thevoid99's Full Review: Survivalism Pt.1 by Nine Inch Nails
Note: Most of this review was written in early April of 2007 before the review of Year Zero was written and released on 4/7/07. The exclusive remix by Dave Sitek was written on 4/18/07, one day after the album was officially released.
2005's With Teeth marked the return of Trent Reznor and his Nine Inch Nails outfit after a near six-year period between albums. The response to With Teeth was somewhat mixed due to the fact that it was a more commercial album to 1999's artsy, double-album The Fragile. Yet, With Teeth proved to be a success and helped spawn three #1 modern rock singles with The Hand That Feeds, Only, and Every Day Is Exactly The Same. In 2006 following the band's tour with Bauhaus, Reznor was starting to make new music with a concept inspired by the current political turmoil of the Bush administration. The result is 2007's Year Zero. The first of a two-part album taking place 15 years later in which, the world has collapsed. The album marks another departure for Reznor and his NIN cohorts as he strays further and further away from previous NIN albums for a more challenging, direct approach towards his music. Kicking things off for the new album is the first single entitled Survivalism.
Survivalism aka Halo 23 is a two-part single consisting of the new song plus a remix and an instrumental version of one of the tracks from Year Zero. The single comes in two different CD versions. The first part features the song and the remix while the second contains both tracks plus the instrumental version of The Greater Good. The second disc also includes the video for Survivalism. While singles are often used for previews or reveal new remixes for fans. The NIN singles always have something to offer. Survivalism doesn't make an exception in being the leading single where it often previews something for an upcoming album. The only difference between this and other singles was that it was available to fans by Reznor before it's official release. Plus, this single isn't just a preview of what is to come, but marks a new departure for Reznor and NIN.
The first track is the title track to Survivalism with its sputtering, electronic bass-fuzzed background and Reznor's smooth, engaging vocals. The chorus is followed by siren-like guitars and soft, bass beats with Reznor becoming more assaultive during the chorus of "I got my propaganda, I got revisionism/I got my violence in high ultra-def realism/All a part of this great nation/I got my fist, I got my plan, I got survivalism" while being accompanied by rapper Saul Williams. The song is then followed by shimmering keyboard tracks as the lyrical content of the song reveals the aura of bleakness with the opening verse describing a female character who has tried to help the song's protagonist only to mess things up. The song is engaging with melodies reminiscent of Wish but more electronic-driven than rock. Yet, it's a fascinating single by NIN.
The Tardusted Remix of Survivalism by Saul Williams and Thavius Beck is an electronic-inspired mix with more ominous keyboard backgrounds and the tempo is slower than the original song. With bits of noises in the background, the chorus is accompanied by droning, distorted guitars and that eerie keyboard sound. It's a fascinating remix that also features scratches and amazing production that is reminiscent of the groundbreaking work of the Bomb Squad in their with Public Enemy. Particularly towards the end with collages of beats and Reznor's vocals being scratched to convey the song's atmospheric tone.
The third track that appears in the second disc of the single is an instrumental track of The Greater Good. The track features a soft, siren-like background with hypnotic beats and a haunting synthesizer. Then, it is accompanied by a bass-driven keyboard track with scratches and melodic chimes. A siren-like synthesizer later comes in where it brings a cold, like sound. It's really a haunting track that adds to the sense of doom to the album. It's also one of the best cuts on the upcoming album, even without the vocals.
A second remix of Survivalism called Survivalism_Opalheartclinic_Niggy_Tardust! (Escaped... that appears in the U.K. 9" vinyl version of the single. The track also appears in Saul Williams' myspace page which is essentially the Tardusted Remix with Saul Williams bringing some intense rapping over the track while singing to the chorus. It's a fantastic track that adds a new edge to the song with Williams adding more nuance to the song's subject matter.
Another remix of Survivalism that appears exclusively on European versions of iTunes is by Dave Sitek from TV on the Radio. Sitek's remix plays true to the song's industrial sound with its hard-hitting, pulsating beats and shimmering chimes along with scratchy backgrounds. The remix is also more intense in its chorus as Sitek slows the beats down with its layers of beats and cymbal crashes. It's easily the best remix of the bunch. Not counting the ones fans are doing from the Garageband program they're using courtesy of Mr. Reznor.
Appearing in the second disc of the single is the video for Survivalism directed by Trent Reznor, Rob Sheridan, and Alex Lieu. The video plays like a surveillance film that features the band playing inside a room, a gay couple having sex, a topless woman looking in the mirror, a couple watching TV, another couple doing drugs, and a man eating dinner alone. The video shows people doing ordinary things until a SWAT team comes in and the people in the building begin to notice and in the end, a bloody body is dragged. It's a very controversial video yet one of the best from NIN.
While the single is a good preview of what is to come for Year Zero, for NIN fans, this is truly one of the essential singles. Thanks to a wonderful leading single, some great remixes, an album preview, and a video. Survivalism in the isn't just the beginning of what's to come but it leaves the fan wanting for more.
Live Shows: (NIN/Bauhaus/TV on the Radio-6/7/06 Atlanta, GA Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheater) - (NIN/Deerhunter-8/13/08 Duluth, GA Gwinnett Arena) - (NIN/Jane's Addiction/Street Sweeper Social Club-5/10/09 Atlanta, GA Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheater)
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