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BORIS
JAPANESE HEAVY ROCK 7” VINYL SERIES
SOUTHERN LORD RECORDS
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For pure artistic integrity and super heavy bizarre music you really can’t go wrong with Boris. The Japanese doom/stoner/noise band has consistently put out top-notch work that pokes, stretches and even busts through the conceptual walls of heavy music. This time Boris has decided to not only release some kick ass material but to do it through three separate 7” releases. Each of the three 7”s were released in different months starting with September and as Boris gear up to release the last record of the series I figured it was time to swoop down with a review.
The first of the three 7”s titled “Japanese Heavy Rock Vol 1” which was released in September is kind of a departure for Boris who are mostly known for thick, heavy slabs of buzz-saw sound. Both songs on this record are a weird cross between pop and punk. Not at all pop punk but something of hybrid of the two genres. Side A starts with an ominous feedback swirl that descends into a slow plodding riff. You’d think this was classic Boris until a sudden snare roll throws us into a pop tinged punk rock song complete with oddly ethereal vocals. It sounds as if Boris decided to team up with Radiohead and record some music. Not the typical stuff you’d expect from the band at all.
Side B is more of the same thing only a little more danceable and a lot more pop. The song itself is a pretty straightforward driving rock tune that summons up feelings of Husker Du and old Sonic Youth. When the vocals hit they combine a weird cracking screech and these other worldy pop vocals. I’d hate to call a Boris song beautiful but that’s what this is.
The second 7” released in October and brilliantly titled “Japanese Heavy Rock Vol 2” is a little more of what people would normally expect from the Boris sound. Side A starts out with a galloping metal riff driven forward by the constant stomp of a kick drum. Over that the vocals are a bluesy caterwaul as if Jack White decided to sing for Judas Priest. I was also really amped when the claps came into the song. I just love claps don’t you? The riff stays constant through the entire song while other guitars and sound effects dance around it.
Side B gets really weird as Boris incorporate INXS style vocals into a hodge podge of heavy feedback distortion riffs and weird electronic tidbits. Not only is this a bizarre song for Boris to put out but it’s also wicked danceable. I never thought I’d think about tripping the light fantastic to Boris but this song could be played in any club across the world with dance floor boogie results..
Finally comes the third 7”, which is slated to be released in November and once again boggles the mind by calling itself “Japanese Heavy Rock Volume 3”. This is my favorite of the three records because it goes completely off the reservation for Boris. Side A is a mellow and acoustic song that is not only amazingly constructed but also hauntingly beautiful. Vocalist Wata allows the song to just hang in the air like a storm cloud about to burst. It’s not nearly as heavy as Boris but it contains just as much impact.
Side B is back to the Boris we know and love though they mix it with a Pink Floyd element you really don’t see coming. Huge riffs, clanging drum noise and droning feedback galore frame the vocals which seem to come right out of left over tracks from the Wish You Were Here sessions. Epic and dense, this B-side is sonically the stuff that makes Boris so loved by the rock and roll world it surrounds itself in. All three of these 7”’s show not only why Boris is one of the most creative bands around but also how excellent music with no limitations can be.
