Evening, kids.
To be honest, I initially had big plans to do a two part write up on my favorite Nine Inch Nails album, 1999's The Fragile, similar to how I approached Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness. Upon greater reflection, however, it's not really necessary. But before you assume that I'm dismissing what many consider to be Trent Reznor's magnum opus, let's take a look at what led me to this conclusion.
As I stated, this is hands down my favorite NIN album. I picked it up on a trip to Europe when it was released, allowing me plenty of time to listen to the entire thing and digest all 100+ minutes of music Reznor put down. In the ensuing years I continue to return to it, no matter where I am in my life or what I would otherwise be enamored with. There's something in the personal nature of what is on tape that I find simply fascinating. I definitely enjoy the majority of the NIN canon but this is my favorite, for some reason I can't quite pin down. Maybe it's the subdued and more introspective nature to the music. Maybe it's the use of motifs and thematic repetition. Hell, maybe the artwork hit something on a subconscious level. Whatever it is, I can't get away from it.
So why the single post on it, if I love it so much and there's so much material?
I suppose it has to do with the united and singular nature of the music and ideas Reznor put forth in The Fragile. While Trent has stated in interviews that there's no over-arching plot, it still is a concept album - one whose themes have been stretched a hair thin. There are absolutely moments of great music here - the massive orchestrations and wild climaxes, the evolution of ideas and motifs. Despite these successes, though, there are still times when it's apparent a stronger hand in editing might have trimmed some of the fat. As far as double albums go, however, this isn't that egregious of an offender.
The personal nature of the album makes it hard, at times, to decipher what the actual concept being presented is. It is telling, though, that it starts with the song 'Somewhat Damaged' and ends almost two hours later with 'Ripe (With Decay'. It would appear the main element is one of loss and breaking apart, in every facet of the word. The first (Left) disc establishes this theme with titles like 'The Day The Whole World Went Away' followed by 'The Frail', then 'The Wretched'. The last track on the first disc is titled 'The Great Below'; the second (Right) disc picks right up where we've left off with 'The Way Out Is Through'. The titles and lyrics and sonic structure of all these songs show the narrator (Reznor or whatever perspective he claims to write from) almost looking forward to an end with acceptance and contentment.
The musical themes are carried here by common instrumentation and motifs that sneak in and out, weaving their sounds into the album. This creative design choice does a significant part of the uniting of the album; were the instruments and soundscapes to shift over two hours, this album might not feel so cohesive. Piano melodies are introduced in 'The Frail' only to blossom into the eponymous track 'The Fragile' fully formed. A jazzy bass-line comes to life in the dreamy track 'La Mer' on disc one, only to pop up in the raucous single on disc two, 'Into The Void' as the main groove. When listened to as a single piece (which is no small investment in these harried days) it creates the subconscious feeling of one massively orchestrated album.
Interestingly some of the strongest work and the singles stand out almost as too unique. They tend to stray from the central themes, as though they're the meat in the musical sandwich. As great as 'Into The Void', 'We're In This Together' and 'Starf*cukers, Inc.' are, they stand apart from the generally subdued and ominous tracks that fill out the album. They're rocking, at times even funky songs. Not like Kool & The Gang funky, but stuff you could almost hear at a club, due to their liberal use of drum machines and thumping bass. The Fragile, as a whole, seems to be more about moments like the orchestral and string experiments Reznor creates in songs like 'Just Like You Imagined' and 'Ripe (With Decay)'. Maybe it's just softened in the years I've heard it, though - there are still burners like 'Where Is Everybody?' and 'Complication', so maybe they don't stand out as much as I perceive them to.
What I feel the only real flaw here is the fact that at times there is little in the way of lyrics and broader ideas. While it's a very united and cohesive album, it feels like it's two or three massive, twenty-minute songs that have been stretched out thematically until the album gets thin at certain points. That's where the quiet parts come from, I suppose. Despite this problem, I still love The Fragile. It's grand, fantastic stuff.
To be honest, I initially had big plans to do a two part write up on my favorite Nine Inch Nails album, 1999's The Fragile, similar to how I approached Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness. Upon greater reflection, however, it's not really necessary. But before you assume that I'm dismissing what many consider to be Trent Reznor's magnum opus, let's take a look at what led me to this conclusion.
So why the single post on it, if I love it so much and there's so much material?
I suppose it has to do with the united and singular nature of the music and ideas Reznor put forth in The Fragile. While Trent has stated in interviews that there's no over-arching plot, it still is a concept album - one whose themes have been stretched a hair thin. There are absolutely moments of great music here - the massive orchestrations and wild climaxes, the evolution of ideas and motifs. Despite these successes, though, there are still times when it's apparent a stronger hand in editing might have trimmed some of the fat. As far as double albums go, however, this isn't that egregious of an offender.
