Maps of Music

Year Zero (2007)

Where the lyrics of Year Zero take you, and where it was really made.

Year Zero was the last Nine Inch Nails studio album released on Interscope, and its CD face hides a binary code that appears only when heated.

Key places

Drums recorded at Capitol Studios (2007)

Recording site Capitol Studios — Drums for Hyperpower! and drums, brass and winds for Capital G were recorded at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles. The point marks the studio building, not a specific room. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Mixing at Chalice Studios (2007)

Recording site Chalice Recording — The album was mixed at Chalice Studios in Los Angeles. The point is placed at the studio location shown in the candidate data, so the exact building is not confirmed by the source. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Year Zero is the fifth studio album by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails
• Released 17 April 2007 on Interscope Records
• Concept album presenting a dystopian vision of the year 2022
• Produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
• First studio album since The Downward Spiral (1994) not co-produced by Alan Moulder
• Last Nine Inch Nails studio album released on Interscope
• Part of the larger Year Zero project, which includes a remix album, an alternate reality game, and a planned TV or film adaptation
• Promoted by two singles: Survivalism and Capital G

Background

• Conceived while touring in support of With Teeth (2005)
• Reznor began work on the new album by September 2006
• Lyrics moved away from his usually introspective approach and drew on his concern about the state of the United States
• Reported budget of US$2 million, with much of it going to the promotional campaign
• Reznor condemned Universal Music Group over overseas pricing and left Interscope after the release

Recording

• Much of the musical direction was devised on a laptop during the tour
• Working on a tour bus without guitars at hand forced him to work differently from usual
• Mixed in January 2007; Reznor stated on his blog that the album was finished as of February 5
• Drums for Hyperpower! and drums, brass and winds for Capital G recorded at Capitol Studios, Los Angeles
• Mixed at Chalice Studios, Los Angeles
• Josh Freese contributed drums; Saul Williams sang backing vocals on two tracks

Cover

• All artwork created by Rob Sheridan, art director for Nine Inch Nails
• Thermo-chrome CD face shows a black binary code on white when heat is generated during playback
• Insert is a warning from the fictional United States Bureau of Morality

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in 1988 in Cleveland, Ohio, by singer-songwriter Trent Reznor.
• Reznor was the sole permanent member until Atticus Ross officially joined in 2016.
• The first live performance took place at Graffiti in Pittsburgh on October 27, 1988.
• Signed with TVT Records and later moved to Interscope Records.

Members

• Core members are Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
• Robin Finck, Josh Freese, and Stu Brooks form the current live lineup.
• Many former live members have been named, including Chris Vrenna, Danny Lohner, and Charlie Clouser.

Career

• Released Pretty Hate Machine (1989), Broken (1992), The Downward Spiral (1994), The Fragile (1999), and With Teeth (2005).
• Released Year Zero (2007), Hesitation Marks (2013), Bad Witch (2018), and Ghosts V and VI (2020).
• Won Grammy Awards for "Wish", "Happiness in Slavery", and "As Alive as You Need Me to Be".
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critics gave positive reviews, praising the concept, the production and the accompanying alternate reality game
• Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone called it Reznor's strongest, weirdest and most complex record since The Downward Spiral
• Thomas Inskeep of Stylus magazine praised it as one of the most forward-thinking rock albums in some time
• Robert Christgau described it as Reznor's most songful album
• Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times praised the album and game concept together

Reappraisal

• Metacritic: generally favorable reviews, with a weighted average of 76 out of 100 from 28 critic scores
• Cleveland Free Times found the fictional world often heavy-handed and forced, but said its claustrophobia suited the subject matter

Records

• Sold over 187,000 copies in its first week
• Number 2 on the Billboard 200
• Top 10 in six other countries, including Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom
• Number 6 in the United Kingdom
• Survivalism peaked at number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Modern Rock and Canadian singles charts
• Capital G reached number six on the Modern Rock chart
• Rolling Stone ranked it number 21 on its Top 50 Albums of 2007 list
• 42 Entertainment won two Webby Awards in 2008 for its work on the Year Zero game

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The budget was reported at US$2 million, but because Reznor wrote most of the album alone at home, much of the money went to the promotion.
• USB drives were left at concert venues during the 2007 European tour so fans could find them.
• Reznor later described Year Zero as the soundtrack to a movie that doesn't exist.
• The CD face is heat-sensitive and shows a binary code that reads exterminal.net when heated.
• Mixing took place at Chalice Studios in Los Angeles, while drums were recorded at Capitol Studios.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact