(Album
      Re
      views
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Nine
      Inch
      Nails
     
     
      “The
      Fragile”
     
     
      Nothing
      Records
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      don’t
      know
      what
      the
     
     
      heck
      to
      do
      with
      this.
      It’s
     
     
      two
      new
      CDS
      (‘Left’
     
     
      and
      ‘Right’),
      well
      over
     
     
      an
      hour
      and
      a
      half
      of
     
     
      new
      material,
      in
      23
     
     
      songs.
      One
      review
      I
      read
     
     
      on
      it
      said
      it
      was
      “Dark
     
     
      Side
      of
      the
      Moon”
      for
     
     
      the
      90’s.
      I
      don’t
      agree,
     
     
      but
      on
      one
      side,
      the
      guy
     
     
      had
      a
      point.
      This
      stuff
      is
     
     
      so
      dense
      and
      different.
     
     
      You
      have
      to
      listen
      to
      it
     
     
      in
      a
      whole
      different
      way.
     
     
      They
      are
      songs,
      but
     
     
      they’re
      based
      more
      on
     
     
      moods
      and
      sounds
      than
     
     
      on
      melodies.
      It’s
      totally
     
     
      screwed
      up,
      but
      it’s
     
     
      immensely
      interesting,
     
     
      and
      quite
      engaging
      when
     
     
      you
      get
      into
      it.
      It’s
      loud
     
     
      and
      noisy,
      it’s
      quiet
      and
     
     
      ‘fragile’.
      It’s
      not
      overly
     
     
      dark,
      but
      it’s
      quite
     
     
      demanding.
      Don’t
      try
      to
     
     
      think
      about
      anything
     
     
      else
      when
      you
      listen
      to
     
     
      it.
      If
      you
      don’t
      like
     
     
      ‘noise’
      and
      aren’t
      open
     
     
      to
      something
      different,
     
     
      you'll
      detest
      this
      release.
     
     
      I
      still
      feel
      a
      bit
      torn
      and
     
     
      confused
      about
      it,
      but
     
     
      I’d
      have
      to
      give
      it
      an
     
     
      (A),
      just
      for
      its
      size
      and
     
     
      guts.
      Also,
      congrats
      to
     
     
      Reznor
      on
      figuring
      out
     
     
      how
      to
      sound
      like
      Dave
     
     
      Grohl
      and
      WWF’s
      Chris
     
     
      Jericho
      at
      the
      same
      time
     
     
      on
      the
      first
      track.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -McQuaid
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Folk
     
     
      Implosion
     
     
      One
      Part
     
     
      Lullaby
     
     
      Interscope
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Like
      the
      best
     
     
      of
      Lou
     
    
   
   
    
     
      really
      being
      catchy,
      and
     
     
      sonically
      rich
      although
     
     
      sparsely
      arranged.
      In
      sits
     
     
      in
      direct
      comparison
      with
     
     
      the
      band
      whose
      name
      The
     
     
      Folk
      Implosion
      mocks
     
     
      with
      its
      own,
      The
      John
     
     
      Spencer
      Blues
      Explosion.
     
     
      Like
      Spencer,
      Barlow
     
    
   
   
    
     
      believes
      in
     
    
   
   
    
     
      burrying
      lyrics
     
    
   
   
    
     
      under
      atmos-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      phere.
      It
      works.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -Bruyneel
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Barlow’s
     
     
      other
      band,
     
     
      Sebadoh,
     
     
      The
      Folk
     
     
      Implosion
     
     
      (B+)
      creeps
     
     
      up
      on
      you
     
     
      after
      pro-
     
     
      longed
     
     
      exposure.
      It
     
     
      is
      rythmic
     
     
      without
     
    
   
   
    
     
      YC
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Lookout!
     
     
      Records
     
     
      Forward
      Til
     
     
      Death
     
     
      Lookout!
     
     
      Records
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Lookout!
      Records
     
     
      is
      celebrating
      its
     
     
      tenth
      anniversary.
     
     
      Is
      there
      any
     
    

    
     
      better
      way
      to
     
     
      celebrate
      than
     
    
   
   
    
     
      with
      a
      CD
      (B+)
     
     
      featuring
      your
      top
     
     
      artists,
      such
      as
      the
     
     
      Smugglers
      and
      the
     
     
      Donnas,
      performing
     
     
      rare
      and
      previously
     
     
      unreleased
      material?
     
     
      A
      great
      album
      of
     
     
      rockin’
      punk,
      here’s
     
     
      to
      another
      great
      ten
     
     
      years
      for
      Lookout!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -O’Connor
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sloan
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Between
      the
      Bridges
     
     
      Universal/Murderecords
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Too
      much
      of
      a
      good
      thing
     
     
      can
      be
      bad,
      and
      that
      is
     
    
   
   
    
     
      these
      N.S
      wonder
      boys.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      exactly
      what
      has
      happened
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘Three
      releases
      in
      eighteen
     
    
   
   
    
     
      months
      is
      too
      much.
      “Between
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      Bridges”
      (C)
      is
     
     
      disappointing.
      Recorded
      in
      a
     
     
      rush
      as
      to
      release
      it
      before
      the
     
     
      big
      00’,
      it
      leaves
      an
      awkward
     
     
      aftertaste.
      This
      collection
      of
     
     
      left-overs
      from
      “Navy
      Blues”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Blink
      182
     
     
      Enima
      of
      the
      State
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Three
      minute
     
     
      power
      chord
      pop
     
     
      music
      was
      not
     
     
      invented
      by
      Green
     
     
      Day
      but
      they
      cer-
     
     
      tainly
      are
      the
      snot
     
    
   
   
    
     
      nose
      bantam
      weight
     
     
      champs
      of
      the
      form.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      However
      Blink
      182
     
     
      (B-)
      makes
      a
      decent
     
     
      case
      to
      be
      the
      new
     
     
      frat
      boy
      head
     
     
      banger
      band
      with
     
     
      this
      album.
      It
      is
      a
     
     
      quick
      listen
      (40
     
     
      minutes)
      with
     
    
   
   
    
     
      several
      songs
      that
     
     
      resonate.
      The
      video
     
     
      wherein
      they
      run
     
     
      through
      scénés
     
     
      naked,
      including
     
     
      through
      a
      Gap
      ad,
     
     
      and
      that
      fact
      that
     
     
      they
      put
      a
      porn
      star
     
     
      “on
      the
      back
      cover
     
     
      wearing
      a
      rubber
     
     
      glove
      are
      the
      geo-
     
     
      metric
      equivalent
      to
     
     
      Green
      Day’s
      dentist
     
     
      chair
      video,
      eye-
     
     
      candy
      for
      the
      de-
     
     
      marginalized
      youth.
     
     
      A
      decent
      vision,
     
     
      decently
      realized.
     
     
      Bruyneel
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Blinker
      the
      Star
     
     
      “August
      Every-
     
     
      where”
     
     
      Dreamworks
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      wasn’t
      sold
      on
      this
     
     
      the
      first
      time
      I
      heard
     
     
      it.
      As
      time
      pro-
     
     
      gressed,
      bits
      of
      the
     
     
      songs
      would
      pop
      into
     
     
      my
      head
      from
      no-
     
     
      where.
      Done
      by
     
     
      anyone
      else,
      these
     
     
      songs
      may
      come
      off
     
     
      as
      nothing
      better
      than
     
     
      mediocre,
      but
      the
     
     
      treatment
      they
      give
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
          
     
    
   
   
    
     
      them
      is
      pretty
      nice
      (B).
     
     
      Their
      brand
      of
      rock
      is
     
     
      rather
      ‘grand’,
      ina
     
     
      sense.
      The
      melodies
     
     
      are
      different.
      Strings,
     
     
      sounds,
      the
      vocals...
     
     
      the
      music
      is
      a
      bit
     
     
      ‘deeper’.
      It’s
      not
      so
     
     
      straightforward,
      and
     
     
      that
      is
      what
      makes
      a
     
     
      bit
      better
      than
      just
     
     
      average.
      I
      don’t
      know
     
     
      how
      often
      I'll
      play
      the
     
     
      album,
      but
      I
      do
      like
      it,
     
     
      and
      I
      dig
      the
      cover
      art.
     
     
      It
      fits
      the
      music.
     
     
      -McQuaid