Year Zero Revealed!

This is it. Trent has unveiled his concept album magnum opus for public consumption (at least, until you can buy it for yourselves on April 17, which you should all do of course, because for fuck's sake this deserves it).

Check out the goods at yearzero.nin.com.

Meanwhile, Gigwise has this unhinged interview with the man himself discussing his personal demons, his passions, and the inspiration behind and relevance of Year Zero:

“As I’ve watched this unfold so far,” he confesses. “It’s been rewarding to me as the author and artist to see some interesting dialogue and discussions going on between the community out there of, not only the concepts but also how they are rooted in what’s happening today. At the end of the day I think a nice benefit of making a record like this is, morally, I think if a handful of people pay attention to what’s happening right now I think that’s a good thing.”

Amen.

Survivalism Video Makes Its Online Debut

They'll come for you...they come for us all eventually:



In the very near future (before Year Zero itself), you will be able to preview the entire album at one of the many listening parties being hosted across the country. Don't miss this chance to educate yourself while you still can.

Your Requisite NIN/Year Zero For Today

We'll keep it simple this time.

New track - "In This Twilight" (again released via mysterious USB drive)

New YZ website - Hollywood in Memoriam (unveiled during Oscar night, no less, Trent apparently appeared on IRC long enough to utter, "Blow up the Oscars," and then disappeared)

New website contains references to Stephen King's The Stand and the upcoming Martin Scorsese film Silence. Extra, extra, read all about it.

Another reference was observed, this time pointing to Walt Whitman's Caution. More here.

Previously new song, "Me, I'm Not," up on NIN's MySpace.

Rolling Stone again keeps us abreast of the new developments.

The Year Zero Spectacle Part III

The train is not slowing down on this one, in fact it looks like it's just getting started. This alternate reality/interactive environment/future concept album/viral marketing scheme seems to get more and more complex, intricate and enveloping by the day. Here's the latest:

- The cover for Year Zero is believed to be this picture. That's a picture of "The Presence," the potential drug-induced hallucination, government ploy, or God itself.
- Confused? If you're not, then I do not think you have been paying attention. Rolling Stone has a writeup which serves as a good, quick summary of how and what has gone down so far.
- There's all sorts of stuff going down at the official Year Zero page. Aside from the hidden images (scroll around, you'll encounter them) is the observation that a mark next to one of the song titles on the tracklist leads to the discovery of a USB drive at a NIN European concert venue bathroom. More obviously though, there's a trailer for the album which includes a visit from The Presence. The street sign which is shown for just a fraction of a second reads "I Am Trying To Believe," one of the many secret websites unveiled so far.
- Speaking of found USB drives and the mysterious treats they contain, another leaked track, "Me, I'm Not," has surfaced. You can go here and reap the benefits.

Meanwhile, as referenced here previously, you can fill yourself to the brim with YZ info, rumors, theories, and add your own over at Echoing The Sound.

Then there are the literary allusions (The Hobbit and Slaughterhouse V in particular) , the sound clips, the phone numbers, the email auto reply, etc, etc. The plot is thicker than you can imagine.

Personally I think the best way to do this is to explore the websites which weave together the story and provide the basis for most of the other clues. These websites are as follows:

# I Am Trying To Believe
# Another Version of the Truth
# Be the Hammer
# 105th Airborne Crusaders
# Church of Plano
# Consolidated Mail Systems
# U.S. Wiretap
# Art Is Resistance

But honestly, who can piece this all together without a little bit (or a lot) of help? That's why God (or The Presence) invented wikis. The NINWiki has all the data so far organized as you would expect, by category and into discrete sections. It's by far the best resource out there to track, compile, and review information. Enjoy.

Trent has talked about how Year Zero is a "soundtrack to a movie that doesn't exist." My question is, how much longer will this movie not exist? With the interest and buzz this game is generating and the energy that both Trent and numerous fans have put into this, it seems like only a matter of time. I sure as hell hope so anyway. Maybe I'm just a sucker for a coherent narrative. But you gotta admit this would be a killer sell. Think "V for Vendetta" meets 1984 meets Brave New World. Reznor has not ceased to shock, disturb and frighten us yet.

Coming in the near future: An analysis of how all of this leads to Trent's response to the neo-fascist, ultra-conservative, radical right governance of the last several years. Stay tuned.

The Year Zero Spectacle - Part II

Now there are hidden messages, secret websites, and a vision of the future. USA Today reports:

"There are secret codes on tour merchandise that lead to telephone numbers to websites to bathroom stalls with ... flash drives?" he writes. The NIN Hotline has been trying to keep up with all of the developments, and here's a list of some of the websites that have been found so far. There's no telling where all of this is going or whether it will end April 17, when Year Zero is released.

There's also the NinWiki and this entire forum dedicated to the meanings behind "Year Zero". The big event has been so debated and pored over that it has generated over 2000 Diggs.

MTV News sums it all up for us, talking about the viral marketing campaign and the alternate reality engine driving the promotion for the record. While it may all boil down to some cleverly planned and executed PR, you have to hand it to Trent and Co., they have created one hell of a story and the buzz to go along with it.

More on these developments as they unfold.

The Year Zero Spectacle - Part I

Following up directly on the preceding post, it seems that there is a lot more to the "Year Zero" story. First there are some comments from Trent. Let's get right to it:

From The NIN Hotline-

Trent has posted a blog update on The Spiral, stating: "What you are now starting to experience IS 'year zero'. It's not some kind of gimmick to get you to buy a record - it IS the art form... and we're just getting started. Hope you enjoy the ride."

From xtaster-

nine inch nails presents new album: year zero
A message from Trent:

"This record began as an experiment with noise on a laptop in a bus on tour somewhere. That sound led to a daydream about the end of the world. That daydream stuck with me and over time revealed itself to be much more. I believe sometimes you have a choice in what inspiration you choose to follow and other times you really don't. This record is the latter. Once I tuned into it, everything fell into place... as if it were meant to be. With a framework established, the songs were very easy to write. Things started happening in my "real" life that blurred the lines of what was fiction and what wasn't. The record turned out to be more than a just a record in scale, as you will see over time.

Part one is year zero. Concept record. Sixteen tracks. All written and performed by me, produced / programmed by me and Atticus Ross, mixed by Alan Moulder, mastered by Brian "Big Bass" Gardner. Release date: April 17, 2007.

What's it about? Well, it takes place about fifteen years in the future. Things are not good. If you imagine a world where greed and power continue to run their likely course, you'll have an idea of the backdrop. The world has reached the breaking point - politically, spiritually and ecologically. Written from various perspectives of people in this world, "year zero" examines various viewpoints set against an impending moment of truth. How does it sound? You will hear for yourself soon enough, but given the point of this document is to provide information...

This record is much more of a "sound collage" than recent efforts from me.

A lot of it was improvised.

It is very tedious describing your own music.

It's not just music.

It's probably too long, but it felt like the right thing to do to paint the complete picture.

It will sound different after a few listens.

You can think about it and it will reveal more than you were expecting.

You can dance to a lot of it.

You can fuck to a lot of it (maybe all of it depending on what you're into).

But there's oh so much more. Check out Part II coming up next.

Listen to new NIN

NIN have posted two songs off their upcoming effort, "Year Zero," on their MySpace. "Survivalism," the first single, which is currently making the rounds on radio, and "My Violent Heart" can be streamed via the ultra-popular socia-networking website.

Meanwhile, a tracklist can be seen by clicking here. Assumably, more content will follow on this page as well. "Year Zero" is due in April.

In other NIN news, this mini-site has been setup to preview their upcoming DVD, "Beside You In Time," due on February 27th.

And even more NIN, because you know you gotta have it (from The NIN Hotline):

This Danish article and a French article are reporting that Trent Reznor, as well as Julian Casablancas of the Strokes and Mark Lanegan of Screaming Trees, will perform guest vocals on Queens of the Stone Age's upcoming June release Era Vulgaris.

Trent Reznor Reveals New NIN Album Details

From Blabbermouth.net:

In a recent interview with England's Kerrang! magazine, Reznor described the upcoming album's as "a collage of sound type of thing, not heavy in a metal guitar kind of way." He added, "With this record I feel a lot less concerned about what people think about it — especially the dying record industry. I couldn't care less about that right now." Reznor also revealed that the new effort is a concept album and "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."

Reznor said that most of the album was recorded "in hotel rooms around the world on laptops," with very few musicians beside himself and "maybe some surprise vocalists that pop up here and there."

And even more from Rolling Stone:

"I’ve got my confidence back. I feel stronger about what I have to say as an artist and I feel a lot less concerned about what people think about it…my best work’s ahead of me."

Reznor then goes on to rant some hate towards emo and finishes with this philosophical quip:

"I wonder about the person that’s in a band, the young kid who just got signed or is trying to get signed - why is he doing it? Is he trying to change the world and do something different and express himself…or is it because they want to fuck Paris Hilton and be photographed outside trendy restaurants?"

Deep thoughts from the mastermind of raging electro-metal. One thing is certain, Trent is fired up and we get to see the fuel behind the flames in just a few short months. I for one cannot wait.