Ghosts I-IV [Digipak]

Performer: Nine Inch Nails
Distributor: RED Distribution

Notes: Nine Inch Nails: Trent Reznor. Personnel: Alessandro Cortini, Adrian Belew, Atticus Ross, Brian Viglione. Released independently for online download without any advanced notice in March 2008, GHOSTS I-IV is a 36-track instrumental album that reveals Nine Inch Nails at its most experimental and intriguing. Always adept at musical moods and textures, NIN mastermind Trent Reznor has been known to let his angst-ridden vocals and lyrics overshadow his songs, but on this generous collection, which follows YEAR ZERO by less than 12 months, his compositions are allowed to breath on their own, and the results are disarmingly diverse, though, naturally, never exceedingly sunny. Working closely with co-producer/songwriter Atticus Ross and frequently calling upon guitarists Adrian Belew (King Crimson) and Alessandro Cortini, Reznor treats GHOSTS as a score to some dark imaginary David Lynch-like film (in fact, the two auteurs collaborated on LOST HIGHWAY). While some tracks trade in Reznor's signature moody techno sound ("3 Ghosts I"), others mix acoustic-guitar strumming with burst of industrial noise (the subsequent "4 Ghosts I"). Elsewhere, Reznor employs dulcimer ("22 Ghosts III") and marimba ("30 Ghosts IV"), letting an unusually organic aesthetic creep in. Challenging but never inaccessible, GHOSTS I-IV is the work of a mature artist operating in a compelling creative zone. Released independently for online download without any advance notice in March 2008, GHOSTS I-IV is a 36-track instrumental album that reveals Nine Inch Nails at its most experimental and intriguing. Always adept at musical moods and textures, NIN mastermind Trent Reznor has been known to let his angst-ridden vocals and lyrics overshadow his songs, but on this generous collection, which follows YEAR ZERO by less than 12 months, his compositions are allowed to breathe on their own, and the results are disarmingly diverse--though, naturally, never exceedingly sunny. Working closely with co-producer/songwriter Atticus Ross and frequently calling upon guitarists Adrian Belew (King Crimson) and Alessandro Cortini, Reznor treats GHOSTS as a score to some dark imaginary David Lynch-like film (in fact, the two auteurs collaborated on LOST HIGHWAY). While some tracks trade in Reznor's signature moody techno sound ("3 Ghosts I"), others mix acoustic-guitar strumming with bursts of industrial noise (the subsequent "4 Ghosts I"). Elsewhere, Reznor employs dulcimer ("22 Ghosts III") and marimba ("30 Ghosts IV"), letting an unusually organic aesthetic creep in. Challenging but never inaccessible, GHOSTS I-IV is the work of a mature artist operating in a compelling creative zone.

Rolling Stone (p.64) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Reznor's own hyperdetailed language defines the set: heaving synthesizers, doleful piano, alien-insect noises..." Uncut (p.98) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The electronically fuzzed-up guitar pieces like 'Track 8' are twisted and dark." Kerrang (Magazine) (p.48) - "The moods encapsulated here draw from an impressively wide palette....[With] bona fide classics, as stirring and evocative as anything released under the Nine Inch Nails banner."

Before Nine Inch Nails, electronic-based rock was often considered devoid of feeling and danger. Leader Trent Reznor merged synths with tortured vocals/lyrics, distorted guitar, and repetitive, slamming rhythms into an unpredictable amalgam, helping to popularize industrial rock in the '90s. In the process, Nine Inch Nails became one of the biggest alt-rock acts of the era, responsible for enduring hits like "Head Like a Hole" and "Closer," while inspiring legions of younger bands. The ever-stoic Reznor continued to evolve and create innovative music well into the band's third decade.

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