seed 6: NINJA Tour Sampler EPMar 26 '09 (Updated Mar 14 '10) Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line NIN, Jane's Addiction, & Street Sweeper Releases a Fascinating, Rocking 6-Track EP of Unreleased Material, Re-Recorded Songs, & New Stuff. With Nine Inch Nails set to embark on their last tour in which, its mastermind Trent Reznor will take an extended break. The band will be joined by the original line-up of Jane's Addiction who hadn't played together for 17 years until an appearance last year at an awards show for the NME British publication. With the NIN-Jane's Addiction tour known as NIN/JA 2009 which will include the new Tom Morello-Boots Riley project Street Sweeper as the opening act. Trent Reznor decided to release another free promotional EP like he did with the Lights in the Sky tour that featured four opening acts from that tour. Entitled NINJA 2009 Tour Sampler, the record is a six-track EP featuring two cuts each from the three acts playing on the NINJA 2009 Tour. Featuring two exclusive tracks from Street Sweeper that is set to appear in the band's upcoming debut album. The record features two re-recorded songs by Jane's Addiction from the first self-titled live debut album produced by Trent Reznor, Alan Moulder, and Atticus Ross. From the tracks NIN feature on the record are two unreleased songs from the With Teeth sessions that would later become popular live staples. Part of the seed promotional catalog of NIN's official discography, the EP is certainly one of the finest records to add excitement and anticipation for the upcoming tour. Opening the record is the rumbling, percussion-driven track Chip Away with its intense, frenetic pounding on the drums track performed by the entire band with drummer Stephen Perkins on congas and other percussions. Perry Farrell's vocals are truly haunting in its high-pitch vocal style with its eerie, imagery-laden lyrics. With sounds of timpani and other percussive pieces including tins of metal and such, it's a track that has the same intensity as its original live recording from the first album. Yet, it's the production that captures the song in great detail in maintaining its raw presentation and sense of danger which includes Dave Navarro's warbling, feedback-driven guitars. Not So Pretty Now is a fast, charging rocker with wailing guitars riffs, hard-hitting drums, and pounding bass lines, it's a song that is filled with the same bite and intensity that the With Teeth album has. With Reznor's vocals sounding raspy and a bit high-pitch in his vocal style since it was recorded back in 2004, it's a song that has Reznor attacking his own hype and celebrity. Why it got left off from the album is a bit baffling but now that its official recording is out, it's good to hear that it still has the intensity of its live version. Clap For The Killers by Street Sweeper is a funky, mid-tempo track led by Tom Morello's warbling, squealing guitar work with thumping beats along with Boots Riley's smooth, growling vocals. With lyrics filled with pop culture references on gangster films and lots of dark humor, it's a fun song that has a nice groove courtesy of Morello's amazing guitar work. The classic Jane's Addiction song Wh*res is given an updated sound while maintaining the same intensity of its original live recording. With Eric Avery's defining, wobbly bass line sounding fuzzy in its intro, it's a song that becomes this powder-keg of a rocker with Navarro's charging, wailing guitar, and Perkins' powerful, pulsating drums. While Farrell's vocals doesn't have the growling intensity of its original recording, his calm, atmospheric vocal is still heroic as it was back in 1987. With its production capturing the sheer, raw sound and performance of the band. It's clear that Trent Reznor, Alan Moulder, and Atticus Ross did what Bob Ezrin failed to do when he produced the band's 2003 album Strays. It was to capture the band at their most intense without any kind of polish or sounds that plays it too safe for radio. The mid-tempo song Non-Entity by NIN features Dave Grohl on smooth yet thundering drum tracks along with its bass-droning synthesizer sounds and fuzzy, wailing guitar solos in the song. Along with a melodic piano accompaniment, Reznor's vocals are engaging though in a high-pitch sound of sorts since his vocals nowadays, are a bit more raspy. While the song is filled with decaying lyrics filled with dark imagery, it's a song in its recorded version that is great but doesn't match the heights of previous live versions heard on tour and in its piano-ballad, drum-machine version in a New Orleans benefit concert. Still, it's a fine song that features Dave Grohl's brilliant drum fills and Reznor's songwriting brilliance. The last track on the EP is Street Sweeper's The Oath that starts off smoothly with Morello's melodic-driven guitar and soft, percussion accompaniments of chimes and bells. With Riley's fast, laid-back rapping with political-laden lyrics, the song becomes a funky, mid-tempo track led by Morello's warbling, driving guitar riffs and Riley's smooth yet engaging vocals. Its lyrics filled with rhymes and pledges about life lessons, it's a great song that unveils the unique collaboration between Morello and Riley. Available at the tour's website (http://www.ninja2009.com/) for free in various digital formats whether it's VBR MP3, Apple Lossless, or FLAC. The site also gives away free multi-track files for fans to remix songs from all three acts as it help fans of the three acts interact and share remixes. The EP itself is truly something that fans of Jane's Addiction and NIN should have while providing an introduction to the Street Sweeper project from Tom Morello and Boots Riley. Overall, it's a great record that adds excitement to the upcoming NINJA 2009 tour. Jane's Addiction Reviews: Jane's Addiction (live) - Nothing's Shocking - Ritual de lo Habitual - Kettle Whistle - Strays - A Cabinet of Curiosities Related Review: Street Sweeper Social Club-S/T NIN Reviews: Pretty Hate Machine/Broken Era (1989-1992): halo 1 - halo 2 - halo 3 - halo 4 - halo 5 - halo 6 The Downward Spiral Era (1994-1997): halo 7 - halo 8 - halo 8 DE - halo 9 - halo 10 - halo 11 - halo 12 The Fragile Era (1999-2002): halo 13 - halo 14 - halo 15.1 - halo 15.2 - halo 15.3 - halo 16 - halo 17 DE - halo 17 DVD With Teeth/Year Zero Era: halo 18 - halo 19 - halo 20 - halo 21 - halo 22 - halo 23 - halo 24 - halo 25 Ghosts I-IV/The Slip Era (2008): halo 26 - halo 27 Soundtracks/Miscellaneous: The Crow - Natural Born Killers - Lost Highway - Nine Inch Nails: Self-Destruct - Tomb Raider - The Limitless Potential - Strobe Light - Metal Machine Music: Nine Inch Nails & the Industrial Uprise - Definitive NIN-Heavy Tracks Promos: seed 1 - seed 2 - seed 3 - seed 4 - seed 5 Live Shows: NIN/Bauhaus/TV on the Radio-6/7/06 Atlanta, GA Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheater - NIN/Deerhunter-8/13/08 Duluth, GA Gwinnett Arena - NIN/Jane's Addiction/Street Sweeper Social Club-5/10/09 Atlanta, GA Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheater Bootlegs: (Purest Feeling) - When the Whip Comes Down - (Live Hate w/ David Bowie) - (Quake OST) - (CRC Sessions) - Where Darkness Doubles, Where Light Pours In - (Bridge School Concerts) NIN20: (Pt. 1) - (Pt. 2) - (Pt. 3) - (Pt. 4) - (Pt. 5)  |
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