Review: Year Zero

So I’ve recently had a revival of listening to the ever prodigious Nine Inch Nails, and decided to back-track a bit to the last two albums Trent Reznor released before leaving both Interscope Records and the standard infrastructure for the music industry behind. Since Year Zero and its follow–up remix album Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D, Reznor has gone on to pursue music success independently and without a label or major backing except his own (which, of course, is a decent nest egg to start with, but still), armed only with his savvy and technology to aid him. He has gone though disappointments and successes with his unorthodox methods and strategies, but without a doubt stands today as one of the most well–known authorities on the subject of being a successful musician on your own steam. He’s even won a Webby for Artist of the Year in 2009 for his endeavors.

So, back to the start. Back to Year Zero. Year Zero was a concept album that kicked–off a much larger project of the same name that involved the remix album, an online alternate–reality web game, and video project of some sort which has yet to be done. The crux of the album was a criticism of U.S. policy by presenting a not–too–distant dystopian future.

While concept albums often go awry, Year Zero can definitely hold its own. It’s solid. Reznor left his usual sandbox of digging around inside his mind, and his new approach of outward focus on this album still retains the same level of surgical precision. He’s done good work here and definitely worth checking out, especially if you’ve enjoyed NIN’s previous efforts and want to hear him working with something new.

Find More Information: Official NIN Band Site, Wikipedia, Amazon, iTunes