interview by Morgan Y. Evans
Japanese translation by Chiharu Royale
LINKS:
Every music fan at some point has come across a band for the first time that has a huge back catalogue, prompting doubts of where to begin or if it is worth delving into and appearing naïve to “know it all” types teasing you while you get your feet (or in this case ears?) wet. Shit, is it even worth shelling out for some bands’ 800th release you’re not even sure of when you can always rely on good old Ramones Mania? If the band in question is Japan’s much hyped cult phenomenon Boris, the answer is, unequivocally, YES! Shell out the bucks. Run to see this multi-directional musical power trio in action. Don’t even be deterred that they sing mostly in Japanese, if that would normally bother you. Soon enough you will be eagerly wading through their varied and impressive back catalogue with ravenous glee. They are simply that good. Is it simply because they dress well and are cooler than dorky Nu Metal bands because they are smarter and Japanese (probably a little bit…is that racist to think Japanese people are cooler than other people?) Regardless, their music kicks ass and guitarist/bassist Takeshi even uses a double-necked Ibanez SG-style bass/guitar at some live shows! That’s even a step up from Jimmy Page!
Whether you are already a devout disciple of Boris’s ball of fire guitar heroics and seamless hurdling of genres or are green to these riff-crazed Asians, you should check out the band’s new album, Smile. Released stateside, like their buzz-building U.S. “breakout” 2005 record Pink, on Greg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley (of the band Sunn O)))’s) Southern Lord label, the new record, Smile, is an excellent starting point for new fans, though really it doesn’t matter, because their whole catalogue features great moments/aspects, from the near garage/stoner feel of their Heavy Rocks record on Japanese label DiwPhalanx, to the stunning concussive guitar drone and rocking blasts on the Akuma No Uta release.
Stephen O’Malley, in addition to crafting Smile’s terrific, maniacally gleeful album art collage, also guests on guitars on the final track “Untitled”. Michio Kurihara of the beautifully dreamy Japanese band Ghost also cameos, making several appearances on Smile’s best tracks and furthering his amazing psychedelic-lounge collaborations with Boris that were so perfectly begun on 2007’s Drag City release Rainbow (another remarkable record and very different, much mellower in tone than most Boris! Female guitarist Wata even sang on that album’s title track, one of Boris’s most compelling songs ever).
The U.S. version of Smile (the Japanese features different variations of the same songs) is in some ways more accessible than past Boris, featuring truly catchy moments like the hi-fi yet squealing guitar laced “Statement”. This is not to say it is cookie cutter, and honestly the Pink album features a more straight-forward metal/punk/noise fusion to great effect (so much so that the band has lately been denouncing Pink as too “cool” or basic, even though so many people love it!) Smile takes some of the garbage can metal fireworks of Pink and warps it through a space-blender. Many sound worlds are visited, though it is all a part of what Boris calls their “Smile-world”, everything from moody atmospherics (“You Were Holding An Umbrella”) to scene kids friendly fuzz anthems (“Buzz-In” and “LaserBeam”) to thoughtful, foggy ambience that explodes into a Sabbath-y free-for-all (“My Neighbor Satan”). It is different than what you might be used to, but that’s a good thing. Smile will soon grow on you if it doesn’t grab you from the get go, and you’ll be nodding and grinning foolishly like the rest of us awestruck indie-snobs. You can catch them this summer on tour with sludge singa-long champs Torche and the always gnarly Lair of the Minotaur!
Boris’ drummer Atsuo answered my questions about how the band makes so much music, what they wanted to say with Smile, and if they have a master plan to terrify or blow the minds of the entire world of music listeners.
MORGAN Y. EVANS: I like how you sing mostly in Japanese because lots of bands try and sing in English all the time. I know you don’t all speak English, but it is great you are being yourselves and meanwhile showing your Japanese culture with the singing unaltered mostly.
ATSUO: Yeah, right. To us it’s pretty much usual to sing in Japanese. You know it’s already hard to communicate (tell everything) by the words. In addition to that, we don’t feel like using English, which we are not used to using. And we are not trying to make the name of Japan well known, just doing common thing commonly.
MYE: I know Boris is known for not doing just one style of music every album and that is cool. Like the Melvins (from whose song “Boris” you take your band name), some people will like some songs and not others, but it opens minds and makes people talk.
ATSUO: We are only making the albums to seek the hedonism of the sound, time by time. But on the contrary, I think we should appreciate that the way we do is recognized. And, I feel that it would be our pleasure to connect to people’s “realization” like that.
MYE: How did you decide to do two versions of Smile that are very different, one for the United States and one for Japan? In the past sometimes U.S. and Japanese versions have had different things about them but never this much, right? Is it just so I will have to pay more money for a really cool Japanese import CD? (That last part is a joke!)
ATSUO: In Japan, it’s very common to see a different version by the countries where they are printed. The Japanese version comes with bonus tracks, because most of the time a Japanese version would be released a few months after its original version has been released and so prices are higher. It’s just common sense in Japan, and we didn’t try to give you a big surprise or anything. Well…after Pink, we had thrown away our originality and were seeking the originality ahead of that. We used a producer (You Ishihara) for the first time for the Japanese version of SMILE and saw the process of completing the album where we were not involved. One thing that I thought when both versions were done, the difference between the two versions is…maybe you can see Boris in the gap? Or seems like Boris is between the lines you can not hear. Also, I got the sense of showing the secret of Boris by ourselves.
MYE: Michio Kurihara (of the band Ghost) collaborates with you on this new Smile album on some of the best songs like “My Neighbor Satan”. On the recent 2007 release you did with Michio on Drag City Records called Rainbow (probably my favorite Boris release), I heard that Michio did overdubs of his parts after the rest of you separately. Was it the same this time?
ATSUO: Right, well, maybe we gave him more requests this time than for Rainbow. We are touring with him right now, but it is always a thrilling and awesome experience. With Rainbow, it felt like Mr. Kurihara was painting over and composing during the overdub. It’s a very important album to me too, Rainbow is.
MYE: In the music video for the song “Statement” you are all playing live but obscured by fragmented lines and in the video for “My Neighbor Satan” you are blurry. Both videos use minimalism as a style, showing just the band the whole time but you are also obscured. It’s very cool! It seems to go with the idea that you never know what Boris will do next or can’t say exactly who you are.
ATSUO: Thanks! We are happy if you are enjoying them. When we make a video clip, we always take the way of digging down an idea thoroughly. We have a different idea each time and we have to figure it all out from how to shoot to editing. I think everything includes artwork, video clips that involve it to Boris, the works. And I would like many people to enjoy them. If you see them as seeing some regular point of view, you might not enjoy it as much.
MYE: Some of your songs are so psychedelic that they
could make people daydream or hallucinate even when sober. “a bao
a qu” or “Farewell” or the new “You Were Holding
An Umbrella” (U.S. version) really bring pictures into the imagination
and the riffs crash out the back of the listener’s head and blow
their minds! How much thought goes into the drone or more trance material
and how much is just spontaneous feeling?
ATSUO: Well, I don't feel like we are controlling ourselves
to compose at all. The way is just to be guided by music, play, record
and edit. Feel doing all of those intently. It feels like communicating
to music…
MYE: A conversation with the artistic force! Johnny Cash once said that his voice was a gift and had its own purpose and I always love that, like the artist as the vessel through which art reveals itself, as if whether we shape it somehow or not, it is all part of some human or universal purpose. Anyway, the Smile (U.S. version) is Uppercase BORIS on the record which in the past means that sort of record will feature more structured songs, but a lot of the music still sounds experimental to me because you are a far out band and interesting people/characters. It is not Bon Jovi rock songs, that’s for sure! But there seems to be more melody on Smile like on the recent Rainbow record. What made you decide to make an album like this?
ATSUO: Let's see...I might say it was experimental seeing Fakeness, Cheesiness this time. We've been tired lately of all “cool” stuff. Looking at something low class or something you want to refuse to look at, it seemed like transforming the experience from those things, an experience itself to the work. I don't think that we are especially interesting characters. What makes us creative is the music itself and I think. if they'd pay more attention to the music, anyone could be creative enough to make something interesting.
MYE: Boris make
so many good albums and always stay busy. Do you ever sleep or
take time off?
ATSUO: We are in an intermission of the tour right now and also recording. In the middle of the tour, we’re listening to the sounds from our bodies. Recording is fun! Once we get on the load, all kinds of stuff is gathering in our bodies and so as not to explode, we have to put those out as a work! Of course touring is hard, but we are trying to have some rest too. When we are not on stage, every day’s routine reflects to the sounds directly. What we have to do most is appreciate our listeners.
MYE: The art
on the U.S. version of Smile has Stephen O’Malley’s
collage of three spaceships. Is there a ship for each band member of Boris
to fly your music to conquer the galaxy? Your music reminds me of other
worlds sometimes or wide space, and then gritty rock songs like “Korosu”
also!
ATSUO: I remember that talking to Stephen about the artwork
at the airport in England. There was a “plane” in our mind
even before we started to talk. The decision on rough direction had been
made by that meeting. I wonder if we both had an image of “rise”?
He did a great job and I can't wait to see the completed work.
MYE: I like how some Boris lyrics are fun like “Buzz-In”
about being at a show and the thrill of it and the song is named for King
Buzzo of the Melvins. “Laser Beam” talks about rock n’
roll energy making life better and seems like it is like medicine or finding
salvation to love music. Or some old songs tell stories or being mad at
bad systems, like “Ibitsu” says “No need for forced
logic”. Some words are like painting pictures or poetry , some sound
hardcore and some remind me of early rock’n’roll, singing
about going to an event, but about life now, not the 1950’s.
ATSUO: That's correct. The song is about now. I'm so happy if you feel that way. We are connected to all kinds of things by making music, as an axis. In our lives, which music is in the middle, wonderful events, life value are going to be included in our words. We are not trying to send you a message or anything, but “The Wonderful Time We Sure Had” leads songs and words to us. The work would be our lives, would be our documentary in time between times.
MYE: Since you are together so much, how do you get along so good?
ATSUO: First, put each of our characters or skills on the side, trying to put meaning to music before that. Then some interesting things happen. We just enjoy that. We have been playing in this band such a long time, but never have made any progress in playing. [laughing]
MYE: “My Neighbor Satan” is very peaceful and then huge guitars come in near the end and startle and smash things open, breaking the spell. What gave you the idea for this song?
ATSUO: We
just came up with a sense of the “unnatural” spontaneously.
Somehow, we have a kind of rule of Smile world, and when we are
hopping on it, that world turns to a dew. Something like that. Feels like
going on a trip to the world of sound. Also, getting to know about the
“real” world as we are touring, hopefully we will be able
to capture “reality of sound of the world” to be equal to
“reality”.