Nine Inch Nails, 'The Slip'

Backstory: Now enjoying its 20-year anniversary, Trent Reznor’s Nine Inch Nails isn’t resting on its prodigious track record. Reznor has his eye firmly on the future, which makes sense for a digital wizard. After abandoning the corporate music model for a life of independence on his own label—called, ironically, the Null Corporation—he’s digitally released two albums in 2008 already, including “Ghosts I-IV” and this fine effort, which he has offered online free of charge.

Why you should care: Aside from being a tech and economics visionary, Reznor can also crank out angst-ridden thrash with them best of them, including his peers in Ministry and more. He’s the full package, whether you’re looking for dance-floor bangers or experimental noise.

Verdict: “The Slip” is a stellar effort, and eminently diverse. Opener “999,999” is a glitch soundscape, while its companion “1,000,000” is a digital stomp that evokes classic NIN tracks like “Down In It” and “Head Like a Hole.” Meanwhile, more accessible tunes like “Echoplex” and “Discipline” veer close to pop, while the chaos of “Letting You” offers something for diehards looking for a challenge, as does the seven-plus-minute ambient noise of “Corona Radiata.” Things chill out after that for a few minutes on the understated “The Four of Us Are Dying,” before breaking necks on the synthetic pound of “Demon Seed.” It’s a bracing ride.

X-Factor: Several months after releasing “The Slip” strictly as a download, Reznor is finally making it available this week in vinyl and CD format. Ironically, even as he dives headlong into the digital era, Reznor may be one of the few acts in the world who can literally give his music away and still expect fans to pay for it later.

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