BORIS "SMILE" METAL CD ON SALE $11.99
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2008 marks another milestone in the Boris timeline. It finds the act as a four-piece in live formation, with the addition of guitarist Michio Kurihara (with whom the band collaborated in 2006 for its Rainbow release). And it also finds Boris with the release of Smile, its latest full-length effort, which melds the buzzsaw guitar and rhythmic drone-like experimentation of the band's back catalog in a fresh, distinctive, song-oriented presentation unlike any of the band's previous releases. Though the genesis of the album might hail from the recording sessions of the band's Pink album, Boris maintains that they opted to more closely structure the material for Smile, a first for the band in composing and arranging the album's content in an attempt to find the meaning and understanding in affirming the composing process. "Smile is including various ways of the 'emergence of the song,'" the band says. One of the most representative themes of the Smile album hails from "KA RE HA TE TA SA KI (No One Grieve)," a distortion-drenched, psychedelic rhythmic barnburner. Atuso maintains that with over-extended touring, never-ending recording sessions and the flurry of activity that relates to the band's career, the members of Boris often felt exhausted, losing interest in music. However, they continued to relentlessly persist in this expression of themselves. And in the end, the band asks, "how is my face looking like? I really hope that is a Smile." "We should act, and act anyhow," they add. "The starting point is always here. Act and act until we feel exhausted. Lastly, we think, 'we are done.' We wish our faces could be Smile." Eschewing the traditional categorization of music is something which the members of Boris have continually prided themselves. "We really want to share the experience, phenomenon, or feeling that we have had and really hope Smile is going to be a new experience for everyone beyond music." A distinctly characteristic transformation noted with the release of Smile is Takeshi's vocal styling, which is more melodic and captivating than ever before. His seamless delivery, knack for harmonies and consonance drive Smile into innovative horizons within the already-extensive Boris catalog. And what keeps Boris moving ahead in its various stages of its lengthy career? Whether it's referencing "boris," "Boris" (undercase or titlecase refers to the group's less mainstream wares) or "BORIS" (uppercase indicating the trio's more structured material), the band's outlook remains the same - an outlook that revolves around a constant evolution of its approach and form. "We are always looking for exciting, stimulating and interesting music at the moment and expressing in that way, therefore our style is changing spontaneously and that change becomes its character at that point. Interesting experience and incident are way more important than surface style."