NIN - Ghosts I-IV

[Hy Bound]

So I downloaded the new "Album (http://ghosts.nin.com/main/home)" (its not really meant to be an album in the normal context) done by NIN after they got out of a bunch of contracts with their label, apparently.

I'm not sure what to think of it truthfully; it seems like a lot of ideas for full-blown songs mixed together. I haven't listened to the whole thing straight through yet, which I'm told is where the real feeling comes from. It actually sounds like Trent Reznor's answer to BT's TBU with a bit more of an Amon Tobin's Foley Room feel thrown in.

Coming from someone who really enjoyed With Teeth, this is coming from a pretty different place. I really like quite a few of the single songs, but a lot of them don't really seem to go anywhere. For instance "34 Ghosts IV" starts out with an awesome buildup that gets completely taken-out for a piano and distorted pad bleh feel for the rest of the 5 and a half minutes. It just feels like they just kinda fucked around and tried to put it all together for an art-y project.

What are your thoughts?

[m68030]

I'm enjoying listening to it while driving around town.

It isn't the most polished thing he's ever produced, but I'm finding it very highly enjoyable, though I do agree there is a lot of 'this sounds unfinished" to it.

Once the multi-tracks are more readily available, I can see them being very useful for creating musical beds for videos and what not (since, as far as I know, they're being released under the CC)

[FiremanJoe]

I've only listened to Ghosts I and II so far, but I quite enjoyed them.
Unfortunately, I couldn't pick any 'outstanding tracks' - they all just sort of meshed together to create one atmosphere, which I guess is both good and bad.
My two favourite NIN albums are Pretty Hate Machine and With Teeth. I wasn't too fussed with Year Zero... I hope Trent can get his shit together for another hard-hitting album soon.

[Mewtation]

I'll have to give this a listen later. I highly digged The Fragile, wasn't so big on With Teeth, Year Zero, though.

[The Joker]

I didn;t like the preview to much. I totally dig The Fragile, but this new album (at least the teaser pack) just sounded... meh. Like solid starts for awesome tracks, but not developed enough.

[DarkSolstice]

I always felt Reznor's normal instrumental work rocked, this is trying to achieve something different in my opinion.

[The Orichalcon]

Ghosts 1, 18, 21, 28 and 35 were standouts to me. Most of the rest were either too drab to hold my interest, had annoying phrases in them, or I haven't listened to enough yet to grasp.