Boris – Japanese Heavy Rock Hits Vol. 1-3

For a band operating with as much unparalleled prolificacy as Japan’s Boris, 2009 has been relatively uneventful. Although already having issued splits with fellow countrymen 9dw and pop-by-way-of-metal colleagues Torche this past August, it wasn’t unreasonable to expect news of even more Boris material by year’s end (just look back at calendars 2005-2008 for clear evidence of a sturdy fourth quarter release strategy). Arriving just in time to make it onto eager fan’s holiday wishlists, the unrestrained and always surprising trio has delivered Japanese Heavy Rock Hits Vol. 1, 2, and 3 – of all things, Boris’ own take on the vinyl singles subscription club niche. For as much as it can, it makes sense; regardless of which side of the fence you lean in discussions of Boris’ tendency toward specious production, the idea to market new material via such a setup for once plays the band’s fanbase correctly. Rather than create a frenzy (and the accompanying price-gauging) by pressing a limited number of varying versions across multiple labels and formats (ala Sound Track from Film “Mabuta no Ura” and Vein), Boris has decided to take it easy on the masses: if you want these 7” singles, Southern Lord’s got ‘em available individually, as a set (with bonus!), or as digital downloads. The only question then would be, with these songs so ripe for the (cherry)picking, are they in fact worth it?

Well-known for being tireless genre-hoppers release to release, as a platform to showcase this many-headed Boris at work, Japanese Heavy Rock Hits claims mixed results; the 7” single is unfortunately not suited to be the delivery system for monolithic slabs of droning doom or expansive psychedelic shoegaze – two styles the band can safely brand themselves masters of. What we’re left with, then, is material that uses elements of Boris’ prior song-oriented full-length Smile as a launching point. While I am a fan of that album, it is with the understanding that it was written largely in reaction to hangers-on of the garage-metal shitkicker stage the band brought to life so colorfully on Pink. Despite having its own collection of raucous cuts, Smile never disguised the fact that it aimed for the slicker appeal of pop over Pink’s unhinged-menace, resulting in a comparatively subdued listening experience.

Thankfully, Vol. 1 of the Japanese Heavy Rock Hits series opens with “8”, a track that after pulling the ultimate stylistic fake-out explodes into propulsive double-timed power-pop. It’s almost The Breeders circa­-Last Splash on amphetamines, employing the same sort of detached vocals featured on “Tokyo Wonder Land” (from the 9dw/Boris split) as a free-floating and hypnotic melody. “Hey Everyone” seems less determined to be out-and-out cool, and convinces me that at some point during the Lights In The Sky tour, Trent Reznor left a strand of With Teeth’s fuzzed-out club-isms somewhere on Boris’ side of the bus. It’s functional enough at proving that industrial garage rock can exist, but otherwise doesn’t really have the strength to follow the dazzling pummel of “8” – a minor gripe awarded to a minor catalog entry.

Japanese Heavy Rock Hits Vol. 2, by contrast, is the type of release that provides detractors of the band with ammunition in claims against Boris of hucksterism. The slinky post-punk of “Black Original”, Vol. 2’s B-side is actually serviceable, perhaps showing off the influence of former split-mates 9dw’s dancier moods. Definitely outside of Boris’ expected sonic palette, the song still manages to carry a warmth that drew me in; in a way, it’s the biggest (though not necessarily best) surprise presented in the series. That said, Side A’s “H.M.A. – Heavy Metal Addict” completely strips away any positive connotation “Black Original” may have left with me. It’s the first (and hopefully only) truly awful Boris song I’ve ever heard – an exercise in time traveling kitsch that will only garner support from diehards and try-hards. Touted as a celebration of “heavy metal tropes,” “H.M.A.” instead comes off as the type of watered-down testosterock that was used to introduce early-90s professional wrestlers to the ring. I have no problem with Boris exploring metal’s decadent past, but there’s at least a charm and sincerity to the band’s volcanic Motörhead worship. “H.M.A.” fails because it puts parody first – something I might be able to look past if this wasn’t the same band that shocked my body nearly to tears with powerful and genuine live renditions of “Farewell” and “Just Abondoned My-Self”. In brief: this is not how to save rock ‘n’ roll.

Though actual drone metal doesn’t make an appearance in the series, Japanese Heavy Rock Hits Vol. 3 comes closest to appealing to fans of that corner of the Boris catalog. “16:47:52” is a meditative excursion in minimalism carried along by Wata’s whisper-thin vocals, recalling what slowcore stalwarts Low were doing ten years ago rather than Boris themselves. “Rainbow”, the title track from Boris’ 2006 collaboration with Michio Kurihara seems to predict the song more so than any of the strange branch-offs that populate Japanese Heavy Rock Hits, but reinforces its own limited affair with well-placed soloing courtesy of the Ghost guitarist. A similarly strong guitar presence within “16:47:52” would have likely raised it to higher ground; the slight shades Wata briefly imparts during the song’s center simply don’t capture attention enough. The diminished performance of “16:47:52” does, however, expertly create the type of dynamics the Japanese Heavy Rock Hits series has lacked until Vol. 3 – when “…and Hear Nothing” finally lumbers in, it’s with tense crashes of excitement. A spiritual successor to “Farewell” and “Untitled”, “…and Hear Nothing” finds Boris comfortably pounding out the low and slow. Sinister, feedback-bathed riffs give rise to ethereal and somehow-triumphant vocals, a formula Boris has been toying with for ages. It may be the least “experimental” cut to be found across these vinyl releases, but for me “…and Hear Nothing” was the most-easily enjoyable.

As interesting as the scattered glimpses of Boris expanding their sound throughout the Japanese Heavy Rock Hits series are, I can’t say I’m convinced that more than half of this material should have been officially released. A fairly grave denouncement, I know, but the fact that every moment of iridescence corresponds to an equally-uninspired rote reinterpretation of songs that have frankly been performed better elsewhere is extremely disheartening. If you’re a fan on good terms with the band, stay that way by purchasing “8”, “16:47:52”, and “…and Hear Nothing” through a digital outlet, and pass on the by-now-hard-to-find 7” singles. I won’t angrily shake my fist at Boris for carrying out a musical and commercial experiment at the same time; hopefully the exercise of releasing Japanese Heavy Rock Hits Vol. 1, 2, and 3 has reinvigorated the outfit for its 18th year of existence, and they won’t shy from baring their artistic teeth. I won’t soon forgive them for “H.M.A. – Heavy Metal Addict”, either, but let’s say the healing’s already begun.

Southern Lord Records