Somewhere, Over In Rainbows: Nine Inch Nails Release New Album Directly to the Interweb

Download: Nine Inch Nails - "04 Ghosts I"
Download: Nine Inch Nails - "06 Ghosts I"
Download: Nine Inch Nails - "08 Ghosts I"

Though he might have been discouraged at his earlier attempt with Saul Williams to help shift the music industry paradigm, it would seem that you can't keep Trent Reznor down. His band, Nine Inch Nails, has released an entirely instrumental, 36 track album called Ghosts I-IV through Bittorrent websites and NIN's own website. Listeners can obtain the first 9 tracks of the album for free. And if you want the other 27? Check this out:

$5 download
Ghosts I-IV: All 36 tracks in a variety of digital formats, plus a 40-page PDF.

$10 two-disc set
A double-disc set, packaged in a Digipak with a 16-page booklet, to be shipped on April 8. Includes immediate download of album.

$75 deluxe edition
Ghosts I-IV in a "hardcover fabric slipcase containing two audio CDs, one data DVD with all tracks in multi-track format, and a Blu-Ray disc of Ghosts I-IV. Ships May 1. Includes immediate download of album.

$300 "ultra-deluxe limited edition package"
Deluxe edition plus a four-LP set on 180-gram vinyl, which is packaged in a fabric slipcase. Two limited-edition Giclee prints are included; package is numbered and signed by Trent Reznor. Limited to a run of 2500, and one piece per customer. Ships May 1 and includes immediate download.

My, oh my, don't we have a plethora of options? If there are 100 diehard NIN fans with money to burn and every one of those fans buys a "ultra-deluxe limited edition", then Trent will be making some reasonably solid coinage (for an independent musician, that is). As for the album itself, Reznor described the project as "music for daydreams". I wouldn't be comfortable evaluating a record that I only have heard one-fourth of (once again, I've proven myself to be a cheap bastard), but that description is apt, to a degree. While "6 Ghosts I" is certainly the stuff of ethereal, sleep-induced wanderlust, only a person hellbent on scaring the bejebus out of themselves would snooze off to "4 Ghosts I". That song is the wholly apocalyptic middle ground between the Pixies' "Where is My Mind?" and John Murphy's "In The House - In A Heartbeat" (which you know from its use in 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later). Incidentally, that song is fucking awesome.

Another highlight is "8 Ghosts I", a track that wakes up, puts on its shoe(gazer)s and hits the ground in a slow, methodical crawl like the vengeful ghosts from J-Horror's heyday (you know, before the remakes crowded the googleplexes). Overall, Ghosts I ranges from the mostly intriguing to the truly auspicious. It is unquestionably a unique introduction to what is a highly ambitious project. Listen to the three songs mentioned in this blurb at the top of the post.

Download Ghosts I for free here.

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(Jonathan Graef)