The Rock Blogger

Boris. Smile. 2008. Southern Lord. 3 stars.

Tokyo’s Boris have continually proved themselves to be one of the world’s premier drone bands, expanding their sound to encompass everything from punk to psychedelic styles, notoriously creating noisy and feedback drenched epics that make your ears bleed and your synapses melt. The tradition carries on to their latest full length Smile, which has finally come to grace the shores of the Western Hemisphere.

While Smile isn’t nearly as awe-inspiring as last year’s Rock Dream, or even 2005’s more punk inspired Pink, it still packs an enormous punch, with a flair for monstrous riffs and echoing distortion. Those accustomed to Boris’ inhuman use of gritty noise and electronic effects will find much comfort here, as their sound is still massive and overpowering. Making this release standout though is the inclusion of simmering melodies that peak in from time to time, as drawn out Japanese vocals careen across in slow crescendos, just before the songs are set aflame by processed guitar fuzz.

Despite Boris’ dabbling in experimental bass loops, effects and even some catchy hooks, many of these jams meander, becoming self-indulgent acts of amp worship that drains your emotions and your attention span. I’m sure more seasoned ears will appreciate the near 20 minute “You Were Holding an Umbrella (Pt. 2)”, but I just found the whole affair to be excessive. Smile may not be breaking new ground for Boris, but it does showcase their attention to detail and willingness to push their sound in new (if not confusing) directions. A must for fans, a cautionary recommendation for newcomers.

‘Statement’

Earth. The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull. 2008. 3.5 stars.

This is music for stoned, post-apocalyptic cowboys, like the Mad Max set, but more relaxed and pining for a peyote journey. The influential and experimental Earth, who revolutionized stoner rock with the minimalist drones of 2, return to the doomed Western landscapes they began exploring with 2005’s Hex. The jams here are slow, heavy and hypnotic, luring you with its steady, slithering bass grooves and catatonic drumming. The mood they establish is introspective and sedative, nudging you into an ancient and primal feelings.

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This is a live video of the cult drone-doom band Earth performing “Plague of Angels”. This song is a fitting demonstration of Earth’s dust bowl psychedelia, producing reverberating waves of intense, bass laden riffs over deliberate drum fills and evocative noise passages. This song appears on the excellent Earth/Sunn O))) split Angel Coma.

Earth/Sunn O))) Angel Coma 2006 4 stars.

Earth/KK Null Dexamyl/Andromeda. 2005. 3.5 stars.
I also picked up the rare Earth/KK Null split Dexamyl / Andromeda which features a live Earth track and two experimental noise tracks from the Japanese avant-garde artist KK Null. Pick it up if you can, its a fuzzed out head trip like no other.

Here are three incredible videos of Sunn O)))’s performance in Berlin, 2006.

In a word: monolithic.

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