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The Fragile
(Nothing/Interscope)

The Fragile is a big, long, arty double album, the kind most people have the good sense not to make anymore. Thankfully, Trent Reznor isn't most people, and his third record is easily his best yet, more moody than The Downward Spiral and more organic than Pretty Hate Machine. It's also the best 2-CD concept album in years. But wait, is it a concept album? The lyrics are all pretty thematically similar from song to song, and that's a bad thing, because Reznor still likes to write about decay and hate. In the very first verse of the record he sings "Flew too high and burnt the wing / Lost my faith in everything," and Reznor spends the next 100 minutes paraphrasing this thought. Fortunately, Trent still has ample musical chops to justify this lyrical tedium. Songs like "Please" and "We're in This Together" are essential chunks of s cream-pop elegance; loud choruses, catchy hooks, and big, thick beats to keep it tight. The instrumentals are equally impressive, from the ambient buzz of "The Frail" to the ersatz marching band in "Pilgrimage." When you have songs this great, you can be forgiven for allowing your inner depressed teenager to write the words.

Rating: 8

Matt Ozga

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