Author: Gerry Maravilla
It seems it is becoming something of a trend for many of the alternative scene’s best artists to pull away from major record labels and release their work on the internet. First to pioneer this trend was Radiohead’s In Rainbows, followed by hip-hop artist Saul Williams and his The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! Coming in almost completely under the radar, industrial rocker Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails released Ghosts I-IV on March 2. This record contains 36 new tracks and distinguishes itself from every other Nine Inch Nails release in a number of ways.
Musically, the album contains a wide variety of different instrumental and ambient tracks. According to the band’s official website, Reznor has stated that he views Ghosts “as pressing imagined locations and scenarios with sound and texture; a soundtrack to daydreams.”
Collaborating with established producers Atticus Ross and Alan Moulder, Reznor has created a diverse assortment of industrial music that ranges between multiple moods.
This album does not contain stand out singles like “Closer,” “The Hand That Feeds” or “Capital G” that fans may expect. Tracks on Ghosts find their titles based on the chronological order in which they appear. While this experimentation could result in a lackluster and forgettable record, Reznor-and-company’s results work marvelously with their initial concept and push the idea to its limits.
Ghosts works best in the way that it was designed: atmospheric tones that transport their listener to exotic locations and imagined states of being. As a listener, it is easy to get lost in the hypnotic quality that many of the songs possess.
Despite this lack of traditional Nine Inch Nails material, the album is still a completely enjoyable and exciting experience. Still, it is not hard to imagine Reznor adding some lyrics over a number of these instrumentals to create another catchy single. It is a testament to Reznor’s talent as a gifted musician and compelling songwriter.
As it has been with Reznor’s last two releases, the most exciting element of Ghosts is the way in which it was released. With the release of last year’s Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D, Reznor is now a completely independent artist with no ties or obligations to any major record label or corporation. This has given Reznor more freedom and allowed him to pursue musical paths that would otherwise be hindered by major labels and corporate executives.
On the band’s website, Reznor offers fans multiple ways to engage with and enjoy his new record. Listeners have the option of downloading the first nine tracks of the album for free, the entire album with extra artwork, photos and wallpapers for $35, a $10 two-CD set, a $75 deluxe edition with hardcover fabric slipcase for a two-CD set that is also accompanied with the album in Blu-Ray and finally a $300 ultra-deluxe limited edition package containing four LP vinyls and two exclusive limited edition Giclée prints, numbered and signed by Trent Reznor.
While releasing his work in a completely different way could have easily backfired on him, Ghosts has been an overwhelming success. The website reported that on the first night the album was available for download, the website crashed due to heavy user traffic. Also, the $300 ultra-deluxe package sold out rapidly.
Reznor also introduced an opportunity for collaboration with the album’s listeners. Releasing a video on the band’s website, Reznor has requested that fans accompany the music in Ghosts with visuals and submit these videos to YouTube. Reznor and others will sort through the videos and present the best of them online as a sort of mini film festival. Reznor stresses that this is not a contest, but a new way for him to interact with his listeners.
Critics and media moguls have so far praised this new approach. They claim Reznor is at the forefront of new technology and media, using new resources to recreate the relationship between the artist and listener while simultaneously reinvigorating a dying industry. The success of Ghosts suggests that Reznor is doing just that.
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