As the double-disc
The Fragile unfurls, all of
Nine Inch Nails' trademarks -- gargantuan, processed guitars, ominous electro rhythms, near-ambient keyboards,
Trent Reznor's shredded vocals and tortured words -- are unveiled, all sounding pretty much how they did on
The Downward Spiral. Upon closer inspection, there are new frills, yet these aren't apparent without digging.
The Fragile lives up to its title once the first disc is over. There are some detours into noisy bluster (some, like the
Marilyn Manson dis "Starfuckers, Inc.," work quite well) but they're surrounded by long, evocative instrumental sections that highlight
Reznor's gifts for arrangement. Whenever
Reznor crafts delicate, alternately haunting and pretty soundscapes or interesting sonic juxtapositions,
The Fragile is compelling. Since they provide a change of pace, the bursts of industrial noise assist the flow of the album, which never feels indulgent, even though it runs over 100 minutes. There's no denying that it's often gripping, offering odd and interesting variations on
NIN themes.
Reznor's music is immaculately crafted and arranged, with every note and nuance gliding into the next. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine