Ghosts I - IV

Nine Inch Nails

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 8, 2008)
• Original Release Date: March 2, 2008
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: The Null Corporation
• ASIN: B0015FQZ94
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (184 customer reviews)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Japanese three CD pressing of the Industrial band's 2008 release features a bonus CD that contains commentary on the album by band leader Trent Reznor. Ghosts I - IV is a 36 track instrumental collection, almost two hours of music composed and recorded over an intense ten week period in the fall of 2007. Ghosts I - IV sprawls Nine Inch Nails across a variety of new musical terrains. Hostess. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A soundtrack for daydreams, March 14, 2008

By	Daniel Maltzman (Arlington, MA, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Ghosts I-IV (MP3 Download)

Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor, infamous for long delays between albums, sure has been productive lately. 2007 saw Reznor release the critically acclaimed "Year Zero" and its' follow-up "Year Zero Remixed." In addition, last year Reznor produced Saul Williams' "The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust." Now, out of nowhere, with no advance notice, Reznor is back with NIN's sixth album, the instrumental "Ghosts I-IV."

"A soundtrack for daydreams," is how Reznor sums up the new album...and that, I feel, is the best way to appreciate the new NIN. Rather than listening to this album as background music while driving or doing housework, "Ghosts I-IV" is best appreciated with relaxed, yet concentrated listening. Lie in bed or on the sofa, relaxed, and immerse yourself with this CD. Just sort of daydream--meditate, think about whatever...and let "Ghosts I-IV" be the soundtrack...

And as the mood of the album changes, allow your mood to flow with the album...try to get lost in the music.

Some have commented that "Ghosts I-IV" sounds similar in style to the instrumental music from "The Fragile," (1999) but I don't know if it's all that accurate to say that. While the instrumental music from "the Fragile" sort of held the vocal compositions from that CD together like glue, "Ghosts I-IV" is a little more "out there." It can, therefore, be seen as a mosaic--of several different styles--piano compositions, industrial beats, the avant-garde--all mixed together, with no real dominant flavor overpowering the rest. And while the album is all-over-the-place, treading many territories, everything works; "Ghosts I-IV" takes so many twists-and-turns-its always interesting. At the same time, with almost two hours of music to absorb, "Ghosts I-IV" is best appreciated with repeated listens--to fully appreciate all its' rich textures and intricacy.

108 of 125 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazon forgot to include the 40 page PDF booklet, March 2, 2008

By	Melissa Dunphy (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ghosts I-IV (MP3 Download)

What a diverse album! Amazon didn't include the PDF with the download, but you can get it directly from nin.com -- http://ghosts.nin.com/main/pdf

80 of 93 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good stuff. Thanks Trent!, March 4, 2008

By	Paul Fischer (NE) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Ghosts I-IV (MP3 Download)

Some reviewers have complained that Ghosts i-iv meanders on and on with brooding instrumentals, it gets old, etc. I would disagree. First of all, you have to realize that this is not one mega-album to digest in one sitting--it's best to listen to each "ghost" separately as a 30-minute body of work. Quite frankly, I never thought Reznor excelled in the lyrics department, ("I'm the one without a soul/I'm the one in this big f--king hole!") so this comes as a refreshing two-hour opus sans all the verbal angst he trademarked in the 90s.
For five dollars, I'd encourage the skeptical to give it a try. This is great music for a rainy day, or for working on homework (I'm in college). After several spins, there's nothing here that strikes me as never-play-again awful, and a majority of it is quite memorable (especially #28). Ghosts i-iv sounds like the musical cousin to The Fragile instrumentals or the Still disc from 2001. So if you dug that stuff, go ahead and dive into this. And in any case, by downloading this album, you're taking part in a revolutionary concept in music marketing that you can tell your kids about decades from now (if that really matters to you!)