The new album Year Zero from the US industrial band Nine Inch Nails explores a dystopian future set 15 years beyond the current Bush Administration. Trent Reznor's targets include the military ("The Good Soldier"), politics ("Capital G"), alien contact ("The Warning"), religion ("God Given") and propaganda ("The Greater Good"). For me, the standout tracks are the finale ("In This Twilight" and "Zero-Sum") on the dissipative edge of the chaotic system, as a moment of civilisational Truth and global Armageddon both loom. The album's dominant theme is a dystopian perspective on (the lack of) consequentialist thinking for decision-makers.
Whilst this is pretty de rigeur dystopian imagery futurists it's interesting how Reznor has extrapolated his themes from the present, and filtered them through the creative practices and production techniques of electronica, hip-hop and industrial music. Reznor recorded Year Zero on a laptop, whilst on a tour bus, at soundchecks, and in hotel rooms on the With Teeth tour. He's credited The Bomb Squad, which handled production on the early Public Enemy albums as a major influence. "Hyperpower!" and "In This Twilight" exemplify The Bomb Squad's trademark samples, layering and sound collage techniques.
I've written previously on NIN's music and aesthetics: And All That Could Have Been (2002) and The Fragile (1999) [Disinformation & M/C versions].