House of Boris

Sorry, Chicagoans, this post isn't about the late, lamented House of Boris hair salon on Ashland, whose ineptly rendered hand-painted sign (left) was always good for a chuckle. Rather, it's about the Japanese noise/ambient/heavy psych combo Boris, who are currently blowing my mind with their new album Smile.

They've actually been around for over a decade, and I'll admit I came a little late to this House of Boris. I'd always figured they were just another unlistenable Japanese noise band beloved by white fanboy types (though the fact that they were on the always reliable Southern Lord label should have tipped me otherwise). I was finally lured in by the cover art of 2003's Akuma No Uta, which brilliantly mimicked the front of Nick Drake's Bryter Later. I knew the music would sound nothing Nick Drake, of course, but there was obviously some warped sensibility at work here that I had to know more about... and lo, it was delightfully warped indeed.

Of course, outside of the very tiny world of hipster one-upmanship and rock critic pissing contests, there's really no shame in being the third on your block to discover something cool, nor is there any shame in working backward through a band's catalog. Which, if you're new to the band and you dig the following clip for their new single "Statement", is  what I absolutely suggest you do. Rampaging drums (complete with shitloads of cowbell)? Groovy falsetto-laced vocal hooks? Double-necked guitar-bass ridiculousness? A guitar goddess (Wata) dispassionately playing the sort of fuzz-wah leads that could open up the side of a battleship? An Orange friggin' quadruple stack?  Genius, thy name is Boris...

Comments

[rich]

I guess the CD this is from is Smile? Is the whole thing this crazy? What's not to like about a heavy trio with noisy lead guitar over everything?!
Sounds like something for my wish list!

[rich]

Forgive the dumb question - i see that you say this is from Smile.

[Dan E]

The whole record is crazy - though not necessarily in the same way. There's some really heavy doom shit on there, and some pretty ambient stuff, as well. I dig the contrasts between the different tracks, and I think you will too!