Would Trent Reznor be near as cool if he'd built his own recording studio in a former an insurance office? Or in a bankrupt Starbucks?

Well, probably. He is a visionary, after all.

In any case, the Rez installed his studio in an old funeral home - in New Orleans, no less - and somehow you just can't see the Jonas Brothers or Leo Sayer doing something like that.

In any event, the Rez brings the latest edition of NIN to the Mohegan Sun Arena tonight on the strength of two disparate but great recent works, the instrumental “Ghosts I - IV” and the more conventional (by Reznor standards, that is) “The Slip.” The former requires more patience to grasp, but it's spookily rewarding. “The Slip” just basically kicks the same sort of ass we associate with NIN since “Pretty Hate Machine.”

Songs like “1,000,000” and “The Four of Us Are Dying” represent truly fine examples of the broad scope of Reznor's muse, and he expanded on a Radiohead theme by offering “The Slip” free as a download, encouraging fans to give it away to friends.

Live, NIN is amazing and brutal, and the set list from this tour is an expansive sampling of the band's entire career. Ambient punkers Deerhunter appear in support.

- RICK KOSTER

Nine Inch Nails with Deerhunter, 7:30 tonight, Mohegan Sun Arena; $35, $45; 886-0070, mohegansun.com.

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