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Hell with it, I’ve become obsessed! Track-by-track thoughts on With Teeth:
All the Love in the World: Starts off like "typical" NIN, with melodic bass, a brooding atmosphere, and an Autechre-style breakbeat. Gradually becomes a rocking stomper with piano accompaniment, a mean fuzz bass, a pounding beat, and a sing-along chorus with multiple Reznor vocals that reminds me, well, of like an advertisement or something: "I'd like to give the world a Coke," or something...but then again, that might just be me. Sing-along chorus is “Why do you get all the love in the world?”, and trust me, it WILL get stuck in your head for days after hearing the album. A great opening track, and unlike any other in the NIN catalog.
You Know What You Are: Reminds me a lot of Burn, from the Natural Born Killers soundtrack. A computerized drum pattern similar in some ways to March of the Pigs. Sounds like an old-school NIN rager. Trent screams “Don’t you know what you fucking are?” in the chorus.
The Collector: Imagine Piggy from Downward Spiral, only sped up a bit and with more of a dance feel than a jazzy one. Drums and bass guitar carry the verses, with distorted guitar on bridge and chorus. I don’t think this one would’ve sounded out of place on The Fragile. The end descends into an off-kilter, jazzy piano deal that reminds me a lot of David Bowie’s “Outside”- era music.
The Hand that Feeds: It saddens me that so many so-called NIN “fans” deride this track as a “sell-out,” “too poppy,” etc. It’s as if these freaks have never heard Pretty Hate Machine. In all honesty, this could stand as one of my favorite NIN tracks ever. It’s got Pretty Hate Machine-era rhythm, Broken-era guitars, and great lyrics. It’s the perfect symbiosis of NIN’s early dance roots and later industrial-metal rage.
Love is Not Enough: Starts off slow and foreboding. Has that Pretty Hate Machine sound, only more modern, with more “live” instrumentation, except for the drums, which are a sampled beat. Wicked guitars on the chorus, totally distorted. Reznor does that “speaking/singing” thing during the verses. Toward the end, some very cool harmonics guitars pop up against the main riff.
Every Day is Exactly the Same: If there was ever an album titled “Pretty Hate Machine II,” this track would be on it. It’s got the keyboard rhythm foundation, the hummable melody, the sing-along chorus. Hearing this, it’s hard to imagine this is the same guy who gave us March of the Pigs. Middle section features Reznor in a speaking/singing section about leaving a letter for a lover.
With Teeth: Starts off like Piggy, again: heavy, jazzy drums from a real-life drummer, with fuzz bass and distorted guitar accompaniment. I like this track a lot, it’s another example of how Reznor can take something so foreboding and craft it into a melody that sticks in your brain. Unfortunately, the track drops off three minutes in for a long spell of piano ambience, which some may find “arty,” but I just find annoying. Goes on for a little over a minute before the song itself comes back with force, this time with distorted guitars blaring throughout. ROCK!
Only: After hearing the first few beats, you half-expect Gwen Stefani or Pink to start singing. Seriously, it’s THAT poppy. You could probably argue that this track sounds more like something off Pretty Hate Machine than any other on With Teeth, like a cross between Down In It and Sin. Reznor speaks the lyrics throughout the verse: “Sometimes I can see right through myself.” Those who are quick to scream “sell-out” will hate this track more than any other, but I like it a lot. Word of caution: the bass riff will get stuck in your head, guaranteed.
Getting Smaller: This track rocks, plain and simple. But it doesn’t rock like an older NIN track, like Wish or Burn; it rocks more like something by the Foo Fighters or recent Primal Scream. Ever wondered what NIN would sound like if they were a “traditional” hard rock group, without industrial instrumentation like keyboards, samples, and loops? Well, wonder no more. Raging guitars, pounding drums, screamed vocals, this is a definite standout. “My world is getting smaller everyday, and that’s okay.”
Sunspots: Another slow and mellow track with heavy drums and a thick bass. The chorus features the most melodic use of white noise I’ve ever heard. The guitars crop up eventually, and the rhythm speeds up a little, but this one’s a slow burner all the way.
The Line Begins to Blur: Sounds a lot like something from The Fragile. Distorted rhythm section, repetitive beat. Reznor screams the lyrics, sounding like he’s down a well. The chorus seems to be from a different song altogether, very melodic and mellow.
Beside You in Time: Another track with that Fragile-era sound. Reznor provides mellow vocals over a pulsing synth riff, with a drum loop quietly pounding beneath. This goes on without much variation until everything drops out except for the synths, which throb louder and louder until they explode into a welter of distorted guitars, which chug along on the same riff. A GREAT moment. As if to contradict this malevolent vibe, Reznor provides airy, dreamy vocals, which seem to float unscathed above the din.
Right Where It Belongs: Similar in many ways to Hurt, off Downward Spiral, especially the live version which can be found on Further Down the Spiral. Mellow and depressed, a piano provides the melody, with sinister feedback zapping alongside it. No drums. Reznor sounds a bit like he’s on a short-wave radio. Eventually a sampled live audience appears, further giving it that Hurt sound. Doesn’t build up to a crescendo; instead, it ends with the piano playing solo. A saddened ending to an otherwise upbeat album.
Here’s something funny: while writing this review, and mentally comparing the tracks with those on pervious NIN albums, I’ve realized this is my favorite Nine Inch Nails album. Every track has something great, and overall it’s one hell of an enjoyable listen. Besides, who needs “all angst, all the time?” It’s a new millennium, let’s try to make it a more positive one. |
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