Things Falling Apart contains various manipulations of songs recorded from the Fragile sessions.

Nine Inch Nails: Trent Raznor (vocals, various instruments).

Additional personnel: Steve Hokel (violin); Marc Paradis (cello); Telefon Tel Aviv (programming).

Producers: Adrian Sherwood, Mark Stewart, Joshua Eustis, Turk Dietrich, Charles Cooper.

After Nine Inch Nails' 1999 double album, The Fragile, came Things Falling Apart, a collection of remixes with three versions of "Starfuckers Inc." ~ Adam Bregman

Trent Reznor's vaguely dark, pseudotortured angst rock sounds very early '90s and more than a bit tired a decade or so later. While songs like "Head Like a Hole" are fine in the context of the overly angsty music that was coming out at the height of grunge, Nine Inch Nails has somehow managed to sound kind of silly in quick fashion. Just as the Cure and Depeche Mode seem like fossils from another era despite their continued popularity, Nine Inch Nails hasn't bothered to change at all -- but the band's music now lacks hooks and melodies, which doesn't exactly work in the heavy eye makeup, teenybopper pop world the group once ruled. After 1999's masturbatory double CD The Fragile came Things Falling Apart, a collection of irrelevant remixes, with three versions of "Starfuckers Inc." -- which is not much of a song to begin with. Nine Inch Nails has put out several remix albums before, but this being the remix album of a particularly forgettable album, it seems completely pointless for all but the staunchest of fans. ~ Adam Bregman

The best words to describe the music of Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails are caustic and scathing. Billed as manipulations of songs recorded during THE FRAGILE sessions, THINGS FALLING APART stands on its own as a solid release. The remixes are so drastic that they become separate entities from their distant origins.

Long-time collaborators such as Alan Moulder, Charlie Clouser (now a full-fledged member of Nine Inch Nails), and Dave Ogilvie were recruited to flesh out the new instrumentation, while Danny Lohner, Keith Hillebrandt, and Adrian Sherwood master the control boards. The result is a swirling mix of synth-pop, crunchy guitar riffs, and ambient, archaic soundscapes. From the haunting strings in Bellini's version of "The Frail" to the pulsating Sherwood remix of "Starfuckers, Inc.," this collection aims for the deepest recesses of the human soul. A DVD containing live footage and videos is also available.

CMJ (12/00, p.67) - "...The NIN remixes are quality....Even FRAGILE leftovers are still warm..."

Melody Maker (11/28/00, p.52) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Remixed like acid burns through flesh, NIN now sound like the sort of band chosen to play sleazy metal dives in horror films to illustrate that the clientele are low-life scum. You'll dance 'til you're sick."

NME (Magazine) (10/28/00, p.40) - 10 out of 10 - "...The best Nine Inch Nails album...ever! Mainly because it contains much less Trent Reznor..."