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| Ghosts I - IV | 
 enlarge | Artist: Nine Inch Nails
Label: The Null Corporation
Category: Music
List Price: $16.98
Buy New: $7.97
You Save: $9.01 (53%)
New (52) Used (25) from $7.43
Avg. Customer Rating:  174 reviews
Sales Rank: 2586
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 5.5 x 5 x 0.6
MPN: 26
UPC: 766929908628
EAN: 0766929908628
ASIN: B0015FQZ94
Release Date: April 8, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 a Musical Snipe Hunt March 24, 2008
11 out of 24 found this review helpful
Honestly, i think this is a joke at our expense. Sort of a "let's see if people will buy anything we put out" kind of deal. Now, I admit, $5 is NOT a lot to spend, so I'm not angry (what is that, a gallon of gas these days?), but as a musician myself, i find that about 70% of the "ghosts" are unfinished tripe that most people would toss away. There are a few nice pieces in there- nothing as good as any of the instrumentals on The Fragile, but they are not bad. The rest of it though... I really think Trent and Co. are sitting in their lodge, sipping hot chocolate and laughing while the rest of us are out in the cold night not quite getting the fact that we've been fooled.
Oh, and please, DO NOT compare Ghosts I-IV to Radiohead's In Rainbows. Aside from the self-distribution (which Keith Caputo did a while ago) there is no other similarity. In Rainbows contains SONGS, Ghosts I-IV contains SOUNDBYTES. I admire the premise, but i am disappointed with the result.
 And on the seventh day, He rested April 10, 2008
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
The downward spiral away from music with any semblance of song structure continues. The God of Anger Pop, who once created the singularly perfect musical moment that was Pretty Hate Machine, must have reached his seventh day of creation: for he is clearly resting on Ghosts. This is Reznor on a lazy day, bored with nothing better to do.
Ghosts I-IV is an organized chaos of happy (and angry and sad) accidents. I imagine a herd (or pod?) of Macs and samplers, pots and pans; left to their own devices, could produce something akin to Ghosts if they tried real hard. And I suspect Trent made exactly what he intended to make.
I admit that I'm still a pathetic hold-out waiting for Pretty Hate Machine II - The Revenge. Thus, nothing less will ever truly satisfy. Ghosts is neither fixed nor broken. It's really not that bad, but it's just not that good. And for a small fistful of dollars, I shouldn't complain.
I certainly like the progressive and revolutionary distribution (a la Radiohead's Rainbows) where the evil middle-man record company is kept out of the artist's and fans' relationship. I have to give kudos to NIN for fighting the good fight. So at worst, Ghosts I-IV will take up some precious space on your iPod. At best, it's harmless background noise. NIN Ghosts is a little haunting but definitely not scary.
 An audial experience March 3, 2008
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
This album, to be summed up evenly, elicits a mental image of robots having an orgy in a manufacturing plant while nuclear weapons detonate over the horizon. Closing your eyes during playback is a must, and results in incredible visual cues from your life and ones you'd never imagine on your own.
Help end the music industry tyranny! March 3, 2008
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I haven't been anything but a casual fan of NIN since Pretty Hate Machine but wanted to say 2 things. This is an AMAZING collection of art. It is simply ART.
Secondly everyone who has any love for the future of music MUST BUY THIS and help put an end to the current music industry. It is stifling and killing all creativity. Even if you're not a fan of NIN but still believe in freedom of creativity and are fed up with the current state of music...BUY THIS ALBUM. Do your part. This is history in the making and it really will make a difference.
Ambient Trent March 4, 2008
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
Trent Reznor has been full of surprises for his fans over the last couple years and this new work certainly will surprise and amaze anyone with the attention span to explore it. There's a lot of music here--all instrumental as noted elsewhere, but with a tremendous range of moods and textures. Each section (I - IV) seems to have its own atmosphere, but even within each of these sections, Trent provides incredible variety. Those seeking something like "With Teeth" or "The Downward Spiral" may be bewildered. This is not an album of rock songs exactly. It is more like some of Trent's remix work, but even that doesn't quite prepare you for the subtle delights of this CD/download. Mr. Reznor's decision to leave the majors was a courageous and savvy move, but it wouldn't mean as much if he did not use his new freedom to experiment and challenge his fans with some new musical horizons. This he does!
Ghosts is dreamier and more spacious than most of Trent's previous albums. It's more like a NIN version of an Aphex Twin ambient work, or perhaps a mutant Brian Eno CD. But make no mistake--this is pure Trent, with plenty of haunting piano melodies, squelchy sounds, complex rhythms, and crunchy guitar parts. I just want to give you some kind of aural reference point. If, like me, you have always enjoyed Mr. Reznor in the role of sonic architect--the way he sculpts amazing sounds, rhythms, and textures even in his more straightforward songs, you will get a lot of pleasure from this offering. Here's hoping this is just the beginning of a rich creative period for both NIN and other innovative musicians taking Trent's lead and breaking out of the old music business paradigm.
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