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Blotto
Singles Collection 2004-2007 |
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Tracklist |
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01 - Message
02 - BUZZ-IN
03 - Hanate!
04 - Hana, Taiyou, Ame (PYG Cover)
05 - Tonari No Saturn
06 - Karehateta Saki
07 - Kimi Ha Kasa O Sashi Te I Ta
08 - Bonus Track |
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Review |
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Straight up, Smile is not the best introduction to Boris. That honor would of course go to Pink, the 2005 album which broke the band in the West thanks to several state-side reissues from American avant-metal label Southern Lord. Pink was specially highlighted by critics from the indie elite (editor's note: sic) and the mainstream press for combining the different styles Boris had previously mastered into one cohesive musical giant of an album.
Smile is in much the same style-hopping vein as Pink, combining old school heavy metal, punk/hardcore, psychedelic guitar work, and even a new bit of balladry. But to newcomers, I can only imagine Smile as a confusing and frightening record, especially given its first three songs which move quickly from the brilliantly bizarre "Message" to the super-distorted thrash of "Hanate!" (the brutish hard rock of course gives way to gentle singing and acoustic strumming, OF COURSE).
No, no, Smile is most certainly for the diehard Boris fan who is already familiar with the balls out rock of Akuma no Uta, the slow, quiet burn of Flood, and the obvious melting pot of Pink. Because after successfully tackling those styles, Pink only made us want more noise and more originality, exactly what Smile delivers in spades.
There is not one song on this album that sounds like any other; the variety is just disgusting, but it all makes sense as one album because it's all still within Boris' universe of sound. "BUZZ-IN" is a quick piece of metal thrash with droning sound effects sounding like race-cars on a speedway (that would be the "buzzing in," natch) every time the band catches its breath between verses. Barely a moment's pause is given before we have descended into the aforementioned "Hanate!" which would be obnoxious if it wasn't so quick to move between ideas. Even though there are several transitional snippets scattered across the album, the achieved effect is more like acclimatization to Boris' diversity rather than a proper gluing together of the whole maelstrom. There is also a quick PA voiceover during a random bit in "Hanate!" that just says "ROCK AND ROLL" as if the band is making sure you know that this is their definition of how to kick ass.
The furious noise screeches to a hault with the surprisingly pleasant ending of "Hanate!" and the direction of the album switches gears. Exhausted by the opening salvo, Boris moves into a decidedly original territory with a straight-faced ballad, "Hana, Taiyou, Ame" and then "Tonari No Saturn" which actually sounds like it could be a tender love song. Boris haven't gone soft though; despite all the crooning, "Tonari No Saturn" does indeed have psychedelic hard rock breaks between the verses. Smile has a very loud start and a very quiet middle ("quiet" is a relative term for the trio), and it all comes together for the brilliant final period. The end of the album is started by "Karehateta Saki,"which sounds very much like the end of the world, welding together the loud noise of the first few songs with the gentle singing of the immediately preceding tunes. This is definitely the standout track on the album, highlighted by Michio Kurihara's typically adventurous guest spot on guitar (one of the members of sunn0))) shows up as well). The final two tracks are more progressive; each moves from old-school "quiet Boris" to the newer noisy monsters, easing the album to a droning close that is paradoxically both peaceful and anything but.
Smile is another major landmark moment in the Boris discography and meets all of the expectations its notedly rabid fans are used to having. The album is anything but cohesive as a whole, but it manages to work out its own logic by splitting itself brilliantly into self-contained sections. As if we needed another reason to love Boris, here are several new incarnations of the band from all areas of the sound and fury spectrum to love and rave about. Another record, another massive leap forward.
Author's Note: Smile is now available for worldwide mailorder from Southern Lord with a release date of April 22, though the mixing, song titles, and song choices are completely different from the original Japan-only version. The version of "Message" is now called "Statement" and is almost a whole new rock song, an aggressive theme that carries through all the new mixing. |
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