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Boris with Michio Kurihara, "Cloud Chamber"
After coming first coming together for one absolute monster of a collaboration, guitarist Michio Kurihara (best known for his exquisite playing in Ghost) again joins Boris for what is essentially a disappointing album. The two long pieces featured here form two ends of the same spectrum; one highlights how powerful a simple, noisy drone can be and the other shows just how bad self-indulgent guitar freakouts can be.
Kurihara’s previous encounter with Boris produced the excellent Rainbow; its idealised '60s/'70s psych vibes made for one the best of all Boris various collaborations. Although Cloud Chamber appears to have been recorded at the same time as Rainbow (it has a 2006 copyright notice), the two albums could not be more different. The melodies, rhythms, solos and vocals are all gone and instead there is a murky soup of feedback and atonal guitar. Cloud Chamber is not out of place next to other Boris dirgefests like Absolutego but considering they have been there, done that so many times (and so well) before, this seems like a step back for them. In addition, why they needed Kurihara (who is one of the best living guitarists for sure) is a mystery.
These would not be issues if the album was good but out of the two pieces, only “Cloud Chamber Part 1” has any of the power that I would associate with Boris and their ilk. Cavernous, black and huge, it is how I always imagined Boris sounded in the days before I could get my hands on their releases. The thick drone fluctuates in intensity from deafening to ear-splitting to face melting, at all times it fills the room like a fog. Had the group stopped at the end of this and released it as an EP, I would be hailing this as a titanic return to form for Boris after a string of disappointing titles (Smile, Walrus/Groon and Rock Dream all sucked).
However, “Cloud Chamber Part 2” is a limp, ham-fisted attempt at free rock. It starts off with a cracking buzz saw guitar which is killed before it gets going. From then on, most of the music sounds like a band trying very hard to be Fushitsusha but failing miserably. Even Kurihara sounds like he is just going through the motions. There is a brief respite at the end when the frenetic instrument bashing ceases and a very low, almost seismic wave of guitar takes over. Had all the piece sounded like the intro and/or the outro, this would be a monster. Yet the sheer laziness of the middle section serves to back up my initial thoughts about this being recorded three years ago; this could be the sound of the rot setting in. This should have stayed on the cutting room floor but Boris being Boris, they have not only released it but probably have half a dozen variations on it ready for release any day now.
Boris have never been consistent but at the very least they would release some great records at the same time as abysmal ones. Unfortunately I think the well of inspiration has run dry as they have offered little of interest in too long. I will most likely continue to chart their progress but I think the chances of another classic are approaching zero.
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