Saul Williams knows a good thing when he hears it. Radiohead's recent economic adventure with the name-your-own-price release of "In Rainbows" was successful enough that other artists are already following suit.
As of November 1st, "The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust," a titular nod to Bowie, offers two options for purchase: for free, or a flat $5. Either way, it's DRM-free and will include a PDF with artwork and lyrics. The album is produced by Trent Reznor, so I'm expecting a good dose of both heavy words and hard beats. We'll let you know: VK supports the artists we love by voting with our cash, and we encourage you to do the same.
Quoth the Raven:
"The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! is the lovechild of Trent and me. The Niggytardust concept sets me free to do more on stage with costume, etc. than one might expect from a regular Saul Williams show. It allows me to put my theatre training to use. I've also thought long and hard about all the discussion surrounding racial epithets etc. and chose this title as a means of furthering the dialogue while also showing how creativity will outlive and outshine hatred of any kind."
The Rez sez:
"Working on this project was a real pleasure. Saul was interested in breaking boundaries, crossing genres and defying expectations and we learned a great deal from one another in the process. After my own recent dealings with record labels we decided to release it directly to the fans. There are obvious similarities in how Radiohead just released their new record and the way we've chosen to. After thinking about this way too much, I feel we've improved upon their idea in a few profound ways that benefit the consumer."
Here's the tracklisting:
1. Black History Month
2. Convict Colony
3. Tr(n)igger
4. Sunday Bloody Sunday
5. Break
6. NiggyTardust
7. DNA
8. WTF!
9. Scared Money
10. Raw
11. Skin of a Drum
12. No One Ever Does
13. Banged and Blown Through
14. Raised to be Lowered
15. The Ritual
To whet your appetite:
Saul Williams - Talk to Strangers.mp3 from his self-titled album
Nine Inch Nails - The Greater Good.mp3 from Year Zero
