Nine Inch Nails - 'Year Zero' reviewed
Reznor marches along
Tim Mislock
Issue date: 4/17/07 Section: Mosaic
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Nine Inch Nails
Interscope
Rating: 3 and 1/2 stars (out of 5 stars)
Trent Reznor, the electronic mad-scientist behind Nine Inch Nails, has made some of the most important and socially-conscious music of the past 18 years. He has managed to battle the cloning machine of the record industry and remain a unique, artistic voice - the voice of popular industrial music. His forked political tongue has not become dull or rusted over the years. "Year Zero," his latest creation, is some of his sharpest and most concise music to date.
The 41-year-old Reznor has combined the harsh industrial sound of 1994's "The Downward Spiral" and 2005's dancier, more accessible "With Teeth." Although "Year Zero" can only be compared elementally to those albums with its industrial noise and sometimes infectious beats, it is still its own breed of music. It's the effort of a man who has honed his craft and is not about making the record companies want to sell.
From the anti-war "Good Soldier," in which Reznor proclaims "There's no where left to hide / 'Cause God is on our side," to the self-analytical "Me I'm Not," the album covers a wide horizon of topics. The record could be the voice for a generation upset with the current affairs of its country.
Reznor goes after the loyal Bushies in government and global warming policies in his song "Capital G." He sings, "Don't give a shit about the temperature in Guatemala / Don't really see what all the fuss is about / Ain't going to worry about no future generations and / I'm sure somebody going to figure it out" and goes on to say, "Trading in my god for this one / He signs his name with a capital G." It would be refreshing if someone in our government actually heard these lyrics since Reznor is speaking on behalf of all those who cannnot wait for our current president's last day of work on Jan. 20, 2009.
From a marketing standpoint, this is an edgy album. Reznor has adopted a guerrilla-marketing tactic with USB drives placed in concert bathrooms with MP3s on them. Also, on the band's Web site, there is a GarageBand-formated track of the single "Survivalism" that allows people to remix the track. The site states "we plan to release every track on the album this way over the next few months."
"Year Zero" sounds different from any other album we've heard from Reznor yet, although the progression to this album is evident. The album was designed to rattle cages - our own and those of the music business. It truly has a sound that will stand out in 2007.
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