Artist: "Nine Inch Nails"
Album: "Year Zero"
Genre: Alternative Rock
Label: Nothing
Reviewer: Protoclown
Posted: 1/8/2008
Review: Our little Trent is all grown up. Or after years of whiny (albeit damn good) songs about unrequited love, broken relationships, shattered faith, and telling us just how damaged he is about it all, it certainly does feel like it. His songwriting has finally matured a bit as he's entered the angry realm of political and social commentary, and it's proven to be a place where he looks good and feels comfortable. The quality of these songs is most welcome after his previous and disappointingly soulless With Teeth. I was cautious in my expectations at first (despite a very promising and intriguing viral marketing campaign), but hearing this album for the first time was like having an old friend come back home, perhaps a little wiser and with something important to say after his travels abroad.
The songs on this album are far more interesting musically and lyrically than his previous album, as it feels like Trent's passion for the subject matter has finally allowed him to tap into the creative spark he'd lost contact with since The Fragile. This is clearly no contract obligation or a necessary evil to pay the bills - it's returned to a labor of love. The tune of "Survivalism" conjures up vague memories of Downward Spiral's "Ruiner", and because of that I see it as a sort of loose answer or flipside to that song. He no longer plays the wronged victim of so many older songs, instead giving us the perspective of the callous and uncaring "might makes right" crowd, the point of view of the Ruiner himself. Most of the album takes on the ironic perspective of the Victim Who Became Villain, which is something of a natural progression of his body of work. Get shat on long enough, and sooner or later you're going to start shitting on others.
Unlike the minimalistic release of With Teeth, Year Zero's packaging is very attractive in design, with lyric book and a cd that changes from black to white when exposed to the heat generated by playing it. It's a detail that has no bearing on the music, but it's a nice touch that doesn't cost anything extra (unless you're in Australia, in which case the record label hates you), and it's proof enough that Trent is back to being interested in what he's doing.
Overall rating:
(Scored on a 0.5 - 5 pickles rating: 0.5 being the worst and 5 being the best)
I love how wussies go out of their way to make a point of sounding condesending when people express their viewpoint in a manner of their choosing.
Hey Prot! Normally I dig some of the stuff you talk about but if you're going to do album reviews why not review the actual good ones? There's an entire back catalog of Janis Joplin, BB King and Cab Calloway records out there to write about. If this NiN garbage netted a four and a half I'd love to see what kind of rating something like Jimmi Hendrix' Are you Experienced? or Pantera's Vulgar Display of Power would net. Seriously, there's a world of jazz and blues albums out there that you could expose people too. Hell even old school soul and R&B music. Why this whiny shit? Reznor needs to have his underwear yanked up his ass and stuffed in his locker with the rest of his gothic ilk. |
Hey Prot! Normally I dig some of the stuff you talk about but if you're going to do album reviews why not review the actual good ones? There's an entire back catalog of Janis Joplin, BB King and Cab Calloway records out there to write about. If this NiN garbage netted a four and a half I'd love to see what kind of rating something like Jimmi Hendrix' Are you Experienced? or Pantera's Vulgar Display of Power would net. Seriously, there's a world of jazz and blues albums out there that you could expose people too. Hell even old school soul and R&B music. Why this whiny shit? Reznor needs to have his underwear yanked up his ass and stuffed in his locker with the rest of his gothic ilk.
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3. ID Entertainment stepped up gaming ambiance and music when they collaborated with Reznor and had him design the entire soundscape to the original and very spooky (due mostly to the music) "Quake". |
David Lynch, Felt same way about working with "No Talent Reznor" and handed over soundtrack duties for "Lost Highway". |