Boris: Smile

It’s a mark of profound mystical power when a band manages to embrace pop (sort of) and become all the stranger for it. Considering, however, that Japanese avant-metal trio Boris set out to incorporate sounds “beyond music” with their latest recording, Smile, the inclusion of big hooks and epic schmaltz in their cacophonous mix of drone, noise, and psychedelic bluster was bound to sound less predictable than it looked on paper. Boris, in fact, sounds more alien the more familiar the ground they tread. Having spent the last several years (d)evolving from a drone metal outfit inspired by the likes of the Melvins and Earth to a sponge for all things rock (usually of the “classic” variety) and psychedelic, honing their studied eclecticism in collaborations with artists like Sunn O))) and Ghost guitarist Michio Kurihara, they inevitably found themselves drifting towards traditional song structures. For an album that claims to be moving away from a strictly musical template, Smile contains as much song as one is likely to find in the Boris catalogue.

Stephen O’Malley from Sunn O))) sits in for the untitled seventh track, and Kurihara shows up for two tracks. You’ll hardly notice. That’s not because the guests fail to distinguish themselves, but because Boris have so assimilated these influences that Takeshi and Wata’s guitar work is sometimes eerily like Kurihara’s (check out “Statement” to hear what I mean), whereas Takeshi’s bass and guitar have always shared common ancestry with O’Malley’s expansive drone.

The sense of expansion, which has always been the meat of Boris’ output, has gone ecstatic here. “My Neighbor Satan” uses a pop hook in the verses to remarkable effect; the Japanese lyrics are a mystery to me, but the emotional timbre suggests a sympathetic identification with said neighbor reminiscent of John Milton’s infamous identification with the same. That, of course, is before all pop pretense is shattered by the heavy hand of the “chorus,” an explosion of metal fury that’s almost comforting after the alien melodies of the verses.

The rest of the album never quite reaches that epic height, but it really doesn’t need to; its earthier moments are more sky bound than most bands’ headiest rave-ups. Boris has made the first straight-up rock album in recent memory that doesn’t already sound like a cabaret exercise, bringing something truly original to the table.

-Lyam White

Boris: homepage1.nifty.com/boris

Southern Lord Recordings: www.southernlord.com