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Year Zero (album)

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Year Zero (also known as Halo 24) is the sixth studio album from American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. The album was produced by Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, mixed by long-time collaborator Alan Moulder, and mastered by Brian Gardner.[2]

Year Zero is a concept album criticizing the United States government's policies as of 2007,[3] projecting a dystopian vision of its impact on the state of events in 2022. Reznor indicated that this required a completely different approach from his usual style of lyric writing.[4] Reznor also stated that the album is "part of a bigger picture of a number of things [he is] working on".[5] The Year Zero concept has included a remix album, an alternate reality game, and a potential television or film project.[6][7]

Promotion and release

Main article: Year Zero (alternate reality game)

In a 2005 interview with Kerrang!, Reznor expressed his intentions to write material for a new release while touring for With Teeth.[8] Reznor reportedly began work on this next project by September 2006.[9] Year Zero was mixed in January of 2007,[10][11] and Reznor stated on his blog hosted at the Nine Inch Nails official fan club that the album was finished as of February 5, 2007.[12]

On February 12, 2007, fans found that a new Nine Inch Nails tour T-shirt contained highlighted letters that spelled out the words "I am trying to believe".[13] Fans discovered that this phrase was registered as a website URL, and soon several related websites were found in the IP range, all describing a dystopian vision of the fictional "year 0000".[14] Digit Online later reported that 42 Entertainment had created these websites to promote Year Zero as part of an alternate reality game.[15] Rolling Stone described the fan involvement in this promotion as the "marketing team's dream".[16] Trent Reznor has stated, however, that "marketing" is an inaccurate description of the alternate reality game, and that it is "not some kind of gimmick to get you to buy a record - it IS the art form..."[12]

Part of this campaign involved USB drives that were left in concert venues for fans to find while Nine Inch Nails was on its 2007 European tour. Messages found on the drives and tour clothing led to additional websites and images from the game, and the early release of several unheard songs from the album.[17]

The USB drive was simply a mechanism of leaking the music and data we wanted out there. The medium of the CD is outdated and irrelevant. It's really painfully obvious what people want — DRM-free music they can do what they want with. If the greedy record industry would embrace that concept I truly think people would pay for music and consume more of it.[17]

On February 22, 2007 a teaser trailer was released through the official Year Zero website. It featured a quick glimpse of a blue road sign that said "I AM TRYING TO BELIEVE", as well as a distorted glimpse of "The Presence" from the album cover. One frame in the teaser led fans to a URL containing the complete album cover.[18] In March 2007, the multitrack audio files of Year Zero's first single, "Survivalism," were released in Garageband format for fan remixing. The multitrack files for "Capital G," "My Violent Heart" and "Me, I'm Not" were released on April 26;[19] "The Beginning of the End," "Vessel" and "God Given" were released on June 12.[20] Initially formatted for Garageband and Logic Pro, WAV files for other applications were later distributed through BitTorrent.[21] On April 4, 2007 a high-quality leak of the promotional disc supplied to listening parties was also leaked onto peer-to-peer networks.[22] In response, the entire album became available for streaming on Nine Inch Nails' MySpace page on April 10, 2007.[23]

Themes

Reznor called Year Zero a "shift in direction" in that it "doesn't sound like With Teeth".[12] Fifteen original tracks were considered for inclusion on the album, which he described as "Highly conceptual. Quite noisy. Fucking cool."[10] He further wrote that when he finishes a new album, he has to "go into battle with the people whose job it is to figure out how to sell the record. The only time that didn't happen was [for] With Teeth. This time, however, [he was] expecting an epic struggle. [Year Zero] is not a particularly friendly record and it certainly doesn't sound like anything else out there right now."[24][25]

Nine Inch Nails' 2006 tour merchandise designs featured overt references to the United States military, which Trent Reznor said "reflect[ed] future directions".[12] Reznor later stated that Year Zero was a concept album, and that he "wrote the soundtrack to a movie that doesn't exist".[5] It criticizes the American government's policies,[26] and how it "could be about the end of the world".[12] Previously, Reznor had called the 2004 US election date "one step closer to the end of the world".[27]

This, as Reznor indicates, is completely different from his usual style of lyric writing:[4]

...for the first time in my life, I wanted to break away from the idea of opening up my journal and transferring that into song lyrics. And I really thought about what was at the forefront of my concern, and, at the state I'm at right now, at the age I'm at, just the state of being an American citizen, a lot of concern I have about the direction the country's headed in, and uh, kind of the erosion of freedoms that seems like we're experiencing, and the way we treat the world and our own citizens felt like something I needed to comment on.[4]

Even though the fictional story begins in January 2007, the timeline of the album and alternate reality game mentions historical events, such as September 11 attacks and the Iraq War. From there, fictional events lead to worldwide chaos, including Bioterrorism attacks, the United States engaging in nuclear war with Iran, and the elimination of American civil liberties at the hands of the fictional government agency The Bureau of Morality. Regardless of being fictional, a columnist of The Hartford Courant commented, "What's scary is that this doesn't seem as far-fetched as it should, given recent revelations about the FBI's abuse of the Patriot Act and the dissent-equals-disloyalty double-speak coming out of Washington in recent years."[28] The "recent revelations" he referred to was the Justice Department's inspector general revealing abuses of the Act by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.[29]

Artwork

The two states of the Year Zero disc: black when cooled, white when heated.

Year Zero features a thermo-chrome heat-sensitive CD face, which appears black when it is first opened, but after being played, the heat generated reveals a white background with black binary code. The binary sequence translates into "Exterminal.net," leading to a website sharing the same URL.[30] Reznor displayed displeasure at the extra $10 tacked on the price in Australia for the thermo-coating which he states only costs an extra 83¢ per CD.[31]

Included with the album is a small insert that is a warning from the fictional United States Bureau of Morality (USBM), with a phone number to call to report people who have "engaged in subversive acts." When the number is called, a recording of a woman from the USBM is played, claiming "By calling this number, you and your family are implicitly pleading guilty to the consumption of anti-American media and have been flagged as potential militants".[28]

Related projects

A remix album, titled Year Zero Remixed, was released on November 20, 2007. Due to the expiration of his contract with Interscope Records, the album's release, marketing, and promotion were completely in Reznor's control.[32] The album includes guest artists including The Faint, Ladytron, Bill Laswell, Saul Williams, Olof Dreijer of The Knife, and Sam Fogarino of Interpol.[33][34]

An unofficial open source fan remix album entitled The Limitless Potential was compiled through the efforts of Nine Inch Nails fan sites after sorting through some 200 user submitted remixes. The end result was a 21 track compilation available for free 320kb/s download with high quality art work.[35][36]

Kerrang! Radio reported that "Reznor admitted he's already in talks about a movie version of his upcoming album - a concept piece, with part two scheduled for next year."[37] He had earlier noted Year Zero as "part of a bigger picture of a number of things I'm working on. Essentially, I wrote the soundtrack to a movie that doesn't exist."[5] Reznor has since commented that he is currently more interested in a television project, rather than a film project. In August 2007, he said that he has a producer, has met with writers,[38] and would be pitching the idea to television networks.[7]

Critical reception

Critical response to the album was generally favorable, with an average rating of 76% on MetaCritic.[39] Year Zero was rated #21 on Rolling Stone's "Top 50 Albums of 2007."[40] Robert Christgau described Year Zero as Reznor's "most songful album",[41] while Thomas Inskeep of Stylus Magazine praised it as "one of the most forward-thinking “rock” albums to come down the pike in some time".[42] Some reviews criticized the album, however, such as Spin Magazine's review, which summarized the album by saying "The songs drag in the middle, choruses become interchangeable, and too many tracks end with the same electronic stuttering".[39] Hot Press magazine had a similar criticism of Year Zero, saying "A number of tracks here follow a similar, frustrating formula. For three minutes they showcase Reznor’s worst tendencies; the boorish plod of the choruses, the hoarse moan of the vocals."[39]

Many reviewers also commented on the accompanying alternate reality game, including Ann Powers of The Los Angeles Times, who praised the album and game concept as "a total marriage of the pop and gamer aesthetics that unlocks the rusty cages of the music industry and solves some key problems facing rock music as its cultural dominance dissolves into dust."[43]

Track listing

All tracks written and performed by Trent Reznor.

  1. "HYPERPOWER!" – 1:42
  2. "The Beginning of the End" – 2:47
  3. "Survivalism" – 4:23
  4. "The Good Soldier" – 3:23
  5. "Vessel" – 4:52
  6. "Me, I'm Not" – 4:51
  7. "Capital G" – 3:50
  8. "My Violent Heart" – 4:13
  9. "The Warning" – 3:38
  10. "God Given" – 3:50
  11. "Meet Your Master" – 4:08
  12. "The Greater Good" – 4:52
  13. "The Great Destroyer" – 3:17
  14. "Another Version of the Truth" – 4:09
  15. "In this Twilight" – 3:33
  16. "Zero-Sum" – 6:14

Album personnel

  • William Artope – trumpet on "Capital G"
  • Matt Demeritt – tenor sax on "Capital G"
  • Josh Freese – drums on "Hyperpower!" and "Capital G"
  • Jeff/Geoff Gallegos – brass / winds musical arrangement, baritone sax on "Capital G"
  • Brian Gardner – mastering
  • Elizabeth Lea – trombone on "Capital G"
  • Alan Moulder – mix engineering
  • Trent Reznor – production, performance
  • Atticus Ross – production, sound design
  • Saul Williams – backing vocals on "Survivalism" and "Me, I'm Not"

Chart positions

Year Zero reached the #1 spot on the Billboard Top Internet Albums and Top Rock Albums, as well as the top ten of album charts in Australia, Austria, Canada, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The "Survivalism" single also hit #1 in Canada and the US.[44][45]

Album

Chart Peak
position
Billboard 200[46][47] 2
Billboard Top Internet Albums[47] 1
United World Chart[48] 2
Australian Albums Chart[49] 5
Austrian Albums Chart[50] 5
Canadian Albums Chart[47] 3
Finnish Albums Chart[51] 2
German Albums Chart[52] 6
New Zealand Albums Chart[53] 2
UK Albums Chart[54] 6
Dutch Album Charts[55] 4

Singles

Song Chart peak positions
U.S.
[56] 		U.S.
Mod[56] 		U.S. Main[56] CAN
[44] 		FIN
[57]
"Survivalism" 68 1 1 1 7
"Capital G" — 6 25 — —

"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

References

  1. ^ Year Zero (Media notes). Interscope Records. 2007. {{cite AV media notes}}: Unknown parameter |bandname= ignored (help)
  2. ^ "Features: Nine Inch Nails". xtaster.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-02-25.
  3. ^ Gregory, Jason (2007-03-26). "Trent Reznor Blasts the American Government". Gigwise.com. Retrieved 2007-04-20. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ a b c Trent Reznor (2007-04-09). "Trent Reznor Year Zero Interview". YouTube. Retrieved 2007-08-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ a b c "NINE INCH NAILS Mainman On New CD: 'I Wrote The Soundtrack To A Movie That Doesn't Exist'". Blabbermouth. 2007-01-03. Retrieved 2007-02-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ Thompson, Paul (2007-08-17). "The Faint Remix NIN for Year Zero Remix Album". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2007-08-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ a b Adler, Heather (2007-08-14). "Nine Inch Nails Ready Apocalyptic Year Zero TV Show". Dose. Retrieved 2007-08-19. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ "New NIN Album Next Year?". Kerrang!. 2005-07-06. Retrieved 2006-10-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ "New NINE INCH NAILS In The Works?". Blabbermouth. 2006-09-06. Retrieved 2007-02-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ a b Reznor, Trent (2006-12-13). "Updates from Trent". NIN.com. Retrieved 2007-01-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Colothan, Scott (2006-12-19). "Nine Inch Nails Finish New Album". Gigwise.com. Retrieved 2007-02-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ a b c d e "The Spiral (registration required)". Nine Inch Nails. Retrieved 2006-02-05.
  13. ^ Meathead (2007-02-12). "New tour t-shirts". The NIN Hotline. Retrieved 2008-01-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ James Montgomery (2007-02-15). "Weird Web Trail: Conspiracy Theory — Or Marketing For Nine Inch Nails LP?". MTV News. Retrieved 2007-03-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ "42 creates viral campaign for Nine Inch Nails". digitmag.co.uk. 2007-02-14. Retrieved 2007-02-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ Goodman, Elizabeth (2007-02-15). "Coachella Stops Sprawl, NIN Fans = Marketing Team's Dream, Aerosmith Pressed for Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-02-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ a b Mackintosh, Hamish (2007-03-29). "Stars compose new ways to use music". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-04-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "Year Zero preview and possible album cover". The NIN Hotline. 2007-02-22. Retrieved 2008-01-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ "Multitracks for 3 YZ songs posted on nin.com". The NIN Hotline. 2007-04-26. Retrieved 2008-01-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ "Hot Multitrack Action". The NIN Hotline. 2007-06-12. Retrieved 2008-01-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ "Year Zero". Nine Inch Nails. 2007-04-26. Retrieved 2007-04-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ "Year Zero". Nine Inch Nails. 2007-04-03. Retrieved 2007-04-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ "NIN Myspace Now Features 'Year Zero'". The NIN Hotline. 2007-04-10. Retrieved 2008-01-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ Reznor, Trent (2006-12-28). "Nine Inch Nails Mainman On New CD: 'This Is Not A Particularly Friendly Record'". Blabbermouth. Retrieved 2006-12-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ Zahlaway, Jon (2007-01-01). "New NIN album recorded, live DVD due". liveDaily.com. Retrieved 2007-02-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ Gregory, Jason (2007-03-26). "Trent Reznor Blasts the American Government". Gigwise.com. Retrieved 2007-04-20. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ "Current". Nine Inch Nails. 2005-04-15. Archived from the original on 2005-04-20. Retrieved 2007-08-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ a b Danton, Eric (2007-04-17). "Sound Check: Year Zero". The Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2007-10-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ "FBI Director Defends Patriot Act". CBS News. 2007-03-27. Retrieved 2007-10-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. ^ "Nine Inch Nails' Year Zero CD holds a secret!". TechAmok. 2007-04-18. Retrieved 2007-10-08.
  31. ^ "Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails". Herald Sun Sunday. 2007-05-17. Retrieved 2007-05-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  32. ^ "Post-Interscope, Reznor Focusing On New Album". Billboard. 2007-10-09. Retrieved 2007-10-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ "The Faint Remix NIN for Year Zero Remix Album". Pitchfork Media. 2007-08-17. Retrieved 2007-08-17.
  34. ^ "Interpol's Fogarino, Knife's Olaf [sic], Ladytron remix NIN". Pitchfork Media. 2007-08-21. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  35. ^ soulxtc (2007-09-05). "'Limitless Potential' - Official Nine Inch Nails fan remixes now on BitTorrent". zeropaid. Retrieved 2007-10-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ "Nine Inch Nails open source remix double album torrent available". Digg. 2007-09-05. Retrieved 2007-10-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  37. ^ "Kerrang discusses movie possibility with Trent Reznor". Kerrang!. 2007-03-06. Retrieved 2007-03-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  38. ^ leviathant (2007-08-10). "I hate Contact Music". The NIN Hotline. Retrieved 2008-01-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  39. ^ a b c "Nine Inch Nails – Year Zero". MetaCritic. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  40. ^ Christgau, Robert, David Fricke, Christian Hoard, Rob Sheffield (2007-12-17). "The Top 50 Albums of 2007". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2008-01-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  41. ^ Christgau, Robert (June 2007). "June 2007: Nine Inch Nails It, But Aguilera Is a Dud". MSN Music. Retrieved 2007-09-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  42. ^ Inskeep, Thomas (2007-04-26). "Nine Inch Nails – Year Zero". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 2008-01-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  43. ^ Powers, Ann. "Nine Inch Nails creates a world from 'Year Zero'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2007-06-25. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  44. ^ a b "Nine Inch Nails Survivalism". Top40-Charts.com. 2007-04-22. Retrieved 2007-06-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  45. ^ "Year Zero > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". All Music Guide. 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
  46. ^ "Nine Inch Nails - Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2007-09-28. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  47. ^ a b c "Year Zero > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". All Music Guide. 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
  48. ^ "United World Chart". Mediatraffic.de. 2007-04-27. Retrieved 2007-04-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  49. ^ "Nine Inch Nails Australian Charting". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2007-11-10.
  50. ^ "Nine Inch Nails Austrian Charting". Austriancharts.at. Retrieved 2007-11-10.
  51. ^ "Nine Inch Nails Finnish Charting". finnishcharts.com. Retrieved 2007-11-10.
  52. ^ "Nine Inch Nails Germany Chart history". Musicline.de. Retrieved 2007-11-10.
  53. ^ "Nine Inch Nails New Zealand Charting". Charts.org.nz. Retrieved 2007-11-10.
  54. ^ "UK Top 40 Hit Database". everyHit.com. Retrieved 2007-09-28. Note: User must define search parameters, i.e. "Nine Inch Nails."
  55. ^ "Nine Inch Nails Dutch Album Charting". dutchcharts.com. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
  56. ^ a b c "Billboard Music Charts - Search Results - Nine Inch Nails". Billboard. Retrieved 2007-09-28. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Text "0" ignored (help)
  57. ^ "Search results for: Nine Inch Nails". FinnishCharts.com. Retrieved 2007-09-28.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Year_Zero_(album)&oldid=183526739"