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Post by Bucketfel on Feb 8, 2016 0:15:18 GMT -5
1. Boris – Farewell (Disc 1) 2. Boris – Huge (Disc 1) 3. Boris – Resonance (Disc 1) 4. Boris – Rainbow (Disc 1) 5. Boris – Sometimes (Disc 1) 6. Boris – Heavy Rain (Disc 1) 7. Boris – Akuma No Uta (Disc 1) 8. Boris – Akirame Flower (Disc 1) 9. Boris – Vomitself (Disc 1) 10. Merzbow – Planet of the Cows (Disc 2) 11. Merzbow – Goloka Pt.1 (Disc 2) 12. Merzbow – Goloka Pt.2 (Disc 2) 13. Merzbow – Prelude to a Broken Arm (Disc 2) Its happening guys, Merzbow + Boris yet again. And just like Hypnagogia said before, Goloka is being amalgamated into this work! Renowned Japanese innovators BORIS WITH MERZBOW have teamed up with Relapse for their new collaborative 2xCD/4xLP Gensho, one of the artists' most daring works to date. Named after the Japanese word for "phenomenon", Gensho is a unique release featuring over 150 minutes of new music spread across two CDs and four LPs, available as two separate double LP sets or a deluxe 4xLP edition. The BORIS songs are completely new, percussion-less reinventions of classic tracks from the band's storied catalog, while MERZBOW's songs are entirely new compositions. The two sets are intended to be played at the same time at varying volumes so that the listener can experience their own "gensho/phenomenon" every time. As with every BORIS WITH MERZBOW release, the only thing to expect is the unexpected, lending the album near-infinite potential for aural discovery and encouraging direct interactivity with the listener rarely found in such unconventional music. An untouchable paroxysm of noisy, droning experimentation! There is too much info on the internet, and i dont have time to digest it for everyone (im sorry) so here are some links and videos they've posted. Get excited people! There is also a 4LP version that includes their live set from last year! Pre-order: relapse.com/boris-merzbow/Bandcamp: borismerzbow.bandcamp.com/
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Post by andypandy380 on Apr 2, 2016 10:36:01 GMT -5
So, a few thoughts. First impressions and all, but this is a pretty stellar effort from both Boris and Merzbow... I'd say it's arguably the strongest collaborative effort they've put out. It's quite an unusual concept, although not a completely original one, I'm aware of other artists doing the same thing previously, notably Nadja the drone-metal band, and I think they basically did it as a tribute to psych-rock bands that toyed with the idea in the 70s... (I'm not familiar with any of those albums mind you) This is probably the first instance of such a thing where I've seen listeners engaging with the idea of it, and the first where I've personally felt it was actually kinda cool. I ended up ripping both CDs and using Audacity to create one long mix that I listened to on my headphones... Felt right with a touch more Boris in the mix than Merzbow. As the name might suggest, it does have a grandiose felling of being an event, or even a spectacle... As that huge Boris guitar sound fades in, you do get that sense of "brace yourself! this is gonna be one hell of a ride" and it really does thrive on the weight of both acts coming together... There were more than a handful of moments where I felt myself actively thinking "fuckin' hell that's intense!" Boris' setup is completely drum-less, which I was originally skeptical about, but I think that's the reason much of this collaboration really works, it's just far enough removed from being rock/metal that might have otherwise caused one side to offset the other and feel like no more a mish-mash of two separate projects.*cough* Metallica S&M *cough* I think it works surprisingly well for the most part. Most of the album feels like an ugly celebration of sound and intensity (in a Sunn O))) kind of a way) especially for the first half of the album, there are however occasional moments of tender vocals, percussion and an obviously Wata lead guitar line that don't sound too out of place among all the electronic madness. There is a moment in the second half where the guitars are more in the forefront with quite a grand and bright Post-rock vibe, which was genuinely quite uplifting and something I enjoyed hearing in the mix. I do have a few criticisms though, nothing too drastic, but I'm not completely in love with some of Boris' softer and more vocal/song-based moments paired with harsh electronics, they are quite shortlived, but I did find myself wondering if it was really working together on any level during those points. The latter part of the album was also a little bit of a disappointment for me, Merzbow's electronics become rather harsher, perhaps to match the intensity of the track 'Vomitself'... but I found that instead of ending on a massive grandiose finale, one side simply cancelled the other out. It also ends rather abruptly as if they all ran out of studio time and downed tools... which wasn't especially satisfying. That said, after my first listen of this album, I do think that overall it is a pretty good achievement for both acts, with sporadic moments of absolute brilliance... I suppose due to the format of the album, it could become a completely interactive experience if one were to actually listen to it on two different CD players... there'd be nothing to stop you getting all Mark E Smith on it and completely manipulating it in real time... changing the levels into something that that was more pleasing to the ear... You want a bit more guitar here and there... go for it.
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Post by davebowman on Apr 2, 2016 18:00:18 GMT -5
I haven't heard this one yet, but the 'play two albums at the same time' concept is one I'm familiar with from Neurosis/Tribes of Neurot releases, plus it strikes me that this is also a variation on Merzbow's own split release with Ladybird back in 1998, only they've split the signals out onto two separate discs. What I can't quite understand is why they haven't made this a 3 disc set, and included a version with both albums mixed together. As soon as I do get this, I'm going to have to rip and mix the two together, as you did - like 99% of people, I have no means to play two CDs simultaneously.
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Post by qweasd on Apr 2, 2016 19:30:24 GMT -5
...but this a completely arbitrary pairing of tracks? Like, go put on any Boris album and Merzbow's Kamadhenu and you get the same effect. Right? These are pre-existing Boris tracks. The Merzbow would seem to be old recordings from the final 'Merzcow trilogy' album, going by the Goloka titles and also the sound of 'Planet of the Cows'. Would be useful to have information about when these tracks were recorded (e.g. Samidara - released 2013, recorded 2009). The Merzbow tracks sound great regardless, particularly the 2 Goloka tracks. Of course this listen-to-two-things-together isn't a new format, just seems a convenient way to try to market a release, in a way that doesn't do the Merzbow material any favours.
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fred
New Member
Posts: 56
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Post by fred on Feb 8, 2017 4:47:54 GMT -5
What I do like with this concept is that this allow the listener to listen to it as he wants. For exemple I did not try yet to mix the 2 records together. I just listened once to the Boris CD (I am not a huge fan of Boris, not bad just it is not my cup of tea). The Merzbow'one is in my opinion a very good one. I am a huge fan of the first track of Kamadhenu and this reminds me of this track. Perhaps one of my fav' ones of the late Merzbow. It makes me want to listen more. So I am waiting for the last CD of the trilogy Merzcow...
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