Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 26-30 of 174
 Disappointed March 3, 2008
Brian (Houston, TX)
8 out of 15 found this review helpful
First and foremost I am a huge NIN fan and rarely find anything unfavorable to say about Trent's work. But, I have to tell you I am very disappointed in this album. I've been wanting Reznor to do an album like this for a very long time and when he finally does he fails to deliver. Don't get me wrong all the tracks are good in their own right, but most tracks don't even reach the 3 minute mark. So when I find myself starting to get into a track it ends like 10 seconds later and leaves you hanging. Leaves little to be desired in my opinion. I love the concept behind the album, but should have had a shorter track list with more substance ala "Leaving Hope" from the "Still" album. Trent is a master at telling a story not only with his lyrics but his music as well and I simply don't get that with this album, it's like it cuts you off right before the plot hits.
 Trent's "Music for Airports" - for the hardcore fan only March 4, 2008
MsChief
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
It's more "The Fragile" than "The Downward Spiral". It might be stronger with a bit of editing, but hey, it's self-published and Trent has a right to put out whatever he damn well wants to. Although not atonal, it reminds me Jonny Greenwood's soundtrack to "There Will Be Blood". It's sparse and subtly menacing, not the multilayered, claustrophobic aural bombardment that he's so well known for (and I mean that in a good way). Each song is like the nagging doubt in the back of your mind: incomplete and ambiguous, unsettling you the more you listen to it. It's very much in keeping with David Bowie's "Low", one of Trent's favorite albums, or a darker version of Eno's "Music for Airports". It takes a somewhat patient ear to appreciate the nuances of Ghosts, but it's worth the effort. Examining the deep recesses of one's psyche is not for the meek.
37 Review I-IV March 18, 2008
doomsdayer520 (Pennsylvania)
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
For a musician who has taken 6 years and 5 years between albums in the past, Trent Reznor sure is active lately, and we can probably thank the rising technical possibilities for working outside of record company strictures. But it's important to remember that Ghosts I-IV is NOT the next proper NiN release, and it should be viewed more accurately as a side project. Here Trent eschews lyrics and vocal melodies (his traditional Achilles heels) for 36 instrumental tracks that mostly provide atmospheres for not-so-easy-listening mood music, while highlighting Trent's sequencing and programming skills. It takes many, many listens for all of the tracks to differentiate themselves in your consciousness, but your patience will mostly be rewarded. Ghosts I-IV occasionally recalls the classic albums, delivering mood manipulation a la The Fragile (tracks #3, 11, 17, 28, 33); and surprisingly for this rather quiet collection, harsh Downward Spiral-like angst (#4, 8, 19, 23, 31). There are also a few experimental surprises that have not been heard from NiN before, such as weird bluegrass guitar (#14 - courtesy of Adrian Belew), pummeling rave (#16), old-school gangsta-hop (#24), bass-driven heavy funk-rock (#26, 27), and even vaguely Asian world music (#30).
But even with those occasional throwbacks and advances, many of the tracks on this release still have trouble rising above the pack. Primarily, almost all of the songs are just too short for their ideas to develop beyond basic introductions. In fact, just two tracks (#20, 34) feature more than one basic beat pattern or chord progression. And there are just too many weak tracks that turn moodiness into boredom - ranging from thin beat programming exercises (#9, 18), simple piano melodies propped up unsuccessfully with random noise (#10, 13, 22), and basic sequencer patterns that repeat to the point of absurdity (#6, 34). Of course, fans should feel as mellow and moody listening to Ghosts I-IV as Trent probably did while creating it. But at times there are just too many under-developed ideas vying for the listener's and the creator's attention. [~doomsdayer520~]
 Trent Reznor Surprises Us Again - Ghosts I-IV Is A Must Own May 25, 2008
Mark (East Coast)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Ghosts I - IV is a great work of music that I think is going to appeal to more than just the hardcore NIN fan.
It's hard to imagine being shocked by anything Nine Inch Nails puts out, but I would have to say I was at least surprised by this new album from Trent Reznor's brainchild. NIN has always been somewhat of an experimental outlet for Trent. Yet even as minimal of a change it is in theory to go instrumental, it's the actual material here that I find so different and so interesting.
For starters, there is much more of a progression from song to song than on other NIN albums. Even as an instrumental work this seems more like a concept album than anything else he's ever done. There's a full range of songs and tones here, almost like an opera or a symphony. This is truly mesmerizing.
I also enjoyed the fact that so much of this album is more "mellow" than what NIN usually does. It produces something that I feel is almost more accessible than most previous albums. Anybody who is into Jazz and even people who are into newer classical music could probably get into this.
And that's the other thing, the pricing for this is awesome! Not only is there an MP3 download for only $5 but you can get the whole set on disk for $10. When you consider what's been going on in the record industry lately this is a breath of fresh air. Part of that might be because of the specialty nature of this recording. But I think most people who heard individual tracks wouldn't even know it was NIN. If anything the appeal is broader for this instrumental set.
You can download other stuff including a pdf document from the NIN website. This is a great set that I plan on listening to and studying for a while.
Hope you like it as much as I did.
Enjoy!
Love me some NIN and Amazon March 3, 2008
Mikhail Fridlyand
7 out of 10 found this review helpful
This is a great album, and I was also pleasantly surprised to see Amazon MP3 Downloader supported natively on linux.
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