The Slip (album) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search The Slip Studio album by Nine Inch Nails Released May 5, 2008 Recorded April 2008 Genre Industrial rock Length 43:45 Label The Null Corporation – Halo 27 Producer Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Alan Moulder Professional reviews Allmusic link IGN 8.8/10 link NME link Pitchfork Media link PopMatters link Rolling Stone link Slant Magazine link Spin link The A.V. Club (B) link USA Today link Nine Inch Nails chronology Ghosts I–IV (2008) The Slip (2008) The Slip is the seventh album by American industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails. The album was released free of cost on May 5, 2008 via digital download on the official Nine Inch Nails website. The album was produced by Trent Reznor alongside Atticus Ross and Alan Moulder. The album features vocals and traditional song structures, unlike its 2008 instrumental predecessor Ghosts I–IV. Like that album, though, The Slip was made available without any prior notice or advertisement. The album peaked at position 13 on the Billboard 200 for 2008. A tour incorporating material from Ghosts I–IV and The Slip, entitled "Lights in the Sky 2008", began in late July 2008 and covered venues in North America and South America. Contents [hide] 1 Recording 2 Release 2.1 Release versions 3 Music 4 Critical reception 5 Track listing 6 Personnel 7 References 8 External links [edit] Recording After a month of songwriting, The Slip was performed and recorded in three weeks of studio time at Reznor's in-home studio.[1] The album was produced by Atticus Ross and mixed by Alan Moulder, originally intended as an EP, in Reznor's own words 'it just kept growing legs until it is what it is'.[2] Instrumental performances were contributed by live-band members Josh Freese, Robin Finck, and Alessandro Cortini. During the album's recording sessions, Reznor personally sent the album's first and only single "Discipline" to radio stations before the album was completed. According to Reznor, the track listing and lyrics were finished on a Wednesday (May 1), the final mix and sequencing on Thursday, the mastering on Friday, artwork on Saturday, and the album was released on Sunday (May 5).[1] Reznor reflected on the quick turnaround by saying "That was fun... You never could have done that before", referring to his previous struggles with his record labels.[1] Co-produced by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Alan Moulder, it is the fourth consecutive release to feature those producers. Unlike former albums in which Trent Reznor normally performed all instruments other than drums, the album features performances by guitarist Robin Finck, keyboardist Alessandro Cortini, and drummer Josh Freese. [edit] Release Before the release, a single, "Discipline" was released freely on the official Nine Inch Nails site, and another song, "Echoplex", was released for free download from iLike. The ID3 tags of these MP3 files indicated that fans should visit the Nine Inch Nails website on May 5, 2008. On May 5, a free direct download link to the album in MP3 format was posted on the official Nine Inch Nails website, with a message from Reznor that said: "thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years - this one's on me".[3] Like the previous Nine Inch Nails studio album Ghosts I–IV, The Slip was released under a Creative Commons attribution-noncommercial share alike license, in effect allowing anyone to use or rework the material for any non-profit purpose, as long as credit is provided and the resulting work is released under an identical license. The website further expands by saying "we encourage you to remix it, share it with your friends, post it on your blog, play it on your podcast, give it to strangers, etc." [4] As with Ghosts I–IV and Year Zero, multi-track audio source files of the album were also made available at remix.nin.com. [edit] Release versions The digital download is available in five different audio formats. The lowest quality is VBR V0 MP3, followed by two lossless formats, FLAC and Apple Lossless. Also released were 24-bit, 96 kHz FLAC and WAV files. As with Ghosts I-IV, each album track features its own art. The lyrics for each track are embedded using ID3 tags, allowing for their viewing in supported media players. The Slip was released on CD in the United States and Canada on July 22, 2008. The album was released as a six-panel digipack which contained (in addition to the album itself) a 24 page booklet, a sticker pack, and a DVD with live performances of "1,000,000", "Letting You", "Discipline", "Echoplex", and "Head Down". This package was limited to 250,000 numbered units worldwide. An 180 gram gatefold vinyl LP also containing the 24 page booklet was released in Europe on August 4, 2008, and in the United States the day after. In July 2008, The Slip was released for purchase on the iTunes Music Store. As of July 23, 2008, The Slip had been downloaded 1.6 million times from the official Nine Inch Nails website worldwide since its online release on May 5, 2008, as reported in the official mailing list.[5] The official website downloads do not reflect total distribution, as the album is licensed for non-commercial distribution, nor does it reflect completed torrent downloads from the official site. [edit] Music IGN commented that "Discipline" and "Echoplex" channeled "bits and pieces of Depeche Mode, Bauhaus, and even some Siouxsie and the Banshees."[6] Richard Cromelin of the Los Angeles Times called The Slip "murkier and less catchy than the last couple of regular NIN albums", but that "Reznor blends the jarring sounds of the industrial rock genre ... with a terse, punk-like attack, bringing an insistent, sometimes claustrophobic feel to his scenarios of alienation".[7] The Cleveland Free Times commented that "The Slip more or less sums up the terrain Reznor's covered in his nearly two-decade career", and went on to compare the album sound with the "edgy but irresistible beats" of Pretty Hate Machine and The Downward Spiral, and "the elusive atmospherics" of 1999's The Fragile.[8] The New York Times commented that "the music revives Nine Inch Nails’ past, from stomping hard rock to dance-club beats to piano ballad to inexorably building instrumentals."[1] [edit] Critical reception Critical response to The Slip has been generally positive, with an average rating of 78% based on eleven reviews on Metacritic.[9] IGN gave the album an 8.8 out of 10, stating "Simply put, The Slip is an amazing record".[6] The SputnikMusic review, while generally positive, described the album as "more like a collection of songs than an album. There is no real point to it".[10] The Toronto Star stated, The Slip is "hardly a throwaway, this seems a sincere gift to fans".[11] Pitchfork Media gave the album a 7.5 out of 10, observing "Reznor's unique capacity to commingle raging industrial bangers with ballads and ambient instrumental passages appears in its best form since The Downward Spiral, and here gains much of the focus and restraint that many remember used to be his calling card."[12] LA Weekly said "Musically, it’s his most adventurous work since The Fragile, and his business model is inspired — if unsustainable."[3] As with Ghosts I–IV, The Slip's unorthodox distribution methods also garnered the attention of various news agencies. An ABC News op ed questioned if consumers would "ever pay for an album again" stating "with NIN now in the game, its hard to argue that this is anything but a harbinger of the future".[13] Commenting on the distribution of the album, Dave LaGesse of U.S. News & World Report said "The move seems an even purer play than what Radiohead did with its most recent album, In Rainbows".[14] Rolling Stone magazine named The Slip in their "Best of 2008", ranking the album at #37.[15] [edit] Track listing All songs written and composed by Trent Reznor. # Title Length 1. "999,999" 1:25 2. "1,000,000" 3:56 3. "Letting You" 3:49 4. "Discipline" 4:19 5. "Echoplex" 4:45 6. "Head Down" 4:55 7. "Lights in the Sky" 3:29 8. "Corona Radiata" 7:33 9. "The Four of Us Are Dying" 4:37 10. "Demon Seed" 4:59 [edit] Personnel Written by Trent Reznor Performed by Trent Reznor with Josh Freese, Robin Finck and Alessandro Cortini Produced by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Alan Moulder Mixed by Alan Moulder Programmed by Atticus Ross Engineered by Michael Tuller, Atticus Ross and Alan Moulder Mastered by Brian Gardner at Bernie Groundman Mastering, Hollywood, California Room tuning: Steve "Coco" Brandon Art Direction: Rob Sheridan and Trent Reznor Video content (CD/DVD Version): Nine Inch Nails live: Alessandro Cortini, Robin Finck, Josh Freese, Justin Meldal-Johnson, Trent Reznor Produced by Michael Angelos Directed and edited by Rob Sheridan Letting You, Head Down and Discipline mixed by Blumpy 1,000,000, and Echoplex mixed by Ken Andrews at Red Swan Studios Production Manager: Mark Demarais Director of Photography: Simon Thirlaway Camera Operators: Simon Thirlaway, Rob Sheridan, Hilton Goring, Dan Bombell, Ethan McDonald Mastered by Tom Baker at Precision Mastering, Hollywood, CA [edit] References ^ a b c d Pareles, Jon (2008-06-08). "Frustration and Fury: Take It. It’s Free.". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2008-06-09. http://www.webcitation.org/5YSjvCCNd. Retrieved on 2008-06-09. ^ http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/sftw/article1497804.ece ^ a b Carr, Daphne (2008-05-28). "Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead, Free Music and Creative Competition". LA Weekly. http://www.laweekly.com/music/music/nine-inch-nails-radiohead-free-music-and-creative-competition/18995/. Retrieved on 2008-06-09. ^ Van Buskirk, Eliot (2008-05-05). "Nine Inch Nails Gives Fans The Slip". Wired Blog Network. http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/05/nine-inch-nails.html. Retrieved on 2008-05-05. ^ "The Slip Download Map". Nine Inch Nails. Archived from the original on 2008-06-28. http://www.webcitation.org/5YvHvzNuD. Retrieved on 2008-07-07. ^ a b Thompson, Ed (2008-05-07). "Trent Reznor serves up some free goodies". IGN. http://music.ign.com/articles/872/872307p1.html. Retrieved on 2008-05-09. ^ Richard, Cromelin (2008-05-07). "NIN’s ‘Slip’ a free dive in dark waters". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-et-nin7-2008may07,0,2146732.story. Retrieved on 2008-05-09. ^ Pantsios, Anastasia (2008-05-14). "The Downloadable Spiral". The Cleveland Free Times 15 (54). http://www.freetimes.com/stories/15/54/the-downloadable-spiral. Retrieved on 2008-06-09. ^ "Nine Inch Nails: The Slip (2008): Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/nineinchnails/slip. Retrieved on 2008-05-17. ^ Bateman, Patrick (2008-05-07). "Nine Inch Nails - The Slip". SputnikMusic. http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review_16134M. Retrieved on 2008-05-09. ^ Rayner, Ben (2008-05-11). "Ben Rayner's Reasons to Live . . .". Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/Buzz/article/424164. Retrieved on 2008-05-22. ^ Harvey, Eric (2008-05-13). "Nine Inch Nails – The Slip". Pitchfork Media. http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/50566-the-slip. Retrieved on 2008-05-22. ^ Malone, Michael (2008-05-09). "Will We Ever Pay for an Album Again?". ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=4813233&page=1. Retrieved on 2008-05-09. ^ LaGesse, David (2008-05-06). "Nine Inch Nails' '100 Percent Free' Album". U.S. News & World Report. http://www.usnews.com/blogs/daves-download/2008/05/06/nine-inch-nails-100-percent-free-album.html. Retrieved on 2008-05-22. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2008". Rolling Stone. 2008-12-25. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/24958695/albums_of_the_year/24. Retrieved on 2008-12-26. [edit] External links Official The Slip website The Slip at the NinWiki The Slip at Archive.org The Slip Limited Edition Tracking [hide]v • d • eNine Inch Nails Trent Reznor Robin Finck · Justin Meldal-Johnsen · Ilan Rubin Jeff Ward · Richard Patrick · James Woolley · Chris Vrenna · Danny Lohner · Charlie Clouser · Jerome Dillon · Alex Carapetis · Aaron North · Jeordie White · Josh Freese · Alessandro Cortini Major studio releases Pretty Hate Machine · Broken · The Downward Spiral · The Fragile · With Teeth · Year Zero · Ghosts I–IV · The Slip Major remix releases Fixed · Further Down the Spiral · Things Falling Apart · Year Zero Remixed Live releases Closure · And All That Could Have Been · Beside You in Time Singles "Down in It" · "Head Like a Hole" · "Sin" · "Happiness in Slavery" · "Wish" · "March of the Pigs" · "Closer" · "Burn" · "Hurt" · "The Perfect Drug" · "The Day the World Went Away" · "We're in This Together" · "Into the Void" · "Starfuckers, Inc." · "Deep" · "The Hand That Feeds" · "Only" · "Every Day Is Exactly the Same" · "Survivalism" · "Capital G" · "Discipline" Halo numbers 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 13 · 14 · 15 · 16 · 17 · 18 · 19 · 20 · 21 · 22 · 23 · 24 · 25 · 26 · 27 Related People Sean Beavan · John Malm Jr. · Atticus Ross · Rob Sheridan · Adrian Belew · Gary Talpas · Brian Viglione · Russell Mills Bands Option 30 · The Innocent · Exotic Birds · Pigface · Lucky Pierre · Tapeworm · Marilyn Manson · modwheelmood · Saul Williams Articles Discography · Live performances · Tours · Live-band members · Awards · Year Zero ARG · Nothing Records · The Null Corporation · Strobelight Categories Members · Albums · Songs · Tours · Images · Audio samples Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Slip_(album)" Categories: 2008 albums | Albums free for download by copyright owner | Albums produced by Alan Moulder | Albums produced by Atticus Ross | Albums produced by Trent Reznor | Creative Commons-licensed works | Internet albums | Nine Inch Nails albums | Self-released albums