i'm going to listen to it a few more times to see how i react to it in this form, but this was something like what he wanted to do to start with, and is probably what he should have actually done in the end. maybe if he'd have released another two or three eps, he'd have had enough quality material for a whole record.
while this eight track collection is far from the heights of his classic period, it's also arguably the best nin record in over a decade. but, i just have to reiterate the point - you can't and shouldn't try and compare this to his 90s material. rather, you should interpret it as a facelift over his lackluster 00s-10s work. it does have a purpose, when interpreted that way.
i'm actually hoping that this is both an end and a start, and any future nin releases are rather different in scope. we'll see, i guess.
