I bought the five dollar download here on Amazon last spring. I am still very impressed with this ten track album. of the ten tracks, four of which are the slow tempo, 'still' like tunes...leaving the other six tracks to be hard, pumping, loud noisy rockers. Discpline was recorded on a Monday and playing on radio's by Wednesday (the same week).
Key tracks to listen for: Discipline, Head Down, Corona Radiata and Demon Seed. My favorite track is Head Down. All the songs have awesome lyrics, as only trent reznor could compose and portray. Very good music. An awesome unexpected Halo. I had no idea of its production around the time of the mp3 download. It IS overwhelming to think NIN's has releasedthree albums, many singles and remixes and the ghosts project all withing the same decade!!! Keep 'em comin' trent!!!

I give this an even 2.5 with the knowing that it'll grow on me. First of all, when I was at work I heard 'Discipline' on a local station that plays NIN like mad (which is the only material played on the station that I doesn't drive me to throw the player out the window), and that was how I learned of this album. I was ecstatic when 'With Teeth' arrived, loved parts of it, but pretty much couldn't and still can't stand the choice of singles from the album, the songs from which sort of now define the whole album as kind of poor. I like 'Year Zero', though these days I'm not the NIN fanatic I once was and now I'm more casual than anything, but yet retain high respect for Mr. Reznor. I love instrumental music, so naturally the industrial yet organic 'Ghosts' has become one of my all-time favorite albums, it's so hard to describe what value it has for me.

But when I learned of this somewhat short album (to today's standards) with considering the quick release I couldn't bring myself to much enthusiasm, and 'Discipline' upon first hearing felt more like it was a lost track from NIN's last two vocal albums.

The great songwriting cannot be denied on 'The Slip' for sure, but each song tends to more or less melt into a general sound of cleverly punctuated percussion and thicky guitars. The more artsy and progressive industrial sound that had brought NIN to great value for me exists in little form here, and I feel the hasty release, which didn't hamper the great songwriting as I said before, took away from the time for each track to take on it's own unique qualities; really from track 2-6 it's programmed beats and guitar with not so much else to offer. All the songs are great, but I can recall very few moments throughout, that is until, including the introductory instrumental, I reach track 7, a down-tempo, slightly bitter song with simple yet obviously well-constructed piano, quiet vocals and ambience, a breath of sad but fresh air. The isolating surreal sound continues with Corona Radiata, then you're thrown into a 'Year Zero'-esque lo-fi electronic tune laced with some great live instrumentation. Then the album ends as it had started, with more pounding and heavy strumming, but in a more industrial style with 'Demon Seed'.

Altogether I don't love it, and I personally am beginning to feel just a little overwhelmed by the sudden change of pace of releases, but like I said before I know it'll grow on me.

pretty god , of cause I don't own the CD , I got the digital copy from nin's website

The downward spiral indeed. Reznor continues his artistic liberations via no record contracts, although it is becoming more and more clear that, unlike Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails used that platform to capitalize on its popularity and fan base by releasing sometimes less restrained, but almost always less detailed songs. The Slip works well enough to provide ample counterpoint to his last snooze-fest of industrial ambiance, Ghosts I-IV, with a way more uptempo, rocking vibe, but still continues down a path of sagging mediocrity. Reznor will always be a perceptive producer and offer intriguing soundscapes- even at his most generic or derivative, but it feels like the overall compositional quality has indeed slipped.

Everyone should be aware that The Slip gets better and better with each and every listen but I can't help but feel that my admiration for NIN is fading as quickly as they're churning out albums. I like this album but I don't know how people can rate it four and five stars. Think of it in these terms, whoever gave this 5 stars is saying that it is on par with NIN's "best stuff" which is a blatant fabrication or just the same whoever gave this 4 stars was stretching the truth by saying it is only one freakin' star beneath genius albums like THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL or THE FRAGILE! There wasn't much of this album that was impressing or memorable, and that's easy to prove, it's right here in front of you -read the reviews, you'll notice that there isn't hardly anyone that mention anything SPECIFIC that they liked about it... and they're right there isn't much to say! I will however admit that the song Demon Seed immediately and constantly catches my attention and I would highly recommend the option of downloading it for free on nin.com. But in all honesty, to me, Reznor's reputation is getting 'closer' and 'closer' to ruin because it can't be good when a friend tells you, "hey nine inch nails has another new album out!" and then you almost reply, "yeah, but who gives a[...]". I'll give Trent credit though, he's a brilliant musician and producer, however he's almost cursed from having been capable of such incredible works so early in his career that he may never live up to them again. But so far, in my opinion, he's doing an outstanding job of giving it his best efforts.