Nine Inch Nails

Released just under a year after Nine Inch Nails' fourth album, With Teeth, the American Every Day Is Exactly the Same EP rounds up four remixes that have been floating around on various European and vinyl-only singles, adding a new remix of the title track to the mix. There are two mixes each of "The Hand That Feeds" and "Only," bringing the total length of the EP up to six tracks. All five of the remixes are actually better than the original versions, since they not only open up the tunes, but the various adjustments to the songs -- the pulsating neo-disco beats of the DFA mix of "The Hand" or Richard X's mix of "Only," Sam Fog vs. Carlos D's sleekly ominous overhauling of the title track -- make NIN's increasingly claustrophobic, insular music sound fresh again, suggesting what Trent Reznor could do if he entered a genuine collaboration with another musician for his next NIN album. That may not be enough to make this essential, but it surely makes this EP worth a listen for any serious fan -- and it's also a useful way to get mixes that aren't easy to get stateside. [A bonus track edition was released in 2006.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide