Been listening to NIN’s just-released instrumental Ghosts I-IV record all day today. Will make an outstanding reading soundtrack. Nothing can even hope to beat Selected Ambient Works Vol. 2 in that category, but this probably comes as close as anything else I own, not counting the obvious classical-music stuff.

I like Ghosts most because it is just under two hours of excellently eerie Reznorian sound design without the liability of Reznorian lyrics. (Cannot help but feel a pang of self-rebuke for putting the man down like that, given that, as I may have mentioned once or twice over the years, my circa-1999 choice of the domain name erasing.org was unabashedly inspired by the terrifying 1994 NIN song “Eraser”. My suicide anthem of choice throughout my late adolescence, i.e. roughly ages 17-23. Lose me! Hate me! Smash me! Erase me! KILL ME! [repeat last line tormentedly ad infinitum, etc.])