Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I-IV
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www.sputnikmusic.com Rating: 0
When presented with the 'In Rainbows' situation a few months ago, I honestly didn't care. Radiohead had grown far from what I liked in 'Ok Computer' and 'Kid A', basically they had disappointed me a number of times. The process was interesting for such a high profile band, but in my head it had already been done by numerous 'indie' groups. I guess I am trying to make a relation between the news surrounding the new Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead. Essentially, I view both of the techniques of announcing an album the day before it released as gimmicks. Had Nine Inch Nails just announced the release of an instrumental album, I would've thought it something I should check out eventually. Instead, I greeted Nine Inch Nails latest record with a sense of ‘this is going to have a lot more said for it than it actually has to say.
Sure, Ghosts is a great release for Trent Reznor because it allows him to fully immerse himself once again in the creative environments that helped spawn his best works. The massive amount of experimentation is welcomed, the guests like Adrian Belew and Atticus Ross are enjoyed, and Nine Inch Nails can be welcomed back as a major creative figure in todays music scene. The problem with the record though is that it collapses on its own strive for originality. The record when broken down into its various four volumes is an excellent varied listen, but when took as a whole experience, Ghosts seems to just come off a tad too samey through its entirety. Perhaps, the occasional vocal pieces or at least some type of sounds besides mechanical drum beats and twinkly guitars would've given Ghosts the variety it needed to be considered one of his classics. Instead, like Year Zero we are left with an album full of highlights that never really resolve themselves. Each disc has its merit, but Reznor and his fans' boastful claims about the release of each record have seemed a little too anxious and excited. Ghosts is also not without its merits. Closer 'IV-36' is a fantastic subtle piano piece that is beautifully melancholy. The incorporations of various instruments ranging from East to West also helps this release provide a palate of sound yet unheard from Reznor's camp. This album is surely a success, its just there is a lot of things that a great album like 'My Life in the Bush of The Ghosts' (which Ghosts sincerely seems indebted to) have that are missing here.
Its hard to be mad at Trent for his recent decisions of where to take his career. In the bizarre puppet show world of mainstream music Reznor and¤R...
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