It seems like Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor has been working towards scoring a film for a while now. He did, after all, oversee the soundtracks for and contributed music to Natural Born Killers and Lost Highway. Then, in 2008, he released the moody, 36-track instrumental album, Ghosts I-IV. Since then, it’s seemed inevitable that Reznor would create a soundtrack on his own.

With The Social Network, in theaters Oct. 1, Reznor finally got his chance to score a film. Now, through his own label, The Null Corporation, and Sony’s Madison Gate Records, Reznor is self-releasing the score he wrote with Ghosts I-IV collaborator Atticus Ross. As of today, a free five-song sampler of the album is available online.

The five tracks are ‘Pieces Form the Whole,’ ‘Eventually We Find Our Way,’ ‘On We March,’ The Gentle Hum of Anxiety,’ and ‘Soft Trees Break the Fall.’ The minimalist industrial instrumental pieces sound very similar to those on the Ghosts album, although, at about four minutes each, they’re a bit longer. Reznor fans will certainly be pleased with his latest effort. Here’s what Reznor has to say about the album:

This is what Atticus and I have been working on for the last few months. We had a great time working with David Fincher on this and the film turned out excellent – something we’re very proud of. It opens in theatres Oct 1 and you should check it out.

Musically, this all came out of our secret laboratory – electronic in basis, but mostly organic sounding. Lots of experiments and emphasis on sound fraying around the edges while focusing on the proper emotional tone for the various scenes.

Regarding the purchase options, sorry about the “clunkiness” of not offering the full record digital download pre-sale (and having to visit Amazon). My agenda was to be able to offer this for the lowest possible price and this was the best way to achieve that. Amazon has been a great partner with past projects and I appreciate your understanding.

– Trent Reznor, 9.16.10

The full digital version of the 19-track album will be available on Amazon for $2.99 on Tuesday, Sept. 28. Standard CD, Blu-Ray, and 180-gram double LP vinyl copies are already available for pre-order  from the soundtrack’s website and will ship in October.

Now you have one more reason to go see The Social Network.

Reznor fans, what are your reactions to the sampler? Does it pique your interest in the film?

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