Boris - Dear
Sargent House (US) / Daymare (JPN) / 2017 / Experimental metal
Listening to the album, you can hear why it's relatively popular. Dear is a tightly constrained album, marrying the drone and doom elements that form the core of its sound with ethereal, haunting vocals and keyboards. It's a combination that's served them well before in individual songs off Pink and 2008's Smile and that formula works here, forming some of the strongest tracks on the album. "Momento Mori" is a beautifully structured, shimmering dirge of a song and showcases Boris' knowledge of how to raise or lower tension, and "Dystopia -Vanishing Point-," built off the interplay between atmosphere and bombastic rock bliss, is the clear centerpiece of the album. The latter half of this 11-minute track is built off the strength of Wata's aggressive tone and emotive soloing, and it's a joy to hear.
Playing to their strengths seems smart when more experimental fare has fizzled out. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is uneven. Yes, the mid-album trio of "Beyond," "Kagero," and especially "Biotope" all work for me to some degree and provide some fresh sounds, but each are flawed and a little overlong. The opening two tracks and the closer are loud and flashy but have little substance. There are two good riffs in "Absolutego," the first single, but that's all that's there. "The Power" is mostly filler.
With a band as prolific as Boris, there are bound to be some clunkers, but past albums have had enough energy and drive to smooth over the rough spots. But because the pace of this album is firmly set to "slow, low, and (mostly) loud," these songs can feel interminable. The frenetic, wild vitality that powered previous song-centered (as opposed to pure drone) albums isn't what pushes this album forward. Dear is a contemplative, moody, spaced-out album, which I think will either connect or won't. Some songs stand out, but ultimately, the songs on Dear I like the most sound like the Boris I've heard in the past. For some, that might be a welcome return to form. For a band that has pushed the boundaries as much as Boris, I kind of expect more.
5/10
After the trash fire that was the 2015 same-day release of Asia, Warpath, and Urban Dance, Boris kind of needed a win. You have to assume that was a motivating factor in last year's reissue and full album tour of their most critically acclaimed album, Pink, as well as the 25th-anniversary lovefest that's been featured on their social media accounts. Aaron Turner, Jim Jarmusch, and Iggy Pop have all weighed in on Boris' greatness, with more plaudits sure to come. Though these quotes have been a little light on the specifics about their current newest album, critics haven't failed to praise Dear, the newest offering from the high-volume trio.
Listening to the album, you can hear why it's relatively popular. Dear is a tightly constrained album, marrying the drone and doom elements that form the core of its sound with ethereal, haunting vocals and keyboards. It's a combination that's served them well before in individual songs off Pink and 2008's Smile and that formula works here, forming some of the strongest tracks on the album. "Momento Mori" is a beautifully structured, shimmering dirge of a song and showcases Boris' knowledge of how to raise or lower tension, and "Dystopia -Vanishing Point-," built off the interplay between atmosphere and bombastic rock bliss, is the clear centerpiece of the album. The latter half of this 11-minute track is built off the strength of Wata's aggressive tone and emotive soloing, and it's a joy to hear.
Playing to their strengths seems smart when more experimental fare has fizzled out. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is uneven. Yes, the mid-album trio of "Beyond," "Kagero," and especially "Biotope" all work for me to some degree and provide some fresh sounds, but each are flawed and a little overlong. The opening two tracks and the closer are loud and flashy but have little substance. There are two good riffs in "Absolutego," the first single, but that's all that's there. "The Power" is mostly filler.
With a band as prolific as Boris, there are bound to be some clunkers, but past albums have had enough energy and drive to smooth over the rough spots. But because the pace of this album is firmly set to "slow, low, and (mostly) loud," these songs can feel interminable. The frenetic, wild vitality that powered previous song-centered (as opposed to pure drone) albums isn't what pushes this album forward. Dear is a contemplative, moody, spaced-out album, which I think will either connect or won't. Some songs stand out, but ultimately, the songs on Dear I like the most sound like the Boris I've heard in the past. For some, that might be a welcome return to form. For a band that has pushed the boundaries as much as Boris, I kind of expect more.
5/10
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