Nine Inch Nails ‎– Ghosts I-IV

The title, dreamy packaging and sticker announcing 'soundscapes for daydreams' all suggest that 'Ghosts I-IV' is going to be a smoother ride than it really is. I was expecting a Reznor take on Brian Eno's ambient albums such as 'On land'. But while there are gentle pieces included here, they sit alongside several other kinds of instrumental. There are piano sketches similar to the quieter moments of 'With Teeth'; blurry, harshly distorted guitar workouts; John Carpenteresque would-be soundtracks; pieces in the style of Aphex Twin's 'Selected Ambient Works II', but produced with more clarity; and various odds and ends that feel as if they were outtakes from vocal songs. The tracks are brief (unsurprising, when there are 18 on each CD!), and the vast majority have something either pleasant or interesting to offer. Occasionally direct influences peep through - part 5 of 'Ghosts I' sounds very similar to The Cure's 1981 film soundtrack 'Carnage Visors', and various other parts of this album return to that expectant, slightly plodding mood. There has always been a danger of NIN becoming a parody of itself, but here Reznor reveals his palette as being much more varied than he's usually given credit for.

The tracks are divided into four sections - I to IV - but it's difficult to tell why; any of them could easily be swapped with others from the other sections. I'd expected more differentiation between one movement and the next.

If you're looking for an ambient album that you can fall asleep to, there are better-known and more appropriate releases elsewhere. Likewise, if you prefer your instrumentals to really develop and go somewhere, this is not for you. But if you're a fan of Reznor's instrumental work, and don't mind a lot of chopping-and-changing over the space of one album, 'Ghosts I-IV' is well worth investigating.