Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 62
 3.5 stars November 21, 2007
man_invisible (Dork, PA)
10 out of 16 found this review helpful
At their best, remix albums become an extension of their parent, venturing off into new sonic horizons with the assistance of other artists; at their worst (ahem, "Things Falling Apart"), they come off as little more than product looking to suck a few more bucks out of a devoted fan base that's going to shell out for it anyway. And "Yearzeroremixed" is the kind of rarity that ever so slightly outdoes its source--not that NIN's "Year Zero" was any kind of masterpiece, with its third-tier Orwellian concept and underwelming songwriting that occasionally gave way to a surprising burst of creativity ('God Given'). Yet "YZR" shows an effort and creativity (from the packaging itself to the actual quality of the remixes) that has been unseen on the NIN front since "The Fragile" debuted to diminishing returns 8 years ago. As an artist, Mr. Reznor seems to have reclaimed his motivation (something that would be a lot more significant if I were a bigger fan), and it shows. The remix album as a whole has an interesting trajectory: the first half feels loose and aimless, with little flow (those unaccustomed to Saul Williams should give the album another spin after the first revolution), almost threatening a repeat of "TFA"; the second half, however (from track 7 to 14), hits its stride in a big way, with one consistently excellent reconstruction after another. Highlights include a 14-minute, 99% instrumental take on 'Me, I'm Not,' 'Another Version of the Truth' (performed by Kronos Quartet, co-authors of the memorable score to "Requiem for a Dream"), and the Stephen Morris/Gillian Gilbert spin on 'God Given' (which takes an already great song and makes it better). Perhaps the second half succeeds because it tackles "Year Zero"'s less commercial tracks, experimenting more freely, whereas mixes of 'Survivalism' and 'Capital G' rest on the front end to satiate fans of the singles. As far as remix albums go, this comes close to matching the diversity found on Skinny Puppy's "Remix DysTemper," and is a worthwhile purchase in and of itself.
 Full of Energy November 20, 2007
T. Bopp (Cincinnati, OH)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
With the release of Y34RZ3R0R3MIX3D being the album that releases Reznor from any contractual obligations, I think it is safe to assume that he went out with a bang. The collections of remixes brought to this album are strong, hard hitting, and they keep you wanting more. In fact, hearing these remixes give the songs their own new meaning, in essence giving you n entirely new Year Zero album, unlike past remix albums where only 5 or 6 songs are remixed. Not the case here, each track from Year Zero has been crafted into something new, and not just from Reznor himself. What makes this album so great (to me) is you get to hear remixes from a variety of artists. At least artists that I've never heard before. Overall, this album definitely sounds like something from the future, perhaps a future that's closer than we think. (Sorry, waxing philosophical there)
REMIX November 20, 2007
Julie Brown (James Madison University)
3 out of 8 found this review helpful
This album is really catchy in comparison the original year zero. You could almost even call it "dancable" at some places. Overall, lots of fun, great diversity of sounds. The original album kinda just sounds like Trent Reznor reading out of his journal, but these remixes are really well put together, not monotonous. Unless Trent starts using drugs again, we will never get another Downward Spiral or even Fragile, but overall, great fun for everyone!
Top Notch November 20, 2007
Nicole Ridge (Lawrence, ks)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I must say that I was a bit weary about another NIN remix album. I had bought a few in the past- and although Everyday is Exactly the Same was ok, it wasn't great. I was expecting just a few reworked tracks when I first heard about the release, but to my surprise, almost every song has been re envisioned. I have enjoyed each of them, and the track that sealed the deal for me was The Kronos Quartet's Another Version of the Truth- one of the more beautiful songs from Year Zero- here given even more power. This is definitely worth a listen if you enjoyed Year Zero.
The second disc is the deal breaker. This is why it gets 5 stars from me. I am stunned. Every track, and each layer of each track, have been put into several formats so that aspiring artists can tinker with the tracks themselves. This is by far the most amazing part of this 2 disc package. I believe this has to be a first- the master tapes released to the fans... amazing. I won't be bored for quite some time!
Thanks Trent for this amazing follow up to a great album.
Also, check out Saul Williams new album- The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust, at his website. You can pay 5 bucks, or download for free. It is a great album and Trent wrote music on a lot of the tracks, and produced the album as well. Support Saul!
CD is AWESOME, DVD-Rom Freezes My Computers November 21, 2007
J. M. Bistodeau (St. Cloud, MN)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I picked up "Y34RZ3R0R3MIX3D" today and had to listen to the whole thing twice in a row. Trent picked out some phenomenal remixes to throw on here. Saul Williams is a brilliant artist, and as such, his two remixes are standouts...but every track on here is good for its own reasons. NIN fans will all have at least one or two tracks on here they like. Personally, i think they are all stellar! The ONLY thing keeping me from giving this package five stars is the fact that all three of my computers freeze up when i try to put the DVD-ROM in them. All are running WAY above what is needed according to the spces on the READ-ME file. Anytime I try to migrate the files from the disc to a harddrive, the computer just freezes up until i eject the disc. Anyone else having this trouble? I'm curious if i just have a faulty DVD-ROM, or if it's a common problem from a certain pressing-batch.
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![Y34RZ3R0R3MIX3D / [CD/DVD Combo]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513UQsKjIZL._SL500_.jpg)
