NINE INCH NAILS THINGS FALLING APART REMIX ALBUM NOTHING, UNIVERSAL RELEASE: NOVEMBER 21, 2000 REVIEW: JANUARY 10, 2001

Nine Inch Nails two previous remix albums, "Fixed" and "Further Down the Spiral", were two very inspired affairs. Instead of simply being ways to cash in some easy money or credibility, it seemed that they were actually expanding the ideas of the originals. And thanks to excellent remixers like Coil, Jim Thirlwell and Aphex Twin, at least parts of the albums turned out unpredictable and brilliant.
In comparison, "Things Falling Apart", the remix companion to "The Fragile", doesn't feel half as exciting. "Starfuckers Inc." receives some much needed blood transfusions, and Dave Ogilvie's treatment of it brings in a mental Skinny Puppy feel. Adrian Sherwood and mad old anarchist Mark Stewart's remix of the same track is also psychotic enough, but still something of a disappointment. Where is the murderous dub bass?
Keith Hillebrandt replaces the guitar anger of "The Wretched" with radio interference, buzzes, clicks and broken synthesizer noise and creates a threatening atmosphere. Bellini on the other hand, gives "The Frail" a whole different treatment in their adding of a beautiful string theme.
But the rest of the album seems to have been done on routine. Not least the much talked about cover of Gary Numan's "Metal", that has to be the least inspired songs Trent Reznor has ever put the Nine Inch Nails brand on. The strange cover Reznor did of Soft Cell's "Memorabilia" some years ago was way more valid.
So, it's hard not to miss Thirlwell and Coil, as well as fantasizing about how much better this record could have turned out if Trent Reznor would have let artists like Kid606, Techno Animal and Barry Adamson loose on "The Fragile".

KRISTOFFER NOHEDEN