Broken

Every band has its ups and downs, both commercially and artistically. When Nine Inch Nails released the "Broken" EP, it was pretty much trashed by every respectable critic, and it fared about as well commercially. At the time, Reznor had fallen out with his record label, and had nearly finished his contract with them. This resulted in a theme that can be heard most prominently on "Happiness in Slavery," and in the whiny lyrical content of the album. Although this album failed commercially and critically, it was an important album in the evolution of the Nine Inch Nails sound.

In between "Pretty Hate Machine" and "The Downward Spiral" CDs, a different style emerged, one that was more natural, less cheesy, and better produced. The "Broken" EP marks the interim between those two albums, and sees Reznor experimenting with a sound that draws from punk rock a little more than any of his other albums. This sound can be heard in the drum line on both "Wish" and "Gave Up," and on the guitars on "Wish." Half of the songs on this album are good, but it's such a small album that the songs commonly understood to be "bad" outweigh the positives on this album. This is really a CD for the hardcore fans.