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Saul Williams Pulls A Radiohead, Nabs Trent Reznor On New Record

Now that he's officially a free agent after years of sparring with Interscope and TVT, Trent Reznor has already emerged with a new project: the production side of Saul Williams' third full-length, The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! Due out this Thursday (take that standardized release dates!) through The FADER Label, the album is now available for pre-order on niggytardust.com.

Interested? The site outlines two options: Hit the $5 button to "directly support the artists involved in the creation of this music" (and get higher-quality MP3s), or go the cheapskate route because you're "not concerned about that" and "just want the music." No pressure. Anyway, the latter is restricted to a 192Kbps rip, which is higher than In Rainbows but by no means audiophile quality. As for anyone that still appreciates album art and lyrics, don't panic. Both digital versions include a PDF of virtual liner notes.

"Working on this project was a real pleasure," Reznor said in a statement. "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."

The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!

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

—The ARTISTdirect Staff
10.30.07