Boris with Michio Kurihara, Rainbow (Pedal)

I’m not sure I want to start reviewing Boris albums.  I reckon they can write, record and release an album in less time than it takes me to review it.  I’ll never keep up on my own.  I’ll have to employ an assistant.  They’ll be a better writer than me.  I’ll get jealous, and start sabotaging their reviews by inserting rogue grocers’ apostrophes.  They’ll get the hump and leave, and I’ll be back to where I started, drowning in an ever-rising sea of Boris CDs.

Following hard on the heels of a million other Boris records comes Rainbow, a collaboration with guitarist Michio Kurihawa from the brilliant Ghost.  Even from a band like Boris who haven’t exactly dug out a cosy self-contained niche for themselves, this is a bit of a stylistic departure – generally pretty calm and unhurried, with only brief flashes of white-hot psych-guitar.  I hear a lot of mid-1970’s krautrock influences: the title track has a hazy Future Days-era Can feel to it, with hushed drumming under otherwordly whispered vocals; similarly, “Fuzzy Reactor” is like Slowdive strolling through Neu!’s “Seeland”. 

Ah, but those flashes.  The decaying drone rumble of sometime Boris collaborators SunnO))) threatens lift off on “Rafflesia”, before Kurihawa’s scorching guitar powers it to the moon.  “No_1 Sweet No_1” is adrift in a maelstrom of crude and crunchy garage rock, both lashed together and ripped asunder by howling guitar assault.  This is awesome stuff; made even more frightening when you realise that Boris will probably drop another equally good record in a matter of minutes.  Situation vacant: apply here.

Listen to “Rafflesia” here
Buy it at Boomkat here.  Hurry, stocks are very limited!