Ghosts V: Together offers us the tranquillity that we’ve been searching for during the quiescence of being on lockdown.
Nine Inch Nails released Ghosts V: Together as a gift to fans, its title suggesting solidarity in spite of physical distancing. And while these haunting mood-pieces aren't exactly uplifting, they have a melancholic beauty that's comforting in these troubling times.
Ghosts V focuses on generally uplifting ambient moods. Like a lot of the music on Ghosts I – IV, it owes clear debts to Brian Eno and Twin Peaks composer Angelo Badalamenti, but with enough dissonance to sound distinctively “Reznorish.
Because there aren’t any lyrics to hold onto with ambient music, the track titles initially feel arbitrary. On Ghosts V, they’re framed by the surrounding context of this global pandemic.
Maybe it’s because the tone better matches the animating spirit of the project, or maybe it’s simply because the pair have better ideas in a major key at the moment, but Ghosts V: Together is solidly the stronger of the two.
If Ghosts V: Together was a Lynchian cinematic score, it would reside in The Elephant Man or The Straight Story; not without its murmurings of mild peril, but largely acting out with a light-hearted comportment.
Of the two, Ghosts V: Together is the one to help lift spirits and calm the soul, a welcome escape from the tension and paranoia of the real world.
As the first installment of the Nine Inch Nails' "Ghosts" series in 12 years, Trent Reznor puts together a new, 153-minute set of ambient instrumental sound palettes with these two. For "Together", it's a beautiful, relaxing little album to help ease the stress during quarantine... which is probably why he released these. While I do appreciate the gorgeous textures here, it shares the same problem I had with "I-IV". They don't add anything new to this sound that a ... read more
Some really nice pleasant ambient by Nine Inch Nails which doesn't really for me feel like a continuation of ghosts I-IV but more of its own thing and even though for 70 minutes Together can get a bit tedious it offers a nice warm mellow atmosphere which my not be as captivating as other ambient records but it nevertheless is engaging
Track Review
Letting Go While Holding On 7.5/10.
Together 8/10
Out In the Open 7/10
With Faith 6.5/10
Apart 7/10
Your Touch 7.5/10.
Hope We Can Again ... read more
It's taken me almost a month but I have now listened to every Nine Inch Nails album! Their discography is nothing short of impressive. While I think their peak was definitely in the 1990s, they still have some great output in their later years. This is the 3rd different ambient LP in the series of "Ghosts" projects. This one is much better than the previous one. The last one repulsed me in a way none of their other albums have which was unexpected. This LP isn't perfect either but I ... read more
It's taken me almost a month but I have now listened to every Nine Inch Nails album! Their discography is nothing short of impressive. While I think their peak was definitely in the 1990s, they still have some great output in their later years. This is the 3rd different ambient LP in the series of "Ghosts" projects. This one is much better than the previous one. The last one repulsed me in a way none of their other albums have which was unexpected. This LP isn't perfect either but I ... read more
After 12 years, NIN continue the series nobody asked for, Ghosts. Here, this is more upbeat than the dark and depressing I-IV. Not to say this isn't depressing, but there's glimmers of light in the instrumentals. However, most tracks on here are just mediocre. The only standout track here is the 1st track, and if the 2nd track wasn't stretched to 10 minutes, that would also be up here. And that's another problem here. I can understand instrumentals being long, they build atmosphere, which I can ... read more
Bro, I know asked for more ambience but this is not it. An hour and 10 mins is way too long for an album that sounds the same throughout its runtime.
1 | Letting Go While Holding On 9:38 | 84 |
2 | Together 10:03 | 86 |
3 | Out In the Open 5:15 | 74 |
4 | With Faith 9:40 | 75 |
5 | Apart 13:35 | 70 |
6 | Your Touch 4:27 | 82 |
7 | Hope We Can Again 7:26 | 72 |
8 | Still Right Here 10:10 | 77 |
#18 | / | Drowned in Sound |