Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero

This is the latest of Trent Reznor's NIN albums which came out a couple of weeks ago. I've always been a big fan ever since I used to mosh to Closer at the Krazy House, Liverpool in the late 90s. This latest album is great, by any measure, and the production values are incredible (even to the point of having a heat sensitive CD which changes its design from the heat of your player). The musical style is similar to the previous album With Teeth, though it has progressed somewhat, flowing together a lot better as an album rather than just a collection of tracks. However, it seems the style has possibly softened slightly, and the usual NIN choruses that stick in your head are lacking. It's like he's trying to recreate The Downward Spiral, but not quite making it. Even with those criticisms, this is still a great album. EDIT: I’ve since learned there was a clever viral marketing campaign involving lots of websites and TV spots to get people interested in Year Zero. I never saw any of this, so yay for me not being manipulated (I just bought the album cos it was NIN), though maybe living in the UK has insulated me from it. Having listened to the album a few more times, I'm gradually thinking more and more that Year Zero is an absolute piece of genius. It's telling a future story of a potential society in fifteen years time which extrapolates the current US administration to the point of near fascism. Also, there's a rumoured future part two to the album. Yay!