Most Surprising Album From An Artist I Used To Despise
Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I-IV
I have always had a love/hate/more hate relationship with Nine Inch Nails. In high school, when the Downward Spiral was released, whatever Trent did, it was the best thing that had ever graced my ears. Every artist, who had a hand in that album, including the guy who delivered pizza to the studio, was God. I searched countless record stores to complete my Halo collection, amassing numerous blue Wall stickers to decorate my bedroom door. I used to argue with my brother about the validity of five remixes per album. “At The Heart Of It All used to scare my parents while I drew emaciated charcoal pictures of Jesus Christ. It was a strange time of darkness, despair and black lipstick.
The Fragile was released in my first year of college. Now fingernail polish less and more optimistic, I formed a personal relationship with the “left side” of the disc along with the macro floral photography which adorned the packaging. It appeared Trent Reznor had grown with me and now was becoming more honest with his emotions. Long gone were the days of empty hate anthems. I used to fantasize about what the next album would look like. I heard rumors Trent Reznor studied Chinese philosophy in preparation for the new album. I heard the entire album was going to be white with no lyrics or pictures. All instrumental. I even heard the ever allusive Tapeworm Project was finally going to come together and make the record of the century. I thought this wasn’t going to be an album, but a lifelong decision you would have to make before buying. This is going to be awesome.
6 years later
...after listening to With Teeth, I watched television for 3 hours.
With Teeth made about the same splash any album can make when it is four years over due. I was expecting an album that would bring the music foundation to its knees. What I got was b-sides from every Nine Inch Nails record. Sorry that was a little harsh. What is got was shitty b-sides from every Nine Inch Nails record. Maybe I was expecting too much. Maybe I was expecting Mr. Reznor to make an album for adults in their mid 20's. Obviously not. So I said goodbye to Nine Inch Nails. I did not even raise my head when various remixes surfaced. During the whole viral marketing campaign for Year Zero, I was mildly interested but then saw a bee buzzing around a flower. I saw the review for Year Zero on Pitchfork but then decided to watch internet pornography instead. Who gives a shit? You are dead to me Mr. Reznor, you and your 20 side projects.
One year later.
What?
Ghosts I-IV?
Underground release?
Four disc volume?
All Instrumental with no track listing?
Fine..give it to me.
Ghosts I-IV is split into four instrumental sections which all continuously run into each other. No song titles. No album breaks. No Intermission. Just an entrance, an exit and a maze of xylophones, noise, drum tracks and distortion. Besides the use of piano in the first section, there is nothing to distinguish your place in this album. Tonight, while I slumber, the entire album could be rearranged and I would clueless to any digital maleficence. Unlike most albums where one can distinguish landmarks, this album is like wading through a murky stream at night, while trying to get a foothold among rocks and sleeping amphibians. While I mention the album’s complete lack of direction, I enjoyed it for the same reason. The songs are indistinguishable from each other which makes it what Trent Reznor said it would be: “a soundtrack for daydreaming.” Sporadic, idiosyncratic and completely enveloping. Ghosts I-IV has achieved what the past two records have failed to do: make me care about listening to Nine Inch Nails..
I have always fantasized about rearranging albums for popular bands. How I would do things different, if given the chance to meddle with history. For starters, Interpol’s Turn on the Bright Lights would be the darker follow up to their radio friendly debut Antics. Radiohead’s Kid A and Amnesiac would come packaged as a double album followed by a hiatus and then In Rainbows. Metallica’s Black Album would be the posthumous memorial after their tragic plane accident and Ghosts 1-IV would be the album to come after The Fragile. Nine Inch Nails popularity and strong underground fan base, after The Fragile, would have been enough to support the Ghosts’ experimental ambiance. The ambiance itself would be a continuation of The Fragile’s direction. Ghosts' length would be enough to justify a six year gap of idle time and weightlifting.
While this is just a fantasy, one song near the end of the album stands out and gives me reason to someone else thinks the same way. "34 Ghosts IV" is a beautiful rearrangement of “The Great Below,” from The Fragile. Its placement at the end within the more structural instrumental pieces gives it the tune of finality and punctuation. Listening to this song is stunning and gives me the chance to listen to an album I had crafted in my head 9 years ago.
The Fragile was released in my first year of college. Now fingernail polish less and more optimistic, I formed a personal relationship with the “left side” of the disc along with the macro floral photography which adorned the packaging. It appeared Trent Reznor had grown with me and now was becoming more honest with his emotions. Long gone were the days of empty hate anthems. I used to fantasize about what the next album would look like. I heard rumors Trent Reznor studied Chinese philosophy in preparation for the new album. I heard the entire album was going to be white with no lyrics or pictures. All instrumental. I even heard the ever allusive Tapeworm Project was finally going to come together and make the record of the century. I thought this wasn’t going to be an album, but a lifelong decision you would have to make before buying. This is going to be awesome.
6 years later
...after listening to With Teeth, I watched television for 3 hours.
With Teeth made about the same splash any album can make when it is four years over due. I was expecting an album that would bring the music foundation to its knees. What I got was b-sides from every Nine Inch Nails record. Sorry that was a little harsh. What is got was shitty b-sides from every Nine Inch Nails record. Maybe I was expecting too much. Maybe I was expecting Mr. Reznor to make an album for adults in their mid 20's. Obviously not. So I said goodbye to Nine Inch Nails. I did not even raise my head when various remixes surfaced. During the whole viral marketing campaign for Year Zero, I was mildly interested but then saw a bee buzzing around a flower. I saw the review for Year Zero on Pitchfork but then decided to watch internet pornography instead. Who gives a shit? You are dead to me Mr. Reznor, you and your 20 side projects.
One year later.
What?
Ghosts I-IV?
Underground release?
Four disc volume?
All Instrumental with no track listing?
Fine..give it to me.
Ghosts I-IV is split into four instrumental sections which all continuously run into each other. No song titles. No album breaks. No Intermission. Just an entrance, an exit and a maze of xylophones, noise, drum tracks and distortion. Besides the use of piano in the first section, there is nothing to distinguish your place in this album. Tonight, while I slumber, the entire album could be rearranged and I would clueless to any digital maleficence. Unlike most albums where one can distinguish landmarks, this album is like wading through a murky stream at night, while trying to get a foothold among rocks and sleeping amphibians. While I mention the album’s complete lack of direction, I enjoyed it for the same reason. The songs are indistinguishable from each other which makes it what Trent Reznor said it would be: “a soundtrack for daydreaming.” Sporadic, idiosyncratic and completely enveloping. Ghosts I-IV has achieved what the past two records have failed to do: make me care about listening to Nine Inch Nails..
I have always fantasized about rearranging albums for popular bands. How I would do things different, if given the chance to meddle with history. For starters, Interpol’s Turn on the Bright Lights would be the darker follow up to their radio friendly debut Antics. Radiohead’s Kid A and Amnesiac would come packaged as a double album followed by a hiatus and then In Rainbows. Metallica’s Black Album would be the posthumous memorial after their tragic plane accident and Ghosts 1-IV would be the album to come after The Fragile. Nine Inch Nails popularity and strong underground fan base, after The Fragile, would have been enough to support the Ghosts’ experimental ambiance. The ambiance itself would be a continuation of The Fragile’s direction. Ghosts' length would be enough to justify a six year gap of idle time and weightlifting.
While this is just a fantasy, one song near the end of the album stands out and gives me reason to someone else thinks the same way. "34 Ghosts IV" is a beautiful rearrangement of “The Great Below,” from The Fragile. Its placement at the end within the more structural instrumental pieces gives it the tune of finality and punctuation. Listening to this song is stunning and gives me the chance to listen to an album I had crafted in my head 9 years ago.
34 Ghosts IV
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