Year Zero album: Out

flogen

projectmayhem wrote:

however, it doesn't sit well next to "old" NIN. i know people are drawing comparisons to pre-downward spiral NIN (broken & phm) but i'm not getting that vibe at all.

Interesting - I've been battling myself to see where this sits in the grand scheme of all things NIN...

I have to agree that I don't see it connecting too well with PHM (frankly I found that album to be far shallower, in musical terms alone, than anything else he's done)... maybe there are comparisons with Broken in the very "metallic" and harsh kind of sounds some of the tracks have, but overall that EP was far more guitar led, while this one is a more reasonable mix between guitar, drum and synth...

I do think it has some comparison with TDS, though... maybe not lyrically (besides both being concept albums), but musically, albeit in a less industrial way... I was struck at first by how "poppy" songs like The Good Soldier and Capital G sounded, while Vessel, My Violent Heart, The Warning etc. sound really gritty... but if you think about it Closer and Ruiner are both very poppy songs in musical terms (I think Reznor described Closer as a great pop song burdened by its lyrics) while March of the Pigs, I Do Not Want This etc. provide the grittier side of that album.

That said I don't think you can really compare any NIN release to the other (Broken was a huge departure from PHM, TDS was a major leap forward in complexity from Broken etc. etc.) - I'd probably like them a whole lot less if you could draw too many comparisons.

John

Just listening to this now. I was deeply disappointed with With Teeth but so far I really like this. Does the phone number on the back of the album work from Ireland? I haven't bothered ringing it.

dimerocks

Yeah i saw that today, didn't have the cash to buy the cd though. Bugger, check echoing the sound it'll probably tell you on there what the phone number gets you.
Just an aside, www.myspace.com/thevugarera
New QOTSA song with Trent on it.

projectmayhem

flogen wrote:

(frankly I found that album to be far shallower, in musical terms alone, than anything else he's done)... maybe there are comparisons with Broken in the very "metallic" and harsh kind of sounds some of the tracks have, but overall that EP was far more guitar led, while this one is a more reasonable mix between guitar, drum and synth...

PHM was shallow because it was an album written by a man who was basically just out of his teens moaning about some chick in college, so you can forgive it for it's shallow misgivings.

as for this album, to me it feels like it was written alone in a dark room with some simple synth stuff, then he went to studio and layered it a bit with somewhat live instrumentals. i'd be surprised if any of the usual suspects got to play a note on the album...

flogen wrote:

I'd probably like them a whole lot less if you could draw too many comparisons.

and that is the beauty of NIN

flogen

projectmayhem wrote:

PHM was shallow because it was an album written by a man who was basically just out of his teens moaning about some chick in college, so you can forgive it for it's shallow misgivings.

Well exactly - I see PHM as an album showing Reznor's potential rather than his peak - keeping in mind that it was also recorded (if I'm remembering this right) as a kind of side-project while he worked in a studio - basically using it at midnight for free and working there as a dog's body during the day.

as for this album, to me it feels like it was written alone in a dark room with some simple synth stuff, then he went to studio and layered it a bit with somewhat live instrumentals. i'd be surprised if any of the usual suspects got to play a note on the album...

Maybe - not sure about the layered bit though - WT was done using this method and it came out quite differently, although those songs were all recorded on piano/guitar and then finished in the studio, I think he said he was writing this album during tours, messing around with sounds on his laptop before taking it to the studio, so you could be right.

and that is the beauty of NIN

Yup! It would never had worked if The Fragile sounded like TDS part 2 or anything like that, and am glad to know that every release will be different, for better or for worse... although I wonder how much YZ.2 will sound like this album, or if it'll be another departure.

projectmayhem

have a gander at a free, impromptu live show why don't you...

dimerocks

That's highly cool, comes on after 13minutes if anyone wants to skip the speech.

brianthebard

To those asking how this album fits into the back catalogue; I feel you are missing the point somewhat. This is a sober Trent who is consciously breaking away from the introspective music he's made in the past and trying to expand his inspirations and creations. As flogen mentioned there is a connection to TDS ito concept albums. I think that its great to see NIN trying to be fresh and new and not being content to sit back and make a few crappy albums that trade on past glories. Its a really exciting album and the concept, especially the way it has been spread across the different media, is definitely an interesting idea that I want to find out more about.

fitz

Have to agree.
I think WT was Trent relearning how to do things, or at least making a concious effort to do something different because he'd gotten sober and wanted to distance himself from his past mistakes.

I think YZ sits together much better as an album than WT. He's obviously found his conceptual stirde again.

Klept0

Having never heard WT, I can't honestly make a comparison (I've been told to avoid it >_>), however I've listened to Downward Spiral, DS is better, but YZ still holds its own in my opinion.

Worth getting Fragile and the rest or just stick with the two?

John

The Fragile is NIN's best in my opinion, others may pick The Downward Spiral over it but it's definitely a million times better than Year Zero or With Teeth.

flogen

John wrote:

The Fragile is NIN's best in my opinion, others may pick The Downward Spiral over it but it's definitely a million times better than Year Zero or With Teeth.

Musically I think The Fragile is fantastic - lyrically (for the most part) it's his worst (and as I said already I find PHM to be pretty bad in that area too, just not this bad).

It's worth getting though - has some superb tracks on it, if not a little fat too.

Numina

After listening to the album for 2 weeks, I have to say that this is the funnest album I've ever heard, my first listen was basically a one man party. With every listen I'm more impressed, my initial favorite was The Great Destroyer, but that has since been moved to second place by Zero-Sum, which probably contains the most powerful message I've heard in music so far in the chorus. the rest of the album is holding up also, although I don't think Meet Your Master has lived up to the hype that I've seen it recieve.

11/10

I was afraid that this would be the first crap NIN album (not including With Teeth of course )but jesus was I wrong!