and then to the amazing instrumental "Just Like You Imagined". You also have the sleazy and disturbed industrial funk of "Into The Void" and "The Big Come Down" in the second disc. Plus, maybe, the "fun" electro-punk romp "Starfuckers, inc." Of course, mileages may somewhat vary on what should be considered as a banger and what should be considered as a deep cut on the second disc... But there's enough meat on the hooks to satisfy all *indus* fans hungry for decidedly black yet clearly catchy contents there... All those visible peaks do not necessarily mean what's in the valleys is not worth a visit anyway. There are actually no real duds to speak of in *The Fragile*'s long tracklist, only compositions that require a little more time and patience from the listener to reap the rewards afterwards. Exhibit A, the "na na na"-laden, near-post-rock guitar build-up of "The Day The World Went Away" for instance. Interestingly, the song was chosen as a single, which might further blur the line separating "peaks" and "valleys". Exhibit B, the crestfallen opener "Somewhat Damaged". And digging the cinematic vein even deeper, the other instrumental "Pilgrimage" even harbors some apocalyptic samples of horn blasts that are extremely evocative, while "La Mer" is a dark ambient soundscape leading to the impressively desperate and impressively epic piece "The Great Below", a song diving into the abysses of depression, here depicted as infinite expanses of black waves all around you. Did we mention this one song as a "peak"? Hard to use the term for something so... fathomless. And yet here we are, going full circle again. Final verdict: it is probably pointless trying to separate the wheat from the chaff listening to *The Fragile*. In Reznor's worldview, harvests are always yielding up very rotten fruits anyway... This record might not be an overall statement that is widely deemed as striking and memorable as the ones of *The Downward Spiral* or *Pretty Hate Machine*, but it's certainly the offering in the band's discography that is the most at ease with the concepts of decay, entropy and dereliction. And in Nine Inch Nails' putrid universe, that's gotta count for something. 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list dedicated to essential albums, rounded up to 4 8/10 for more general purposes (5 for the musicianship and production values + 3.5 for the artistry) ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 123 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 143 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 318 (including this one) A note about my refusal to select *The Fragile* for my own potential list: it's a "good" double-album, but I don't think it stands a chance of being added in my future ranking given that *The Downward Spiral* will already represent NIN there anyway, along with *Pretty Hate Machine*, maybe. I am not even sure about that second LP, to be honest. But having only *one* release in the 1001 Albums list is not necessarily something the greatest artists should be ashamed of, if you see what I mean... For those types of lists, some acts can shine brighter with a single album than all the Elvis Costellos of this world with a dozen of LPs in it. That's where the unavoidable subjectivity of said lists can't always hide more "objective" truths, at least for certain magnum opuses casting a shadow on entire discographies. Interestingly, with 137 votes at the time I am writing those words, *The Fragile* has a 3.61 global score that's significantly higher than the one for *The Downward Spiral*. But I assign the discrepancy to the fact that you have fewer listeners with "vanilla" tastes for the second list -- anyone who works their way to the users' list is a dedicated music fan, and not a simple "consumer", period. Which is why it will also be interesting to compare the ratings for Nine Inch Nails records between contributors and non-contributors on the Discord server... I don't think a lot of Nine Inch Nails supporters will claim that*The Fragile* is superior to *The Downward Spiral*. Including, maybe, the person who submitted it?

Went on FOREVER but I absolutely loved it.

Another Trent masterpiece. The way I waited for this record after the seismic shift in alternative music that TDS was and even the whole trip Lost Highway with The Perfect Drug felt. Eventually I would buy this record, but back then I was all napster, soulseek or whatever it was, downloading on a lame modem connection. My face was melted, my mind was blown.

I can get the relevance of Nine Inch Nails, Reznor's clearly an important artist and they have produced some good work. But I've never quite been in the zone for it, it's just not my thing.

Too long, but a banger of an album. I love the songwriting and the instrumentation. Trent’s voice isn’t my favorite, but it’s fine. The lyrics is the weakest link, but I can’t really understand them too much anyway, so, whatever. It’s good, but didn’t need to be that long. 4/5

3.6 Start off by saying I was *obsessed* with NIN as a teenager. Haven't heard this in full for about 20 years yet still knew all the words. Listening back with clarity now... it's nowhere near as good as I remember. I used to think was a 5* album, although in hindight the benefit of a double album with a very weak second side is that I pretty much had CD1 on repeat, saving CD2 for the rare occasion. It really falls off. First side is low 4s at best, second is low 3s at best. Spotify certainly doesn't help the album by placing it back to back - the Great Below into the first part of the second half falls really flat. As a whole it is full of far too many excesses. A slightly awkward bridge between the Downward Spiral and With Teeth. There are some great moments on here, I do love the first 4 on CD1, it's a cracking start to an album, and Le Mer really is beautiful. But there are also too many poppy moments that don't land well (We're in this together, Where is everybody), and some tracks that just should be nowhere near an 100+ minute album (The mark has been made, Ripe). Wouldn't say people have to hear this before they die if I'm being honest, and I absolutely love most of Trent's work

It’s unadulterated Reznor and that’s something to be celebrated but the album leaves a bit on the table insofar as emotional intensity goes. I expect my NIN to leave me quivering in some way, and this album did not do that even though I enjoyed almost every track, including the instrumental ones. I’ll subtract one star for my favourite track on this disc - Starf&$@&@ers, Inc - being left off the original pressing. It’s still a solid album.

This is a big un'. And while I know I've listened to it before, nothing really stuck with me... Listening again today, I never outright disliked this, but nothing in here justifies the double disc. I like the dancier tracks a lot more than the "ballads," but if I'm being honest with myself I'm probably not coming back to this one. Pretty mid experience for me that straddles a 2/3 divide.

This is pretty sick, I just wish it wasn't so long. But got damn if I wasn't bumping to this today.

I should listen to more NIN

It’s the week of the double album over here…Quadrophenia, David Comes To Life and now The Fragile. I’m not a huge fan of double albums. They often end up being a slog to get through…a Nine In Nails double record, with the despair and depressive tone that comes along with it? Doubly so, if you’ll pardon my excessive use of the word “double”. So I’m going to try and be fair, because as a teenager I really loved Nine Inch Nails, but kind of lost interest prior to this record coming out. I like that it’s very expansive, experimental and takes chances. It does feel like some of the ideas here aren’t really as fleshed out as they could be and some songs feel a bit like awkward cut and paste jobs to make things work together. Compared to previous Nine Inch Nails records, which were typically aggressive and antagonistic, The Fragile is often slow moving and self-wallowing. You can feel every minute of its nearly two hour minute run time. To use a cliche, this is the other side of the Nine Inch Nails coin. In addition to its glacial pace, The Fragile falters for me with its lyrical content. Songs like “No You Don’t”, “We’re in the Together” felt especially heavy-handed, to the point that I looked forward to the instrumental passages on the record as a form of reprieve from what Trent Reznor had to say. Some of those instrumentals are better at conveying mood than the words they are paired with. There is greatness here, with Reznor taking real chances but this record is kind of a mess and I’m not sure there is enough material of interest to me to be invested in untangling it.

Long time fan, and this double album's 23 tracks put NIN into my 500 scrobbles club — the 42nd artist to cross that line. So many to pick from, but We're In This Together, La Mer, Where Is Everybody? and Starfuckers, Inc. were the standouts this session.

Instant 5. A perfect blend of their rocking industrial stuff, and ambient soundscapey stuff. (Oh, this playthrough brought me up to 495 scrobbles!) Fave tracks - let's say "The Day the World Went Away" and "La Mer" but really I could pick any handful of tracks from this one

Industrial rock, art rock, alternative rock. Demasiado lento y largo para mi gusto. Un 2.

Favorite Track: We’re In This Together

Lacks the drive and relentlessness of Downward Spiral. Actually kind of relents a lot, settling into more of an ebb & flow pattern. The length would be less of an issue if some of the ebb sections didn't drag as much as they do. Good time overall, though.

The Fragile was definitely too long but was good in places. I lost interest on the second side but The Day The World Went Away and Just Like You Imagined grabbed my interest. 3.

Classic

This is one I do listen to on my own sometimes. I often criticize records on this list for being too long. I make an exception when it’s deliberately super long like this one. I like that I can fall into the atmosphere of this record and let the world was over me.

Definitely a bit bloated, but still an excellent one. The highs on this are even higher than Downward Spiral, I'd say.

For me, the best of NIN. This is more than a mood, it's a state of being.

My 1st impression of The Fragile was "Bloat, bloat, BLOAT", and that also maybe I'm not the Nine Inch Nails fan I thought I was, considering how much I enjoyed Downward Spiral and Pretty Hate Machine. But maybe I wasn't in the right headspace that time, so I'd be willing to give this another shot Disc 1 is so close to a four-star album in my eyes, starting and ending strong with "Something Damaged" and "The Great Below", respectively. "We're In This Together" has to be in my top 5 songs I've heard from this band. Disc 2 is not a bad listen, but drags down the average with so many slow, repetitive retreads of sounds I've already heard from NiN. Also Reznor tries some big beat/breakbeat, because it was 1999 after all. Unfortunately, my 2nd full listen still leaves me frustrated and tired, even though (see below) one can still find some quality industrial rock here. I think making it 2 hours had the unfortunate side effect of emphasizing Reznor's limitations as a singer and songwriter, even as he flirts with new metal and electronic subgenres. At least I can tell, through things like the film soundtracks, Ghosts I-IV, and the recent collab with Boys Noize, that he continues to push himself as an artist, which I always respect. HL: "Somewhat Damaged", "We're In This Together", "La Mer", "Into the Void", "Starfuckers, Inc."

Would need more listens to really digest this whole album. It is enjoyable but it also felt somewhat repetitive

My absolute favorite NIN album? Instant 5/5

Taken by itself, this is a much more accessible entry to Nine Inch Nails, but if studied as the "aftermath" of The Downward Spiral, it continues the story of an individual who has fallen apart, completely destroyed their life, and is now picking up the pieces, only to discover that there is no ready or pat answer. In that sense, it's a master class in the 'Angry White Boy' music of the late 90s - the collapse of the ideology that hatred will solve things, and the ensuing aftermath that haunts the participants for the rest of their lives.

I like Trent and a lot of his other stuff but this didn't hit me. It seemed a bit formulaic? Maybe I just didn't didn't get it....

I've never been angsty/angry enough for NIN. It's cool that it brought industrial to the mainstream but it's still "woe is me I'm rich and famous" just in slightly different clothes. It's good,(though the second disc is much stronger) and the longer instrumental passages are often much more interesting, but if you've heard The Downward Spiral, you don't need to hear this double album of navel gazing. Best Tracks: The Day The World Went Away; Into The Void; Starfuckers Inc.

I enjoyed the album; I generally like NIN but hadn't ever listened all the way through this one. So good share from that point of view. I'm not sure it adds much to the list, though.

Well, Trent Reznor produces another album immaculately. In my review of Gary Numan's The Pleasure Principle, I mentioned how NIN hugely influenced Numan's later career, and how, similarly, Numan massively influenced Reznor's early career. This recording, with its much stripped-back synths has a much more evident lineage from Numan. Indeed, Reznor covered "Metal" from The Pleasure Principle while recording this, later released on the Things Falling Apart companion album. The connection between Numan and Reznor is genuinely one of those lovely stories from the world and history of music. So yes, The Fragile is different to The Downward Spiral. It's also different to Pretty Hate Machine, and very different to Brokenu. And that's OK. With NIN we don't want more of the same - we want to hear Trent Reznor working voodoo magic (he was in New Orleans for this, after all) on the mixing desk. NIN really have done quite a varied selection of music, and they don't seem to be in any mood to stop innovating. Despite my well-established dislike of live albums, I find myself enjoying their latest release (Nine Inch Noize, a colab with Boys Noize) immensely. I don't think that any artist or band deserves to have every album they push out included in the user list, and NIN is no exception to that - but this is probably decent enough, and different enough from The Downward Spiral to maybe get away with it.

Perfection, and somehow still not their best work! Should absolutely be in the book, along with all their other albums.

I see now why NIN got the nod for the most recent TRON soundtrack given how well the electronic elements are woven into this LP. The synths don’t always gel perfectly with the band’s classic abrasive industrial, but for the most part this is a version of NIN I wish I had discovered much sooner. The LP did feel a little long (even without the deluxe version additions) and could use some trimming, but still a solid listen.

It's alright, but I really don't need an hour and 43 minutes of Nine Inch Nails. Is it weird that his vocals remind me of Lenny Kravitz? 2.5 stars, rounding to 3.

I listened to the first “CD” / “side” (what do we call it these days??) and that was enough. I don’t need two hours of anything to know whether I like it or not. It was ok.

As I listened to this I became more impressed at Nine Inch Nails. I already liked their music a lot… but the epic length of this had me thinking about how they move out of rock music to something more in albums like these. Great stuff!

I like the band, but this is just too much nonsense. 2

I didn't find much magic in this. I enjoy the sound, rawness and energy, but i'm not sure what warrants a double album that reaches nearly 2 hours.

NIN does need An acquired taste. I kinda like it

I gave downward spiral a 5, this doesn’t quite match up but still worthy of the list and an album that needs listening to.

Industrial rock, art rock, alternative rock. Demasiado lento y largo para mi gusto. Un 2.

Was a more mature sound for NIN, I think. Still good

Trent Reznor is a madman. This was a huge album and full of his trademark industrial gothic sound. I personally like his radio stuff a little better but this is a real top notch album to sink some teeth into.

If I was in the right mood for some NIN this would rule but it's so long that I cannot

NIN can basically do no wrong in my book. Even the whole “this is too long” complaint doesn’t bother me because I could listen all day.

I liked this more than the other NIN album, but by god it didn't need to be this long. It gets exhausting near the end. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Yeah pretty good

The first two NIN albums were huge during my college radio days, I don't recall ever hearing much of this one in its day. This all seemed musically solid, had a meaningful arc to my ears, and pretty much held my attention throughout which is a decent trick for any double album. Industrial is not really my thing, suffering as it does from that Forever Darkness issue. I read more about Trent Reznor when I was looking into this than I have throughout the rest of my life and found it hilarious to learn (in the context of his chosen genre) that he is in an apperently super stable long term marriage with 5 or 6 kids (weirdly hard to pin that number down). Well played.

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Somewhat damaged, The day the world went away, The wretched, We’re in this together, Into the void, Where is everybody, Please

The Fragile is a good album by industrial band Nine Inch Nails. The album has a lot of dynamical changes within the tracks and they vary between aggressive and fragile. As such it follows the idea of the previous album The Downward Spiral. Compared to that album more elements of ambient and electronic music appear. The Fragile is not as good as The Downward Spiral. The quality of the first four tracks of that record is not nearly matched and "The Great Below" is great, but not as marvelous as "Hurt". In the end the record is a bit too long and gets weaker during the second ("right") disc. Still it's a solid four stars.