Nine
4.5 stars
Welcome to a world where politicians like George W. Bush prevail. Welcome to Year Zero. Nine Inch Nails‘ newest record is a concept album about a dystopia in the near future. The world is ruled by a military state that does not allow anyone to think for him or herself. It’s similar to George Orwell‘s account of the future in 1984. Trent Reznor, who basically is Nine Inch Nails, wrote, performed, and co-produced the record. He came up with some astounding music to go with his concept.
The record is war and the destruction of freethinking mankind put to music. The astonishing sound of the music is mostly computer-generated. It’s unlike anything out there right now. Indeed, Year Zero is the most revolutionary record since Radiohead‘s OK Computer blew our minds in 1997. The computerized, futuristic soundscapes are the most notable in “Hyperpower!,” “Vessel,” and “The Great Destroyer.”
My favorite song on the album is “Capital G.” The lyrics are from the point of view of a neo-conservative whose new god is George W. Bush. The greedy warmongerer describes his rebirth: “Well I used to stand for something/Now I’m on my hands and knees/Traded in my god for this one/He signs his name with a capital G.” It’s a scathing attack on neo-conservative doctrine that claims to be Christian but acts in very un-Christian ways. Never before has Bush-bashing been quite so dark. It’s implicit this concept of converting from Christianity to Bush’s and the late Jerry Falwell‘s version of Christianity has to do with the title of the record, given our present calendar is based on Jesus‘ birth.
Another tremendous track on the record is “The Great Destroyer.” This song is in the spirit of The Velvet Underground‘s “Heroin” in that it is more a work of art than a rock song. Some of the sounds are not exactly pretty, but it’s about a subject matter that’s not so pretty. You can picture the destruction of the world during the last part of the song. “The Great Destroyer” is followed by the quiet, minimalist, and heartbreaking instrumental, “Another Version of the Truth.” After that comes “In This Twilight,” which is the only song on the record that offers any hope.
Year Zero also has some cool things that are not related to the music. The CD is a thermo-chrome heat-sensitive CD that turns from black to white when you play it. Also, the CD case has a fictional warning from a fictional agency, the USBM (United States Bureau of Morality). It gives a toll-free number that is pretty amusing to call. It’s 1-866-445-6580.
Despite the fact that Year Zero is a cutting-edge record with a theme, much of the music actually is quite accessible. If you like Nine Inch Nails, you probably will like this record. I highly recommend this record to anyone, though. You owe it to yourself to check this out.
Scale:
0. Shoot yourself
1. Poor
2. So-So
3. Good
4. Excellent
5. Instant classic
May 21st, 2007 at 10:27 am
My first reaction to this piece was, “Oh no you di’n't!”
I think this album represents Reznor at his best. You can tell he is fired up about the ideas he sings (is that even an appropriate term for what he does?) about on the album. When it was released as a single, I wasn’t that thrilled with Survivalism, but when I heard it on the disc, it melded so much with the whole that it’s easily one of my favorite tracks.
There are also many more single-icious tracks on this album. When I listened to With Teeth, I liked the songs that ended up being singles to the exclusion of the other tracks, but with this album, I hear many songs that could get radio airplay.
Also interesting is the choice of Capital G as the new single. Trent just tossed a Hail Mary. I’m anxious to see where it goes.