Hey kids, Smile...
Boris. No, not that diminutive baddie from a certain moose and squirrel's television cartoon. I'm talking about the Japanese doom/metal/noise/psych band that has been putting out some of the most consistently hard-hitting music I've laid ears to in the past several years. Depending on how you count some of their less "official" releases, they've put out at least a dozen records since 1996 - each one exploring different aspect of noisy and/or experimental rock. Highlights include the debut, Absolutego, which was made up of a single 65 and 2005's Pink, which was released in the States a year later and gained them quite a lot of attention. Anyway, they are set to drop another album later this year, entitled Smile. I've had a chance to hear the Japanese version and I have to say it sounds really, really great and all over the place. The lead-off track, "Message", assaults with some huge bottom heavy scuzz and a krautrock inspired rhythm for over seven minutes. Over the course of the rest of the disc we get breakneck doom-punk ("BUZZ-IN"), pretty nearly shoegaze fuzz ("Next Saturn"), and even some 60's psych-folk complete with actual harmonies and a sizzling guitar lead ("Flower Sun Rain"). The album also features appearances from guitarist Michio Kurihara of the band Ghost (who also teamed up with Boris for one of my top ten records of last year, Rainbow) and Stephen O'Malley (from another pioneering doom band, Sunn O))) ). Let's hope Southern Lord gives us a U.S. release later this year, I'll be psyched to hear my own copy (not to mention admire that awesome cover art).
Boris - "Next Saturn" (taken from Smile (Japanese Version))
and please, buy something from Southern Lord... a great label run by some great dudes
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