Nine Inch Nails: Ghosts I – IV (2008)

Nine Inch Nails: Ghosts I – IV (2008)

The sixth NIN studio album is almost entirely instrumental. It's a work that needs abstract analogies to define it.

I'm respectfully not going to attempt to provide any such things because they'll likely be different for everyone who hears it. Whether intentional or not, the music is like a soundtrack to whatever fleeting thought a subject's mind conjures when it's given free rein to do so. As you listen to it play, you'll create the meaning yourself.

It's split into four parts with nine tracks apiece. There's a specific mood to each of the four parts but they're malleable and can be made to fit the listener's own ideals and anxieties.

With thirty-six tracks on offer — or thirty-eight if you get the expensive edition and reconstruct the extra two from the multi-track files provided — there's a good chance that anyone who's willingly receptive will find something to complement their feelings / mood / activities, etc.

I don't know how well liked it is by other NIN fans, but speaking as someone who enjoys instrumental music for the reasons mentioned above and as soundtrack to creative ventures in which dialogue could prove to be too much of an influence, it's the only one of the post-Fragile albums that I listen to in its entirely on any kind of semi-regular basis, including as I type now.

Note: the digital version included a 40 page 'booklet'. You can DL a PDF of it HERE, hosted on Mediafire. It should remain active for as long as they continue to host for free. But if for some reason it's not working, tell me in comments and I'll re-upload it when I'm able. Alternatively, if you just want to view the images in a browser, you can do that on my other blog HERE.