Further Down the Spiral
In several of the reinterpretations of "Mr. Self Destruct" (the lead track from the acclaimed Nine Inch Nails album "The Downward Spiral") featured on "Further Down the Spiral," a line from David Bowie's song "Time" is repeatedly sampled: "Falls wanking to the floor."
"Further" was an EP released by Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor as an in-between-albums placeholder, a practice he has done throughout his career and continues to do today. And, though "Further" does contain several great songs and offers interesting explorations of tunes from "Downward Spiral," it mostly amounts to little more than studio wanking, a practice of Reznor's that has only gotten worse as his fame and catalogue have grown.
The album comprises 11 remixes of songs from "Downward Spiral" by Reznor and NIN, along with other experimental musicians such as in-demand producer Rick Rubin, guitarist Dave Navarro, members of seminal industrial band Coil and electronica luminary Aphex Twin.
The opening track, "Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)," is an intriguing version of the tune of the same name from "Downward Spiral," augmented by a menacing guitar loop courtesy of Navarro and similarly atmospheric production by Rubin. Some of the most memorable soundscapes come from the numbers re-imagined by the members of Coil, contributing "Eraser (Polite)," a tuneful take on the original, which juxtaposes the despairing lyrics against a melodic, almost happy, backing track. Another highlight provided by Coil is "The Downward Spiral (The Bottom)," which brings Reznor's horrifying account of suicide to the fore with nothing but a calm, haunting ambient drone behind it.
Three remixes of "Mr. Self Destruct" are contained on "Further," but only one is really worthwhile: the epic-length "Self Destruction, Final" by Australian artist J.G. Thirilwell. At nearly 10 minutes, "Final" is the ultimate culmination of the other versions of "Self Destruct," combining the unhinged instrumentation, sinister vocals and frantic stop-start dynamics of the song's different permutations into something that is both harrowing and exciting.
Reznor himself contributes one of the best songs on "Further" by, strange as it seems, toning things down. "Hurt (Quiet)," while very similar to the incredible "Downward Spiral," final track, is a calmer version of the number which really elevates the intensity and longing in Reznor's words and voice.
These gems, though, make up less than half of the assembled album; there is a lot of filler to slog through on "Further." The first two remixes of "Self Destruct" are well-made but unaffecting, and further versions of "Eraser" feel similarly unnecessary. Two numbers made by Aphex Twin specifically for the album, "The Beauty of Being Numb" and "At the Heart of It All," also never make a mark. Ultimately, "Further" feels exactly like what it is: a collection of b-sides not strong enough to be included on its parent album.