What happens when the mind is free to wander: Nine Inch Nails, Ghosts I-IV

Writing a review of Ghosts I-IV at this point seems a bit moot considering it’s been all over the place since March 2^nd, but I wanted to wait until I had the actual 2-disc set in my hand before voicing an opinion since (as you all know well by now) I like to figure packaging into my reviews. Plus, the added time allows for a more level-headed approach. Now that I have a physical copy, it’s time to review it, and if you don’t want to read what I have to say, go find out what’s new at Reader’s Digest or something.

Trent Reznor stated on his website that he wanted to do something like Ghosts for a very long time. My feeling is that its roots lie in “A Warm Place” from The Downward Spiral, but that’s just my gut instinct on the matter. Friends think that it may have started long before that. I have to give the man a lot of respect on the basis that he originally intended this release to be an EP; I like that mode of thinking since many artists seem to be discouraged from doing EPs these days to the point where it’s almost a dead art. However, things spiraled out of control and Ghosts became a massive double album instead. I won’t fault him for not following his initial intentions since the result is quite amazing.

While I really enjoy the album, I feel like it was being over-hyped when it was released. It’s good music, but some people were acting like it’s the single greatest artistic contribution to the human race since Neanderthals started pissing cave paintings. Stop that, goddammit! The raving fanboyisms are really f#cking annoying and leave me with the urge to kill things! (To be fair, the hype spiked and then died down rather rapidly; you escape unscathed this time, fanboys.)

Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, let’s talk music. Ghosts ranges from the beautiful minimalism that pops up every now and then on Nine Inch Nails albums to the static and noise Reznor is more well known for, blending the varieties seamlessly and making for a fantastic near two-hour experience that, as Reznor stated, is meant for daydreaming. I wouldn’t recommend listening to this in the car, as you will find yourself in the middle of a field with no idea how you got there and possibly staring at a confused cow that’s chewing cud right outside your driver’s side window. Not a fate I would like to face.

What I like most about Ghosts is that it isn’t the usual aggression and wild emotions that are typically associated with the Nine Inch Nails catalogue, at least not completely anyway. In that respect, it calls to mind Still, the semi-acoustic studio album featuring alternate versions of prior released work that accompanied the deluxe edition of And All That Could Have Been, and some of the more “aquatic” tracks (I can’t think of any other way to describe them other than as though I were under water) featured on The Fragile (several of which wound up on Still). Ghosts alternates between a subdued state of introspection and an occasion moment of dissonance, quite the opposite of the typical Nine Inch Nails fare. I really enjoy when an artist takes a chance and does something that is significantly different from what they usually do, and Ghosts certainly satisfies that impulse in me, even if it feels much like an extended Still with all the lyrics taken out and the electric guitars put back in.

To be honest, after Year Zero, Reznor probably could have made an audio recording of taking a dump and remixed it a dozen times, and have the result be more pleasant than some of the atrocities on Year Zero. While that album had its frequent moments of brilliance (“In This Twilight,” for example), some tracks should have been cut outright from the listing, “The Great Destroyer,” for instance. What was good was great, and what stank had me running to the nearest copy of “Banana Phone” to get the blasted things out of my short-term memory. Thankfully, Trent has kicked the laptops and 8-bit video game sound effects to the curb (mostly) with Ghosts, much to my delight.

The CD version comes in a tri-fold digipak with a booklet featuring studio photographs. Rather nice to see what the process of making the album looked like. However, I was hoping the CD liner notes and accompanying photos would look more like the pdf that came with the download. The photographs used there were absolutely beautiful (words I never thought I’d use to describe a Nine Inch Nails album). I loved the assorted artistic photos of close-up wave crashing, lampposts in the rain, desert train tracks, and so on. They really gave a character to the album, a visual expression of the sort of emotion that was being conveyed with the music, as opposed to the sort of process photos of studio equipment that, although very good, seem static, lacking life.

Overall, I really like Ghosts, despite any implied misgivings above. The music, the package, the way it was presented, it has been an enjoyable experience from the start, with the exception of cursing while fighting to get NIN.com working right on the evening of March 2^nd (hey Trent, how’re the servers doing since last month’s meltdown?). I’d rate it in the top ten of the year, assuming nothing so mind-blowing as to make me spontaneously mess my pants out of pure joy comes out between now and the year close. It shows that Reznor is willing to get out of his usual adrenaline-fueled screaming and just try something different. It echoes prior Nine Inch Nails songs of both instrumental and lyrical varieties, but presents them in an extended fashion and with a different tone. If you’re already a fan, then chances are you already have it by now, but if you’re not a fan, then I recommend giving it a chance. Considering it’s available as a full download^* with pdf and wallpapers and other such digital extras for less than the overpriced pseudo-coffee abominations at $tarbucks, and at 10 USD (plus 6.99 USD shipping^**) for the actual CDs, I don’t want to hear “I can’t afford it” coming from anyone unless you’re at the poverty level.

In other Nine Inch Nails news, I understand that part two of Year Zero is also supposed to come out this year, so I have to confess a certain fear that Reznor will again be fiddling with computers when his strength is with actual instruments, as exemplified with Ghosts. As such, Nine Inch Nails stands the distinct chance of standing on both ends of the quality spectrum for music in 2008, if “The Great Destroyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!” is any indication. However, I balance that fear with the news that we can look forward to more installments of Ghosts, which fills me with much glee and anticipation.

Also, just two days ago, a new single was released for free download. This track, “Discipline,” strikes me (and many people I know) as a leftover from With Teeth, but commentary from the artist himself indicates this was a one-off thing done for fun and not an indication of what he plans on releasing of album length in the near future. If anything, it’s more evidence to the power Reznor has asserted now that he’s free of label overseers and other Brooks Brothers-wearing stiff-necks. Imagine just recording something and giving it away shortly thereafter? This new method of distribution that Reznor is engaging in has much potential; I’m definitely on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what happens in the world of music now that all the rules have changed.



NIN.com, which is the only important website you need on this one.

^*There’s a free download of the first nine tracks, in case you’re still skeptical. No excuses. Seriously. None. Get to it.
^**Item of contention: shipping speed sucked for the price paid. 7 USD for shipping, and it took 5 days. It’s still not a bad total price for a double album though. This is of course irrelevant if your buy it in a store, which means you can pay anywhere between 10 and 18 USD, plus tax.