Currently enjoying “The Social Network” score sampler EP by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder, CEO and President of Facebook, is twenty-six years old. Not only does that make him the world’s youngest billionaire, but it’s also prompted some interesting discussions over whether he’s a total prick or just too immature to know better.

It also means he’s probably too young to remember a time when Nine Inch Nails fans had to wait years for a new album, and frontman Trent Reznor was practically renowned for being a neurotic, heel-dragging perfectionist.

But to put it lightly, times have changed. Not only has Reznor become a surprisingly prolific artist during the past few years, but he’s also adopted the same free and non-protective attitude towards his music as Zuckerberg has adopted towards your personal information.

The latest in a series of releases that Reznor has offered freely through the web is a five-track sampler full of music from The Social Network, the film that David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin created about the invention of Facebook in some kind of dimly-lit alternate universe in which everyone’s dialogue sparkles obnoxiously. Reznor scored the film in partnership with producer and fellow Nine Inch Nails and How to Destroy Angels member Atticus Ross.

And you know what? It’s pretty strong. Anyone who’s familiar with the more recent Nine Inch Nails releases won’t find many surprises among these five instrumental tracks, and anyone who’s heard the terrific score that Fincher tapped the Dust Brothers to do for Fight Club won’t have a hard time satisfying their need for similarities.

But that’s not to say that the tracks contained in the sampler are derivative – and even if they are, then they’re derivative of some pretty great material. The same dissonance, tension and sheer musicianship that Nine Inch Nails has always worn on its sleeve are evident here, and they’re definitely compelling in context. I have to admit that this sampler has done more to make me want to see the movie than the trailers have.

Feel free to download it here, by the way. All you’ll need to provide is an email address. The full score will be released on Tuesday, 28 September 2010.

“I just wished that nobody made a movie of me while I was still alive,” Zuckerberg reportedly said when he was told about the film. I think I’ll just let that ironic comment on his desire to live his life without public scrutiny stand without further judgment – and not just because I’m depending on his website to let people know that I’ve posted this article.

Posted in Currently Enjoying