A mere 2 years after With Teeth and thus in Nine in Nails Time, relatively hot on the heels of it, Trent Reznor has unleashed Year Zero, a 16 track concept album set in the dark apocalyptic near future of 2022 in which a far-right religious dictatorship has the USA in its grasp and the inhabitants are either extremely rich or very poor. Hold on, that actually appears little removed from present day America, and who knows, the album may have actually been composed as a reaction to living in modern day America.
Leading up to its release, Year Zero’s viral marketing campaign had generated much internet buzz and hype – hidden links to album related websites were to be found on merchandise; mp3s of tracks were “randomly” discovered on USBs in clubs around the world etc., thus I was sceptical that the actual product when it arrived would live up to the promotional scheme/scam that preceded it
Immediately the packaging grabs you – a rich digipack, juxtaposing the rich and the poor, the bible and the gun; there’s a substantial lyric booklet, and on the back cover a spoof of the FBI anti-piracy warnings found on countless cds these days, urging you to telephone a number and report those who you may suspect of subversive thoughts. Being naturally curious I of course called, and discovered it is part of the concept; however I won’t spoil the surprise!
The cd itself is intriguingly heat sensitive; at room temperature it is matt black, but stick it in your player and see what the heat does to it!
Ignoring the hype and the gimmicks, the important factor is naturally the musical content. Well, Year Zero doesn’t let you down. It is truly schizophrenic, being hypnotic and chaotic; maudlin and uplifting; gentle and aggressive. Reznor, akin to a modern day Pied Piper leads the listener on a sixty-four minute ride through his nihilistic future world. He’s now kicked his substance addictions and it appears that his vision of the future is all the better for that. He is re-energised and re-invigorated and has presented some of his best material for years.
The album opens with Hyperpower a short hyper-powerful instrumental with frantic drums courtesy of the ubiquitous Josh Freese (who here supplies the only live drums on the album) and a frenetic fuzziness which builds into a violent crescendo before suddenly halting after 90-odd seconds.
From here on in the album is a mass of bleeps, beats, and squealing electro-experimentation. There are thundering drums, the occasional wailing guitar, looped vocals, supercharged choruses and some downright funky techno, until the album concludes with Zero-Sum, and its whispered verses and chorus of “Will God have Mercy on our dirty little hearts”.
It is hard to pick highlights or outstanding moments as this is a piece of work best absorbed and appreciated as a whole, rather than as individual songs, and while occasionally the lyrics may appear to be a little too simplistic, with some downright cringeworthy rhyming couplets, but this detracts little from the vision and scope of the album, and Reznor’s new found political stance.
There is little to find fault with in Year Zero, thus it should please old fans who may have been disappointed in With Teeth’s lack of bite as well as new devotees who may not have heard Nine inch Nails before. [8]
Words: John Higgins
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