This Track Is Fire!

Note: In honor of one full year of This Track Is Fire I thought I would highlight the top 10 posts over the last year, but there's a tie in the seventh position, and a three-way tie in the tenth position, so instead you're getting the Top 12 Posts over the past year. When I had originally posted about this track last year it did not have an official name nor a release, so I referred to it as the "Nine Inch Nails 'Closer' (B Stage Remix w/Boys Noize)" but since then NIN/Boys Noize have released their collaboration album and now it's officially known as "Closer (Nine Inch Noize Version." Listen, regardless of however it's called, this, in my humble opinion, is the proper way to refurbish a classic track that is 30+ years old, keeping everything that made it great while also give it a new polish so that it sounds fresh again. Sure, there are its detractors, but for me this song, heck, this entire album and tour, reinvigorated my deep love of N...

  Note: In honor of one full year of This Track Is Fire I thought I would highlight the top 10 posts over the last year, but there's a tie in the seventh position, and a three-way tie in the tenth position, so instead you're getting the Top 12 Posts over the past year. Fun fact: Boys Noize came in at #3 this past year and I thought I had just discovered them a year or so previously, even before I had heard that they would be the opening act for this NIN tour, but nope! You see, I have lot of music. Long story short, I had actually been a fan of Boys Noize's earlier work, having bought another track almost 10 years prior. I knew the name sounded familiar! Anyway, if you like your techno mixed with pounding, industrial rhythyms, this is for you. Check out the original post here .

Hopefully you got to see the Nine Inch Nails/Boys Noize collaboration known as "Nine Inch Noize" performing this past weekend (and the weekend before) at Coachella, either online or in person, because it was fantastic ! So, is it any surprise today that I am on my 10th full listen of this entire album? If you're interested, I had more to say about it on my main blog . I watched the feed last week on April 11 (and bit of the April 18 performance) and was blown away; I also saw this collaboration twice on the recently concluded Peel It Back  tour and they were epic each time, which I talked about last September , so I highly recommend having a listen if you have not done so already. Truly, every track on this album is a banger, but I had to go with "Vessel" because I was simply not familiar with the track prior to the Peel It Back tour, and it has now become on of my favorites, not just off of this album, but as a NIN song. Happy Monday! Enjoy!

Just a reminder that the Nine Inch Nails/Boys Noize collaboration known as "Nine Inch Noize" is performing again on Saturday, April 18 in the Sahara tent at Coachella at 8:00 PST. Their new album came out today. I watched the feed last week and was blown away; I also saw this collaboration twice on the recently concluded Peel It Back  tour and they were epic each time, which I talked about last September , so check it out!

Just a reminder that the Nine Inch Nails/Boys Noize collaboration known as "Nine Inch Noize" is performing on Saturday, April 11 in the Sahara tent at Coachella at 8:00 PST (moved a day back since the original announcement). Oh, and they have an album coming out next week, which they announced on the NIN Instragram account . I saw this collaboration twice on the recently concluded NIN tour and they were epic each time, which I talked about last September , so check it out!

Updated (04.24.26): since NIN/Boys Noize have since released Nine Inch Noize  I have updated this post with the official version of the track below. At 30+ years old I think we can all agree that "Closer" was a hit that was about as perfect as it could have been, and has since become a classic.  But ever since I saw NIN in Detroit, and even before, thanks to YouTube, I have been obsessed with this remix of the track. I thought maybe that would fade, but here we are weeks later and I am still impressed with not only the audacity to rework such a well-known, iconic song, but I'm equally astounding as to how well it works. And now, with the Coachella lineup announced  (see above as well), it's obvious that this NIN/Boys Noize collaboration is going to continue as Nine Inch Noize. Personally, I love it, and am hopeful to get an official release of this version so I can buy it and listen to it to my heart's content. Welcome to Monday! Enjoy!

  I saw Nine Inch Nails for what I believe is my fifth time on Friday, and Boys Noize was not only the opening act, he was also on the "B Stage" playing with Trent/Atticus for four songs in the middle of the set, delivering a remixed/retooled version of "Closer" that I absolutely love. You can check out that part of the set below (starting with "Vessel" and moving into "Closer"): While all of that is certainly impressive, Boys Noize is no slouch when it comes to his own music. If I am being completely honest, I was torn as to which track of his I should post here, either "Close" or "Girl Crush," but as I listened to them both, man, it was a hard decision because they are both so good, but I had to go with my heart. That Gesaffelstein-esque, synth bassline just appeals to me in a way that is difficult to put into words, so I won't. I'll let Boys Noize's music speak for itself. Enjoy! Happy Monday! +/- by Boys Noize