Nine Inch Nails, Year Zero

I would definitely not call myself a Nine Inch Nails fan, at all, and prior to getting the new album the other day the only NIN track I had in my library was “Only,” and only because I appreciated the over-the-top exclamation “There is now fucking you/there is only me” and the throbbing beat. Although I did have a pretty good knowledge of the band and I know there has always been this cloud of bad, angry connotations associated with Trent Reznor and his Nine Inch Nails. However, I do have a tremendous amount of respect for him. Most of this respect comes from how evil he is, or how evil he appears to be (he recently shaved off all of his goth hair and the black buzz he is now rockin' is much more evil).
Also? The name. Just saying "Nine Inch Nails" conjures up ideas of hatred, feelings of ridiculous angst, images of disgusting fingernails and huge metal spikes being hammered into things––like people's heads. Because of these connotations listening to Nine Inch Nails at this point in history means you're that guy who hates everyone, himself included, wears all black all the time and probably friend requests some really creepy people on MySpace. Or at least those are the conclusions drawn when the people who's only knowledge of Nine Inch Nails comes from Clueless––when the goth alternative kid (played by the very un-goth and un-alternative Breckin Meyer) mentions them––glance at your iPod screen and see “Closer” bannered across it. To be fair, only listening to Nine Inch Nails definitely should garner you some very negative social feedback, and that's actually probably why you're doing it, but the music itself is not terrible.
The new album, Year Zero, begins with the instrumental “Hyperpower!” which, if you took away some of the noisy static guitar and left the melody alone, could be on almost any harder-core indie rock album out there. The single, “Survivalism” starts out with that classic NIN up-and-down synth thing and then Reznor’s talk-singing comes in. this time he’s singing about how much of a whore mother nature is (“Can't seem to shut her legs now”) and other quasi-gross imagery like how “We kept on eating/out bloated bellies still not full.” The lyrics are sort of what ruin Nine Inch Nails, but at the same time they make it what it is. The pure––and quite unfounded––angst of Mr. Reznor is definitely a turn off, though it's also sort of funny and when you find yourself in a terribly angry/hateful- towards-others mood, “Only” is definitely relatable.
It just sounds so angry for the sake of angry. But, again, that's kind of why I have respect for him. Although, much more of that respect comes from his compositions, which are really kickass. Throughout the 16-track album, Rezzy has a lot of time and space to create some truly beautiful––and pleasant (!)––soundscapes. Many of the songs on the album's last third feature piano and a lot less singing. “Another Version of the Truth” is actually a haunting, regal piano-driven instrumental.
Then there's the six-minute closer “Zero-Sum,” which starts out sounding like that music they play before and after commercial breaks on VH1’s late-night music video show Nocturnal State and then turns into a smooth track, repeating the whispered request of “May god have mercy on our dirty little hearts” and ending with a memorable and pretty piano refrain. The album also has its catchy moments, nice longish choruses and I-want-to-hear-that-again riffs. The subject matter also, for the most part, shifts away from Reznor's own horrible problems and has him yelling about how fucked the world is.
Nine Inch Nails will always be Nine Inch Nails, with all that entails, but this is a strong album and one that proves that Trent Reznor can still be evil and hateful when he's not complaining about his own life. And seriously, why should he be? Year Zero has been sitting comfortably on the iTunes top 10 best-selling albums list since it came out last week.