It's March of 2009, and while we have 9 months left, I'm going to assume that another huge piece of art probably won't occur (or, at least, effectively) before 2010.
The past decade has seen some awesome art works: John Adams' "Doctor Atomic," Steve Reich and Beryl Korot's "Three Tales," Adam Brandejs' "Genpets," 1 Giant Leap, "WALL-E," "The Dark Knight," Tan Dun's "YouTube Symphony" (in progress). The list goes on. But, for me, I think the greatest piece of art to come out in this first decade was Nine Inch Nails' "Year Zero."
Okay, okay, stop yelling. The music to "Year Zero" is great. It's a very strong CD, especially after quite a few listens, and it shows a new side to Trent Reznor. But what makes "Year Zero" so powerful was that it was more than just the music.
It all began when Nine Inch Nails started selling shirts on tour that read "I Am Trying to Believe." Fans who knew how Reznor's mind works put .com at the end of it, and found a fairly disturbing website. Thus began the art form known as Year Zero.
Year Zero, at its core, is an alternate reality game (ARG). Usually, these games are used to promote a product, but Trent Reznor decided to approach it as an art form in itself. This is one of the most interesting developments. Blending psychology and technology, ARG's allow the user to become part of the game.
Year Zero basically depicts America 15 years from now. The government has attained a state of fundamentalist theocracy through a mixture of terrorism, drugs, religion, and entertainment. It resembles our world today quite strikingly, and it acts as an artistic interpretation of GW's administration. It's a shame it began so late.
So I could honestly spell out everything here, but do some research on this. Rather than catering to the public, Trent Reznor depended on his fans to be highly intelligent and well-versed in a variety of subjects. He challenged the control of the record labels, the state of the government, and the mindsets of the American people.
One thing I would like to mention is his attempt at create a grassroots organization to prevent this world from coming to be: Art is Resistance. I am down with this. Biden's recent comments concerning Afghanistan have led me to believe something might be up. (After all, we have always been at war with Eurasia). Yes, Obama isn't Bush, but I'm still a little skeptical.
I'll leave you with the music video to the album's single, "Survivalism." Look out for the symbol known as "The Presence," as well as several bible quotes hinted at throughout the video. I really wish I was intelligent enough to pick out every one of these instances. But then, I'm not a humungous forum of awesome fandom.
Also, keep an eye out for a television series of Year Zero, as well as its upcoming sequel.
The past decade has seen some awesome art works: John Adams' "Doctor Atomic," Steve Reich and Beryl Korot's "Three Tales," Adam Brandejs' "Genpets," 1 Giant Leap, "WALL-E," "The Dark Knight," Tan Dun's "YouTube Symphony" (in progress). The list goes on. But, for me, I think the greatest piece of art to come out in this first decade was Nine Inch Nails' "Year Zero."
Okay, okay, stop yelling. The music to "Year Zero" is great. It's a very strong CD, especially after quite a few listens, and it shows a new side to Trent Reznor. But what makes "Year Zero" so powerful was that it was more than just the music.
It all began when Nine Inch Nails started selling shirts on tour that read "I Am Trying to Believe." Fans who knew how Reznor's mind works put .com at the end of it, and found a fairly disturbing website. Thus began the art form known as Year Zero.
Year Zero, at its core, is an alternate reality game (ARG). Usually, these games are used to promote a product, but Trent Reznor decided to approach it as an art form in itself. This is one of the most interesting developments. Blending psychology and technology, ARG's allow the user to become part of the game.
Year Zero basically depicts America 15 years from now. The government has attained a state of fundamentalist theocracy through a mixture of terrorism, drugs, religion, and entertainment. It resembles our world today quite strikingly, and it acts as an artistic interpretation of GW's administration. It's a shame it began so late.
So I could honestly spell out everything here, but do some research on this. Rather than catering to the public, Trent Reznor depended on his fans to be highly intelligent and well-versed in a variety of subjects. He challenged the control of the record labels, the state of the government, and the mindsets of the American people.
One thing I would like to mention is his attempt at create a grassroots organization to prevent this world from coming to be: Art is Resistance. I am down with this. Biden's recent comments concerning Afghanistan have led me to believe something might be up. (After all, we have always been at war with Eurasia). Yes, Obama isn't Bush, but I'm still a little skeptical.
I'll leave you with the music video to the album's single, "Survivalism." Look out for the symbol known as "The Presence," as well as several bible quotes hinted at throughout the video. I really wish I was intelligent enough to pick out every one of these instances. But then, I'm not a humungous forum of awesome fandom.
Also, keep an eye out for a television series of Year Zero, as well as its upcoming sequel.
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