Rumas Recommends — NIN: Ghosts I-IV

On 3/2 at 5:47 PM pst, Nine Inch Nails released a new record online called Ghosts I-IV. After listening to it all night (it’s 2AM here), I’m officially crazy about it.

The pricing plans are the best I’ve ever seen for an online release, with a super cheap $5 base plan (like Niggy Tardust, which I finally just got around to actually buying) that includes all 36 tracks for download and an absolutely beautiful 40-page PDF that’s worth the price of admission alone. Ten bucks will get you a sweet double-CD together with the immediate download of the $5 package, and there are a couple of premium options as well.

As always seems to be the case with me, my personal favorites so far are the somber piano-heavy pieces. There’s really nothing I can think to compare the record with, but as an Eno fan above all, Ambient I & IV and the Music for Films series did cross my mind a couple times. Oh yeah, as did Toshio Iwai’s Electroplankton. You’ll see what I mean.

Overall, a truly bold piece of work, and just the kind of thing I’ve been longing to hear from NIN. It takes the listener on a sonic journey full of unique textures and feelings, and if that’s the kind of thing you’re into, I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Buy NIN: Ghosts I-IV