Music Review: Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I-IV
You could say that for half this decade Trent Reznor has been lost. After writing probably the most fitting funeral piece for the dying 90s - The Fragile - he has struggled to stay relevant. The music of the young century has caught up with and surpassed the industrial sounds he popularized in the late 80s. Perhaps more unnerving for Nine Inch Nails fans, Reznor's lyrics have hardly grown past the angst-ridden, teen-aimed themes he preferred when he was younger.
But something strange happened with Year Zero last April. Almost as if he was taking the title literally, the album signaled a personal and musical revolution for Reznor. Nothing was particularly innovative about the record's content, but the way it was marketed and distributed gave Nine Inch Nails fans a reason to clamor. Now, less than a year later, Ghosts purposely rids the lengthy pre-production that plagued his early releases. And more significantly, the lyrics that shackled his past work to an immature audience have vanished too.
Reznor owes part of this renaissance to his newfound cohort, Atticus Ross - as over two-thirds of Ghosts consists of songs featuring exclusively the two of them. Of course they had help: long time Nine Inch Nails engineer Alan Moulder presided over the recording sessions, godfather of all things experimental Adrian Belew (King Crimson) provided additional guitar chops, and Brian Viglione (Dresden Dolls) pounded the skins for a few of the more band-oriented tracks.
What makes Ghosts a success isn't the people involved, but rather the methods used. Reznor explains on ghosts.nin.com:
This music arrived unexpectedly as the result of an experiment. The rules were as follows: 10 weeks, no clear agenda, no overthinking, everything driven by impulse. Whatever happens during that time gets released as... something......We began improvising and let the music decide the direction. Eyes were closed, hands played instruments and it began. Within a matter of days it became clear we were on to something, and a lot of material began appearing.
The resulting body of work is surprisingly prolific and varied for the short time invested. Sparse, piano-driven soundscapes, noisy rock jams, Pretty Hate Machine-like industrial romps - no musical stone is left unturned, yet this is verging on the most cohesive project of Reznor's career.
Ghosts I is slow and methodical, highlighted by "6 Ghosts I" with twinkling xylophones pierced subtly by streams of theremin. "8 Ghosts I" plods along in muddy rock territory hinting at themes to come in the next act, Ghosts II. The sequel begins with "10 Ghosts II", as the pianos from earlier tracks become increasingly strained by the surrounding noise and percussive bashing. By the time you reach "12 Ghosts II", the piano phrases are dizzy, detuned and punch-drunk giving way without a fight to rampant sampling. "14 Ghosts II" recalls Reznor's club-entrancing past with an unlikely buzzing slide guitar overlay.
Complicating and illuminating things further is Ghosts III. Punctuated by the dizzying headache beats of "20 Ghosts III", the thumping snyth-bass swells of "24 Ghosts III" (my favorite on the record after 4 full listens), and the refreshingly drum-groove centered "26 Ghosts III". The encore of Ghosts IV tightly hems in all the loose ends. Eerily simple banjo phrases lace "28 Ghosts IV", but the plaintive "34 Ghosts IV" at nearly 6 minutes, marries all the elements of Ghosts into a summary: Dreary pianos ringing, overbearing fuzz grinding, bass notes gurgling.
At the end of the two hour onslaught, you're stunned. Literally every mood and means of portrayal are covered, and Trent Reznor never had to open his mouth.
What will really sell Ghosts I-IV to the masses, beyond the music itself, is the economic presentation. Reznor has hit stride with the internet age while reaching back to the stragglers. You can obtain Ghosts I free as a demo, pay $5 for the entire work as a lossless mp3 set, pay $10 for a 2-disc physical set, or pay $75 for the deluxe package including a formal case with CDs, DVDs, and a Blu-Ray HD Audio Disc.
Casual fans and fanatics of Nine Inch Nails alike should be all-encompassed by Ghosts, with literally no reason to shun the marathon of lush instrumentals. It represents a culmination of Trent's 20 year maturation as a musician. When you can make a record this artistically free, package it any way you like, and rake in enough downloads to crash your server in the first week, it's safe to say you're at the top of your game. And a production this strong (along with this year's Radiohead album) will be a landmark in music history signaling the beginning of the end for major record labels.
What say you?!