Idolator

"Capital G" should be huge on the radio.

After listening to this album, it appears that Trent has a not-so-secret love for James Murphy and Timbaland.

Surely the LCD/DFA love was already apparent on With Teeth? (Timbaland luv = almost a gimme since both of them are major Prince freaks via the 1985-88 run in particular.)

It's also streaming on the NIN site, if you want to listen to it legally. What would Trent do???

I like it better than With-uh Teeth-uh.

Wow. The viral marketing has worked. My angry inner 15-year-old was actually 15 when Broken came out, but after that my attention wandered. NIN was my gateway drug into Coil, Einsturzende Neubauten, etc.

But this stuff is great. And you never would've heard the word "Guatemala" on, say, Head Like a Hole.

I'm not sure it's a Timbaland influence. I thought I read somewhere that the sound of this record was inspired by early Public Enemy... so it's likely more of a Bomb Squad influence.

@Ned Raggett: A bit, sure - but not as heavily as on this album. To me, "With Teeth" was just as much of a celebration of AOR banality as it was of DFA-inspired production. For every Murphy-esque "Only" there was a cookie-cutter "The Line Begins to Blur."

@nonce: "Guatemola," you mean?

I never thought I'd have to ask, "Hey have you heard NIN's new reggae song?"

Vessel is an amazing song. That sound design is like a massage and facial for the inner ear.

I dig it a lot. Good mix of Downward Spiral production and his new found knack for big arena rock hooks.

Was I the only one nervous when he started talking concept records and sound collages? I guess, like Trent himself, we can all erase The Fragile from our collective memories.

fantastic record.

@noamjamski: The fragile was amazing, and I will physically fight you for implying otherwise.

@noamjamski:
seriously, "vessel" is sick sick sick. what a sexy track. i wish it was featuring bjork and then i could take the day off.

@janine: Fragile=worst use of having Adrian Belew in your studio ever. I would glady take your challenge of feats of strength in a Brooklyn bar of your choosing, but I remember from a previous comment that you are discovering Metal. And because of this great gift, I will respectfully agree to disagree.

@noamjamski: I kind of hear you, on vinyl it's a triple album (bonus tracks). I found myself skipping more songs than I ever had in the past with a NIN album, but there's some fine work like Pilgrimage, Underneath it All, The Big Come Down. Starf*ckers. The Great Below is probably his least affected vocal... Somewhat Damaged makes me want to grind against things. Plus some others.

You'd have to choose the bar; I'm in Washington Heights and have no opinions about the BK.

@janine: It probably is the bloated nature of the project that hides a lot of the good songs. But wow, those experiments and collages are just. Wow. Anyways this is far off topic. You can hit me up at www.myspace.com/screambloodyvirgin and we'll get that schoolyard fight going.

Does anyone else think the beat sounds like Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel" and the vocal line sounds like "Rock Me Amadeus"?

Anyone?

@Paul D: YES! That is EXACTLY what I thought. I confirmed with a YouTube viewing of The Way You Make Me Feel.

I thought it was too out there to post...

@Paul D: Dang! Beat me to it.

.....NIN was the band you played when you wanted to piss your parents off, and then they invariably liked it better than you did. And you'd be even more pissed.

.....It's not Broken, but it's a lot better than some of the poppy stuff he's put out in recent years.

OED dork on/ Guatemala. Two "a"s. Though Guatemola is an acceptable alternate spelling. /OED dork off. Sorry.

anyone who says "the fragile" sucked is going to loose teeth. period. that record is brilliant and it's the best work he's done.

This album may prove that newfound sobriety doesn't necessarily equal shitty music. Good for TR. He's also not walking around in those sleeveless, check-out-my-guns shirts quite so much lately, which is a definite plus.

Also, "God Given" is the shit.

I'm guessing the leaks will affect very little, especially considering the fans will want a hard copy anyway and there will be many die-hard ARGers who will buy it to get whatever clues are hidden in the packaging as a bonus.

/the album is def

First of all Timberland is influenced by Trent Reznor, he said so himself in an interview magazine. Yes I agree that some of the new material on Year Zero sounds Michael Jackson esque, and Vessel is the shit along with every other song on Year Zero. I can't wait for the 17th so I can get the hard copy!!