A tremendous firecracker of an EP,
Perfect Drug showcases the song released on the soundtrack to the
David Lynch film Lost Highway. A poster child for aggression and unrest,
Trent Reznor gets the royal re-treatment by some of his edgiest and most exciting peers. The first three mixes are sharp as razor wire (the third is from
Reznor himself) and right in spirit with the aggressive, drum'n'bass onslaught that serves
Nine Inch Nails so well here. The disc opens with
Jack Dangers' explosive homage as
Meat Beat Manifesto -- one that fires away like a machine gun full of drums.
Luke Vibert (Plug,
Wagon Christ) rarely disappoints, and his jungle remix is a welcome addition, if not the cornerstone. There is a distinct change of flavor when
Jonah Sharp (aka
Spacetime Continuum) gets his keyboards to the scene of the crime. His remix ultimately achieves about as much aggression as a
Kraftwerk song, which is not much after getting blended about by Vibert,
Dangers, or
Reznor's apocalyptic powerhouse. The
Spacetime Continuum remix is an odd addition but admittedly a refreshing change of pace -- a more synth-heavy and melodic arrangement, and perhaps the only reason for how
Andy Hughes from
the Orb got his foot in the door for the final remix on this EP. While his track is interesting enough, it transforms
Nine Inch Nails into a rubbery, menacing circus march that belongs on another record instead. The Orb doing a remix for
Nine Inch Nails is as odd a pairing as
Luciano Pavarotti with
U2, but it's been done. This
Perfect Drug EP seems to end with
the Orb's sloppy overdose, but it's a great high while it lasts. ~ Ken Tataki