God have mercy on our dirty little hearts
I don't know about all the other Trentophiles out there, but I've spent the last week since my editor handed me my own free copy of Year Zero in absolute Nine Inch Nails euphoria. I've listened to it so much at this point it's probably bordering on unhealthy. If you're not familiar with how it works in the world of these favorite sons of industrial, a new Nails album is generally few and far in between; two a decade if we're lucky. It's been a bittersweet goodbye to Trent's drug habit for most as he's lost some of the tortured charm that had so defined him since the late 80's, but the fact that the ratio of albums to years has drastically reduced is nothing short of a joygasm for all. And the quality of the results are maturing as boldly and gracefully as the elusive front man himself.
Before delving into the Year Zero Experience as a whole, the center of it all is the music, which I have to say is quite honestly the best new thing I've heard in years. Reznor uses every inch of musicianship he has in himself to straddle a fine line between the past, present, and future of his own career and the business himself. Visceral and refined, raw and intelligent, it's everything and nothing they've ever done. In the limited straight forward press he's done for Year Zero, Reznor explains that he didn't want to ground the album in 2007, musically or otherwise. Not only is it his nightmare vision of the future of the planet, taking place in 2022, but one could argue his vision of where popular music may end up as well. Rock melts with techno and hints slightly (as I've heard it described) at some hip-hop, taking industrial rock to levels never before fathomed. Not only can you actually dance to much of it, but on another plane altogether it may even change your life with the most mature, beautiful and poignant lyrics he's produced yet. (Take that, Natalie Portman.)
Variations on the same basic drum beat are a constant for just about the entire album, which both helps and hurts it. One song fades effortlessly into the next, creating an hour-long experience that lets his message wash over the listener; almost working to lull one into the kind of dream state the plot has the American public under. Unfortunately this may make it almost mandatory that the listener realize it as a concept album that was not necessarily designed to be single-ready as they might be used to. Starting off with the punchy "The Beginning of the End" and following the plot from there, the first 75% of the album is a symphony of subversion, rising and falling from high energy to contemplation; each song with it's own story that ties into one of the sites or stories in The Experience. The world of Year Zero finally reaches a frenzied and chaotic techno crescendo with "The Great Destroyer." Is it the apocalypse or a revolution? You'll have to listen and decide for yourself (although I like my younger brother's hypothesis that robot aliens have just taken the planet away from us so we can't make any more mistakes with it). The last three tracks detail the aftermath with some of Trent's beautiful piano work on "Another Version Of The Truth" and superbly clear and emotive vocals for "In This Twilight." Can the human race be forgiven?
My first time hearing the whole thing through was at a listening party at Chicago's Metro in March. I actually found myself disappointed, thinking Trent had softened in his sobriety and middle age, deciding to turn to techno instead of the heavier guitar work of the past. I now see that this is anything but true and that his decisions for this album, musically and politically, may set it apart in a time of its own for generations. The best way to listen the first time is definitely through headphones to absorb the beat and lyrics before it will, I promise, become party music.
Now for the kicker. The move away from a career built on music rooted on his own inner angst and struggle into one defined more by his growing concern with current events and what they mean for the future of the country can be seen in parts of their last album, [With_Teeth], in tracks like "Right Where it Belongs" and "The Hand That Feeds." Now he reveals his true potential for a real statement with this groundbreaking album that is quickly proving that our generation can be awoken from apathy and, even, that the music business and the concept of the album itself can still be saved. In a cryptic game of internet intrigue and secret meetings, similar to, yet far beyond ABC's Lost Experience of a couple summers ago, Reznor has laid out and intricate labyrinth of websites that lead to other websites and even, for the clever, a secret surprise performance from the band themselves. It's a way of engaging with the fans that both demonstrates how much he really cares for them and the power that musicians can wield when they choose to use it for good. Way too much for me to explain, so take my advice and check out http://ninwiki.com to find out all the details of The Experience.
In sum, the genre-busting sound, subversive lyrics, and engaging Experience of Year Zero set it apart on a whole new level of clarity and composition for Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails. And if that's not enough for you, the CD is coated with heat-sensitive paint that changes colors when you play it. It is absolutely worth your time and will definitely stand unrivaled for a while...that is until it's rumored sequel drops.
And all we ever were
just zeros and ones...
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NOTES: An album review I did for The Daily Illini's entertainment blog. To be honest, I hate this piece. Even the title makes me facepalm. I completely let myself get caught up in the fact that I got to talk about my favorite band and got a free copy of the album that I let the ramble on to the point of ridiculousness. The fact that it was a completely unedited blog didn't help at all. But whatever, lesson learned.
