Rock act Boris marks 25 years with an album inspired by fans
Halfway through my conversation with Atsuo, drummer and spokesman for drone metal trio Boris, I bring out an original CD copy of the group's 1996 release, "Absolutego." "This sure brings back memories," he says, looking at his band's self-released debut. The record is, in a ...
Review: After Hours provides powerful rock and a strong statement of intent
"Standing against those that ruin art," was the tagline for the After Hours festival, which took place across four venues in Shibuya on April 9. The sponsor-free event, curated by the bands Mono, Downy and Envy, featured more than 30 artists from a wide ...
Rock act Boris and noise musician Merzbow attempt an interactive experiment on 'Gensho'
The Japanese word gō'on can be rendered in English as a "roaring sound." It's often used to describe the loud levels of volume at a concert, which typically hit around 120 decibels. When rock trio Boris and noise musician Merzbow performed at the 300-capacity Shindaita ...
Rock, J-pop and dance: Albums we liked in 2014
The year-end album charts in Japan have a tendency to prop up the same acts year after year: Exile, anything that ends in a "48," and almost every group from the Johnny & Associates stable of boy bands. Writers at The Japan Times, however, ...
Leftfield J-pop, '70s influenced rock and shadowy R&B: Our favorite albums of 2014 (so far)
In his Strange Boutique column last week, Ian Martin wrote about the need for a canon in Japanese music in order for newcomers to the scene — especially those writing about it — to gain some context into what is being released. Without a canon, ...
Boris sums up its sonic spectrum with 'Noise'
Trying to define the sound of Tokyo-based experimental trio Boris is like asking someone their favorite kind of music. It's everything, it's nothing in particular ... it's definitely not country. "I think our music is built on top of an American rock legacy, but our ...
