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boredoms
Updated fan site with discography, links, and tour info. Warner Bros Music Japan > Boredoms Official site (Japanese only). B O P o i n t Fan site with many reviews and info about the band. BOREDOMS' eYe, Ear, Nose and Throat Page Nice fan site, and wonderful discography ("Pop Kiss"). The Japanese Avant Prog Short article on the current Japanese underground avant-prog scene. |
Pop Tatari1993
King Kazoo Eye: vocals Atari: drums Yamamotor: guitar, vocals Toyohito Yoshikawa: vocals Yoshimmy P-We: drums, vocals Hila Y: bass, vocals |
Group's fourth album finds them hitting their f**ked up stride, just in time to tour with Lollapalooza.
Hardcore madness. That's really the only way to describe what's happening here. Somwhere deep inside the heads of Eye and Yamamotor and P-We there must be some churning, buzzed punk groove, constantly spinning around Planet Rock with wheels of steel and stone, made by magic cavemen with computer clubs and plastic mohawks. What we end up with is an utterly original sound that never fails to entertain and annoy. This is the joint that made Boredoms in America. It's not as if they became pop stars, but when they went onstage in front of thousands of young, desensitized Gen-Xers in 1993, alternative music got a whole new meaning, and Boredoms finally started getting the mad props that only they could deserve. The good news and bad news - this album lives up to the hype. Beware.
Representative tracksHey Bore Hey: Off kilter, out of the mix, hardcore jam with that classic Eye crooning that has melted so many hearts and eardrums. Seriously, Boredoms' production has always been a few years ahead of the pack, and much of this album, while dedicated to the stoneage beat, features very eclectic mixes and arrangements. Cory & The Mandara Suicide Pyramid Action...: Insane clown smorgasbord of noise and beats. Actually, this was kind of the springboard to 1994's Chocolate Synthesizer, wherein they abandon all restraint, diving headfirst into surrealist noise-punk. There are precedents (try early Faust, Residents), but no one has really done it better, or with quite the violent persuasion. |
Chocolate Synthesizer1994
Eye (Yamantaka Eye): vocals ATR (aka Atari): drums Yamamotor (Seiichi Yamamoto): guitar Yoshikawar: vocals Yoshimmy (aka p-we): drums Hilah (aka Hira): bass |
Group's magnum opus of low-attention-span avant-alternative and genre-vomitting hilarity.
Once upon a time, music was simple. Two guitars, an attitude, and a hole in your jeans could set you apart from the millions of pre-packaged, pop-capitalist poster children. Not anymore, and apparently never at all in underground Japan. Boredoms have released album after album of unqualified wackiness to the chagrin of some of our best talents: Beck, Sonic Youth, Jon Spencer, and Beastie Boys (not to mention Cibo Matto, Sean Lennon, and Melt Banana) all owe something to these four guys and a gal. Chocolate Synthesizer was the group's last album fronted by two lead 'singers'. Yoshikawar (whose cookie-monstrous 'Po-li-say' is featured in "Acid Police") left to form Grind Orchestra, and the band never looked back. But for one last album, they were masters of the uncommonly insane hardcore circus piece. There are some hints of what would come ("Synthesizer Guidebook On Fire" could have been on Super Roots 6 or Super Ae), and there are even some relatively straight-forward tunes ("Acid Police", "B for Boredoms"), but for the most part, put on your seatbelt and prepare yourself for the unpreparable sonic trainwreck that is Boredoms.
Representative tracksShock City: Grating guitar+electric-sandpaper pulse gives way to a kind of primitive, trumpet-led war stomp. It evolves into something resembling punk, and then the bottom drops out for awhile. Chattering percussion and mumbling guitar set up a healthy scream-session. Then they decide to play a riff or two before ending midsentence with a hint of the opening unpleasantness. I think I need a drink. B for Boredoms: Yoshikawar leads the band through a cheerleading of its name, and then they commence to beat Melt Banana at their own game with this jam. Whoever said these guys can't play was missing the point: they can probably do whatever they want to do, and many, many things they shouldn't. |
Super Roots 31994
[none listed]
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EP release featuring the first in a long line of experiments with "trance" music, though it certainly isn't likely to chill you out.
This album is comprised of one track that lasts about 33 minutes. It is a hardcore punk tune, and other than the instances where the band changes the note they're vamping on, there isn't a whole lot of variation. That said, it's pretty intense if you can make it through, though a tad on the lo-fi side. The closest comparison I can think of would be Naked City's Leng Tch'e, which was also a thrash/punk piece lasting a half-hour or so (and which also features Eye on vocals). However, in retrospect this music is a precursor to what Boredoms would do with Super æ and Vision Creation Newsun, wherein primal groovefests were taken to their logical, blissed-out conclusion. Here, it's all punk aggression. Japan-only release.
Representative trackHard Trance Away (Karaoke of the Cosmos): As mentioned, one track (33:33 long) of hardcore vamping. The actual "song" only lasts about 30 minutes, and the final 2:23 is silence. The band does change chords every so often, but for the most part, Yoshimi drums like mad and Eye injects a few screams over a massive slab of monolithic punk. It's probably not built for repeated listening (and certainly not to induce actual trance -- though who knows??), but is a definite stepping stone to the band's current whereabouts. |
Super Roots 61996
Eye Yamataka Yamamoto Hira Yoshimi P-We Atari Atac |
Seemingly just another in a long line of Roots projects, this CD is actually a landmark album for the band. Here, they jump headfirst into a kind of do-it-yourself trance/techno music.
Besides the newfound emphasis on groove and beat, the most obvious difference with this album and others by Boredoms is the virtual absence of vocals. This makes for generally calmer music than the band is known for, as well as an increased sense of otherworldly ambience. The vibe is peaceful, but not necessarily benign. Dark, watery sound effects drip in out of the mix, and the bravado of early albums is replaced by somber pulsing. None of the songs have actual names, but numbers for titles. Also, many of the tunes sound like remixes of other tunes on the album (though with significantly different tempos, effects, etc). Overall, this may be Boredoms' most cohesive album.
Representative tracks2: Breakbeat-influenced tune. Basically, it's a repeated funky drum beat with heavily treated bass and guitar. There probably isn't an ounce of "pure" sound on this album, as every instrument, sample, and voice is filtered through some kind of effect or modulation. 11: Begins with a muffled stomp, then to some filtered electronic signals, and gives way to the bastard son of Can circa Soon Over Babaluma. Very much influenced by techno, but also by primal rhythms. No melody or anything, but could probably start a ghostly rave. 15: One of a few organ-lead tracks, this tune closes the album on a very serene note. Actually, this is a forerunner to what they would do on Super Ae's last track, and the propulsive ebb and flow of their current stuff. Had you said 10 years ago that this was the kind of music Boredoms would be making, nobody would have believed you. |
Super æ1998
eYe: Vox, tape manipulation, synthesizer, Tibetan ball, EQ-phasing, electronics, song, tape loops, bongo, handclap Yamamotor: Guitar, vox, percussion Yoshimi: Drums, percussion, vox, synthesizer, casiotone, trumpet, handclap Hira: Bass, percussion, vox
ATR: Drums, percussion, vox, electric percussion
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Sixth (?) album in the Super Roots series, wherein the band embraces trance rock, with an emphasis on pounding percussion, thick guitar textures and group chants.
When vocalist Yoshikawar left the band after Chocolate Synthesizer, the seeds for a new Boredoms began to sprout. The days of wild and krazy noise antics started to subside, and a new emphasis on groove and texture emerged. Super Roots 6 had been the first to capitalize on this aesthetic, and was considered quite a departure from Boredom's usual formula; this album (along with Super Roots 7 and VCN) continues in that vein, though subbing out the 90s techno influence for a kind of 60s primalism. Imagine an embryonic Can, circa Monster Movie: extended rhythm workouts with a floating harmonic structure, and a very playful kind of musical experimention. Apparently, these guys are sobering up, and it's proving to be an unlikely change for the better. Of course, hardcore fans may wax sentimentally for the old days of belching and tortured trumpet lines, but it would be hard to argue that the band's current sound isn't more sophisticated than before.
Representative tracksSuper Going: Propulsive, slightly psychedelic track. The band pushes forward behind Yoshimi's relentless backbeat and Yamamoto's watercolor power chords. If you have to pick a genre, try primal-ambient. Compared to the sonic de-revolutions of earlier albums, this stuff is positively soothing, though no less aggressive for the change. Super Shine/Super Good: These two tracks capture (almost) where Boredoms are today. It begins as a pounding, free rock-n-howl romp 'round the bonfire. Eye and company have really embraced an almost paganistic transcendence through beat. This leads into the bliss of "Super Good." All music box chords -- warm like the calm after the storm -- played by Yamamoto on his suprisingly accomplished guitar. Various sound effects float in and out of the mix, and before you know it, the group have tucked you in and slipped out into the void. |
Super Roots 71998
eYe: Vox, synth, open reel tape, vacuum cleaner, bell, effects, sound effect, electronics, insects, bird Yamamotor: Guitars Hilah: Bass, effects Yoshimi P-We: Drums, vox, bird flying sound, Casiotone ATR: Drums, samples, percussion
E-Da: Drums, electric percussion
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Second Boredoms album to reveal their true natures as psychedelic, hard grooving Krautrockers -- with a taste for Mekons!
The band's previous record gave a hint that all was not noisy in the Boredoms camp, and this one lets you in on the fact that they can be downright smooth when they want to be. Taking an old Mekons tune ("Where Were You"), the band makes quick use of their newfound interest in synth textures, primal motorik-groove, and Eye's magic mix. It's still rock, by all means, but it's not shock, and is certainly not very far from something you could slip on at a cool party and have people buzzing almost instantly. This is the album that refined Boredoms' new sound, as begun on Super æ and continued on Vision Creation Newsun. Its only real flaw is that it's too short (just over half an hour), featuring the main 20 minute tune and two remixes.
Representative tracks7~ (EWE remix): Short, fairly faithful rendering of the Mekons tune, but filtered through a compact Eye mix. There are some electronic bubbles and squeaks coloring the tune, but for the most part, the whole thing strikes me as a kind of underwater, muffled preamble to the main show, beginning with the following track. The last tune on the CD ("7+ (Eye remix)" - don't let the titles fool you!) is similar, but stretched to 8 minutes. 7 (Boriginal): 20-minute, original version of the first track. Begins similarly, with a simple rock beat and Eye spelling out "Super Roots 7", over some synth gurgles. This leads to an explosion into some very kinetic, Neu!-rocking, juxtaposed with serene synthesizer backdrop. After this, the song speeds up, sounding similar to some of VCN's more exciting moments. Of course, I can try to describe this until the cows come home, but none of it is going to translate the joyous, transcendant vibe the band tapped into on this release. |
Super Roots 81999
eYe:
Yamamotor:
Hilah:
Yoshimi:
ATR:
E-Da: |
Boredoms' take on the Japanese anime theme song of the same name, originally written by Isao Tomita and Tsuyoshi Ishigouoka.
The track "Jungle Taitei" was the theme song to a cartoon of the same name, sometimes seen in the West as Kimba the White Lion. Boredoms put it through their space-kraut mixing machine, and come out sounding almost catchy, compared to most of the rest of their canon. This CD contains three tracks: the original tune, and two remixes. While not an essential Boredoms listen, it will be of interest to most folks enamored of the band's direction post-Super æ, as it features similar textures, including exotic percussion, and group chanting vocals. The whole thing is over much too quickly, but is fun while it lasts.
Representative tracks
Jungle Taitei: Beginning with a blast of phased synth, and then a sudden quiet, Yoshimi's solo vocal enters, accompanied by bongos (jambe?). There are no words to the song, just a soaring melody that sounds fairly trad-Japanese. Soon, the band enters, with a pounding rhythm similar to some of the jams on æ. Eye doubles the vocal midway through, and the joyous tune ends as it began, fading out with a wall of synth.
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Vision Creation Newsun1999
eYe:
Yamamotor:
Hilah:
Yoshimi:
ATR:
E-Da: |
Boredoms continue to run rampant to a restless jungle beat with this fairly amazing album.
The band takes what it learned from the last album, sprinkles a pinch of electronica into the mix, and blends it all together to produce one of their best albums. They're still prancing paganesque around the pyre, and the rhythym is still ruling the show, but this time around the vibe is all about the sun. This album is almost celebratory in its worship of all things bright. Be prepared for a breath of fresh air, and a speedy ride to other planes. Trippy, to say the least.
All of the songs blend into each other, so there is almost a rave-like feel to the album. The music is similar to "Super Going" from Super æ, with more electronic manipulation, but fewer dynamic shifts. Each tune takes the same basic beat, but subtly altered, so you get the impression of movement rather than any actual outlined changes. The end result is an almost seamless piece of pure primal bliss.
Representative tracks The first track on the album begins as if waking from a dream. Soon, eYe declares "New-Sunnn!", and we're off. A huge, noisy crescendo brings in the pounding drums, and pretty soon you'll swear you can see the natives begin to rustle. A great splash into the wild, and it really doesn't ever stop.
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Rebore, Vol. 02001
eYe, Yamamotor, Hilah, Yoshimi, ATR, E-da |
Rebore Vol. 0 (subtitled "Vision Recreation") is Eye’s remix of Vision Creation Newsun, and helps make the case that Boredoms are one of the great bands of the rock era. It follows the track order from VCN, so anyone familiar with that album should be fine – not that chronology has ever been a major player in Boredoms’ music.
Once airborne, we are offered any number of puffy, articulate hors d'oeuvres, courtesy of Seiichi Yamamoto’s guitar and subtle synth. Eye’s remix tends to favor what seemed superficial on Newsun. Most of the pounding percussion has been removed and remodeled to suit the aims of the new breed: reverb, flange, delay, the cut and pasted – in short, the electronic and altered rather than anything natural. This may be my only complaint with the album; chiefly that while I always enjoy a good trip over the moon, a little earthbound warmth might have been nice. Elsewhere, we have intrusive drum machines making waste of whatever seams had been left untouched. In another corner is acoustic guitar and light cymbal, left to dry in the sun as if Pro Tools had never happened. I thought I heard a baby in there somewhere, but I’m sure Eye wouldn’t subject an infant to this kind trip lest it come back older than Einstein. Despite the fact that the tracks here are broken up (unlike VCN’s continuous program), the arc of the journey is intact, and anyone who gives an album like this half a chance will probably come out slightly changed.
Representative tracks7: The album begins with something of a fanfare, but there are certainly no trumpets to announce the arrival of this ship. Something like looped war cries (it sounds like drummer/cutie Yoshimi, but you never know) resonate over whirlpool reverb and the future shock of congas spliced with dial tone hum. Phased guitars and maraca treatises come in and out of the mix, but over its almost 9-minute duration, the overwhelming feeling is of takeoff – like a rocket without a rudder, and the final frontier was nothing but a prologue. *Note - despite the title, this is not the same tune as on Super Roots 7. |
Kinsei1996
Seiichi Yamamoto:
Atsushi Tsuyama:
Chew Hasegawa:
with
Takashi Ogushi:
Yoshimi: |
Eclectic group led by Boredoms guitarist Seiichi Yamamoto. This is seemingly Yamamoto's side-project, though it has garnered near the praise of his original band.
The Japanese underground rock circuit virges on the communal. Musicians flow in out of projects with more spontenaeity and whim than seems possible in America's more image-conscious scene. Yamamoto has played with all the greats, even performing with cool/bop saxophonist Lee Konitz. Bassist Atsushi Tsuyama has made the rounds as well, and this band manages to concoct a schizophrenic mixture of everything happening back East these days. There is a Boredoms influence, particularly in offhanded style-jumping, and complete lack of pretension. These guys basically play whatever happens to strike their fancy, but perhaps in more of an alternative pop shade than others in this scene. Yamamoto manages to tighten up song structure, yet somehow bring an air of naivete and amateur enthusiasm to the mix. Sometimes, it sounds like they were high in the studio, but for the most part expect a brisk jog through downtown Tokyo at midnight.
Representative tracksGo: Pop, or as close as you're likely to get in this camp. There is a not-so-vague Sixties feel to much of the music on this disc; Yamamoto seems to have been enamoured of Velvet Underground and Pink Floyd circa '67. Up-tempo, catchy, and is that actual singing? We Are Hello: Short attention-span music, a la Boredoms and Melt Banana. It begins as some kind of festive, sea-chanty chant, rudely interrupted by drum/bass bombs and squeaky helium voices. When the drums break into mega-hardcore punk, you're getting ready for overdrive, and then the whole thing implodes into some kind of bass-y, funky dub. |
Shock City Shockers 22001
Yoshimi P-We: |
OOIOO is something of a solo project for Boredoms drummer Yoshimi, as she produces everything, and writes most of the music. As of 2001, they had three studio albums and each one sounded progressively similar to recent Boredoms, with plenty of electronic fiddling and space-age sun-crash drum stomp – BUT with the major difference being Yoshimi doesn’t take Eye’s scenic rout as a means, via extended warp drive exploration and jungle hunt. OOIOO’s journey always ends up closer to pop than Boredoms, with a penchant for new wave chic and boisterous, sing-song melodies.
This album (on Eye’s Shock City imprint) is comprised of remixes of tunes from the band’s three previous albums, and one new tune, “Open Your Eyes You Can Fly” (which actually sticks out a little on this release, not featuring the electronic wizardry of the others). The cast assembled to re-stir the mixtures is itself a mixture of old Bore cohorts, and new characters, but there’s something that nags me about the release in general. It’s not that the music isn’t interesting to listen to: there are lots of headphone-friendly details, and sonic logic games to play. It’s just that I can’t help but think that since OOIOO’s albums always seemed at least a step away from greatness, always seemed to be in debt to recent Boredoms sound rather than an extension of it, that injecting them with electric steroids is misleading. For me, most of the music on this album sounds better than the originals.
Representative tracks
Tenkuteku Tune/Mountain Book: (two tunes from the 2000 release Gold and Green) is a very nice way to begin the album. We have a sine wave (provided courtesy of remixer Zak) floating over the top of the speakers, announcing the heady arrival of sunny, ambient flange-guitar and light synth. It’s conceptually similar to the last track from Boredoms’ Super ae, and placing such an offhandedly warm track at the beginning is a daring move. How could you follow something completely at ease?
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So, we're moving along nicely, with images of electric rays dancing in our heads, when all of a sudden everything comes into focus. Track 3 tones the drums down a bit, pipes in some tropical birds, and a adds a user-friendly synth line to glue the whole thing together. Contrary to anti-popular belief, Boredoms do know a thing or two about pacing, and for a few minutes the frenzy gives way to minimalist nirvana.
