NIN’s Ilan Rubin re-releases debut album as limited edition

“Coup”

The New Regime

Ilan Rubin, the Nine Inch Nails’ drummer and one-man band fronting under the name The New Regime, just re-released his debut album, “Coup,” as a limited edition. The deluxe package includes a 180 gram vinyl, the CD, a DVD featuring live performances and interview with Rubin, 16-page color booklet and an exclusive Web site link to download instrumental mixes. Oh, and there’s only 1,000 of these special editions available.

What’s so special about re-releasing an album that’s been out a year? This time around, Rubin’s has NIN backing him in his adventure. The band believes in the 20-year-old’s potential so much that it’s making “Coup” available as a free digital download on their Web site through New Year’s Eve. I’m not sure what’s more impressive: veteran rocker Trent Rezor touting Rubin’s music to his own fan base or Rubin’s giving his music away for free. Either way, “Coup” is worth a listen.

The base of the album is rock. From there, it tangles a web of the drummer’s own influences that can be heard throughout the 43-minute creation — The Beatles, Lez Zeppelin, Queen and more. The CD is epic sounding in parts, with the use of piano making it darker and richer without being sinister. On the other hand, pieces of pure rock — think great guitar riffs and synth sounds — coupled with Rubin’s voice make it mesmerizing. For having never sung before, he does a nice job. It’s the instrumentals, though, that pull you from song to song, until the music stops. If music can have such a pull instrumentally, I now understand why composers like Prokofiev created magic with pieces like “Peter and the Wolf.” The New Regime’s debut release has a thematic tone, like there’s an underlying story bubbling to the surface, and it has a raw feel to it that is refreshing in the overly processed studio sounds often heard on Top 40 hits.

“Coup” is also available on The New Regime’s Web site for $7 as a digital download.