Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I-IV

Nine Inch Nails. Ghosts I-IV. 2008. 4.5 stars.

Holy crap, this one came out of nowhere. Less than a year after Trent Reznor released the politically charged Year Zero (and its the satisfying remix counterpart), another NIN album is upon us and it is easily one of the band’s most ambitious projects to date.

Following the lead of Radiohead’s In Rainbows, Reznor left his major label (Interscope/Universal) the pursue his own online business model (free downloads, expensive box set) and escape the creative boundaries associated with conventional distribution. The result is a four disc, 36 track instrumental album that sees Reznor laying down moody ambient pieces, melancholic piano compositions and full throttle industrial jams, experimenting beyond the traditional NIN sound and showcasing Reznor’s artistic maturity.

While the Ghosts I-IV marks somewhat of a departure from NIN’s past work, the cold, dystopian aesthetics will be familiar to most fans. Delicate piano lines, scratchy industrial beats, sinewy guitar grooves, sludgy bass lines and a wide array of electronic blips, beeps and squawks round out an immersing sonic environment that demands an attentive listen. The more ambient pieces are chilling and detached, honoring the album’s title, and reflecting Reznor’s compositional subtleties and painstaking attention to detail. The industrial bombasts are equally compelling, with so many layers of guitar fuzz and electronic noise crashing down - its almost hallucinogenic.

Ghost I-IV is an inspired collection that washes over you with a hypnotic intensity that remains consistently interesting across its incredible length. The only downside to an album like this is that the ‘wow’ moments, where you can clearly pinpoint hooks and nuances that standout among the others, are few and far between. While there are many brilliant moments, Ghosts I-IV is meant to be listened to in its entirety, leaving us to sift through and explore the dense soundscapes. So if you have the time, Ghosts I-IV is a rewarding album that is a major testament to Reznor’s creative prowess and newfound artistic freedom. Here’s hoping that we see future installments in the Ghost series.

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