This week saw the release of the latest Nine Inch Nails record, Year Zero. The dystopian concept album not only describes the rise of fascist right-wing Christians, but Trent Reznor’s return to form as he embraces the electronica and industrial that marked his earliest work. Year Zero harkens back to the days when Reznor was churning out industrial funk in the bowels of Cleveland. Each track is another exercise is NIN’s trademark self-flagellation, but it brings back the minimalist techno elements that made Pretty Hate Machine and The Downward Spiral morbidly danceable. Tracks like “Vessel” and “The Warning” pulse with synthesized beats and distorted hip-hop grooves, asserting Reznor’s self-proclaimed love of synthpop (T. Rex, Prince) and hip-hop (Public Enemy).

If you’re on the fence about Year Zero, make no mistake that this is a departure from the crumbling, down tempo tracks of The Fragile and With Teeth. The dance floor of Armageddon has never been hotter.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 18th, 2007 at 9:47 pm and is filed under Music, Sean Edgar. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site. Your comments will be moderated but will appear as soon as humanly possible.