Do You Want To Change It?

Nine Inch Nails “The Hand That Feeds (DFA Remix)” – Most of my favorite Nine Inch Nails songs are the ones that flirt openly with funk and disco, so it’s hardly a shock that I would see this DFA mix as an improvement over the Modern Rock arrangement of the original single. Of course, Murphy and Goldsmith aren’t taking this song too far from its roots – it already had an aggressive dance-rock pulse to it which was not unlike the producers’ work with The Rapture. DFA did not go full-on “gay disco” on this track as previously threatened (way to get my hopes up, James), but they do slip into their default house mode, a la the “pretentious” mix of “Yeah.” The mix does a lot of favors for the chorus, which seems a lot catchier to me now without all the radio-required loud guitars flattening the dynamics. (I miss the keyboard part on the bridge of the original mix, though.) Interestingly, placing Reznor in this context reveals a vocal similarity to Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie, which I hadn’t ever noticed before. (Click here to buy it from Pure Groove.)

Nice Nice “Yesss!” – This isn’t music for sober people, is it? Kudos to Nice Nice for making the Can-iest fake Krautrock that I’ve heard in a long time. They totally nail that “we are bearded mystics who fucking jam” thing, when most fake Kraut bands either emphasize the Neu! “motorik” 4/4 beat to the point of plodding dullness or go way overboard with the “we are art hippies so let’s freak out and make noises” routine. (Click here to buy it from Darla.)