If there’s one word that sums up Trent Reznor’s new album “And All That Could Have Been,” it’s “rehash.” The only reason he put out this album is that he is under contract with the record company to release dingy garbage. The album art is almost identical to his last release in 2000. The songs on this CD are covers of songs released on earlier albums dating back to his debut back in 1989.
This influence is definitely heard throughout the album. Not being really big on NIN, I was reluctant to listen to the disc, but still gave it a chance. Unsurprisingly it is a huge flop. Reznor dabbles in every 80’s and 90’s pop tradition from grunge to electronica. Even the fifth track, “The Frail,” begins with a Billy Joel-esque piano solo moving into spacey New Age instrumentals with an avant-classical influence.
If that’s not a mouthful, maybe you would enjoy Reznor’s confused fusion of entirely unrelated genres. Track two, “Sin,” attempts some trance-like beats, but introduces Reznor’s vocals which sound hauntingly identical to the previous track.
To give Reznor a little credit, he was hugely influential on the music scene — ten years ago. He has re-released his tired angry songs at a time when the public is more interested in listening to music than NIN. If you were planning on buying this album, your money would be better spent picking up any other CD on Cutler’s shelves.