It’s a heavy world out there, a heavy confusing world and if you stick at it long enough and don’t weaken, you can win through to good stuff eventually. Maybe.
I have chosen Boris Feedbacker* to soundtrack my experiences. Their 2003 44-minute single track LP, with a locked groove at the end of each side, should just about see me through.
I first picked up on Boris via a friend playing me their Pink LP and I explored their back catalogue, mostly by way of free downloads because I couldn’t** afford the LPs – most of which were released in tiny numbers. It is so hard to pin down what this Japanese trio do , or to label it anyway – psychedelic doom, drone rock, psychedelic metal, ambientdeathpsychfunkcalypsocore?
Their back catalogue is varied and really interesting, with a definite bent towards rock/metal – hell they stole Venom’s logo for one release and then recorded with Ian Astbury. Oh and their own record label is called Fangs Anal Satan, that is to be applauded.
Boris do not settle down, or limit their restless creativity. Ever.
So, Feedbacker then. For my money we are within touching distance of a slimmed down Godspeed You! Black Emporer on this cut, all manner of mighty tension and release going on.
Feedbacker starts slowly, falteringly even – an idea slowly reaching consciousness, a single guitar line. It’s a major newsflash when we get the first cymbal, I almost phoned my mum to tell her when I heard the first snare hit. Feedbacker moves every bit as slowly and inexorably as one of those great big ice things and is absolutely brilliant because of that fact.
There is sweetness here, loss even in the half-mumbled vocals and some good old-fashioned rock power (at around the 25:30 mark, give or take). Then there are some punishing sonics too, excoriating feedback that scours and scrapes your nerves bare; you have to endure to win through to the sunlit uplands of Feedbacker. A truism about art and life^.
Words can only do so much here, it requires a listen to understand and to feel the seeming truth of it all; I’d recommend a darkened room.
Boris apparently keep returning to Feedbacker live, it seems to be a work that absorbs and one they feel is still important to keep out there. My copy isn’t a hyper-expensive original, just the 2019 reissue on Third Man Records.
Boris have written a great, testing soundtrack for these uncertain days, one it is worth investing the time in and putting yourself through the wringer for. Redemption is achievable folks.
The LP cover showing the guitarist Wata supine on a totally white background, blood pooling around her head is a striking one – there was a DVD release which had alternate covers featuring both the other members of the band in the same position.
1034 Down.
*sometimes called At Last – Feedbacker, I’ve chosen to keep it simple.
**and still can’t!
^a bit like L.A Guns ‘Show No Mercy’, but even more so, probably.
I know you fell in love with your own Lego Suzi Q, but that first pic above is a right corker. How you managed to create the illusion of a mini-fig elbow escapes me, but it’s brilliant.
Also, ambientdeathpsychfunkcalypsocore is my new favourite genre.
Thanks Bruce, that’s really kind. These Boris folk didn’t give me much to elaborate on cover-wise. The faux Virgin record label is a goodie though, I love little touches like that.
Never heard of Wata, but the cover is great.
She’s the guitarist, the band are Boris. Not named after our incompetent prime minister.
What, you mean the Trump Clone?? Was that mean???
You antifa are sooo mean.
LOL!!
I would say you like that cover as of last count I saw 6 images of in this post. lol. Speaking of counting I wonder if I should offer my services and help count the ballots and settle that silliness for Prez once and for all!
The thing is that the count probably always takes this long, the problem is the race is usually never this close and they can call it much, much sooner. But it is getting kind of ridiculous at this point.
Nevada deciding to have a day off doesn’t help!
It shocks me that voting isn’t a federally controlled thing – have it all standardised, particularly registration and entitlement to vote and policed by US marshalls. Am I being naieve John?
For this country yes. The last thing the people want is the feds to control the elections. All elections are controlled by the individual states since most elections are actually on a State level. There is only one national election and that is the President. Everything is State level and local. However, how the system isn’t set up to be more efficient is beyond me. We are in 2020 and you’d think technology would make things easier. But I guess it makes it riskier too with hacking.
Thanks that’s really interesting. I understand, but why things aren’t standardised baffles me. Everyone then knows what the rules are nationally and you lose lots of loopholes and murky corners. And I say that as a lawyer!!
Ha! The president and the media make it out to be so much worse than it truly is. There are so few cases of fraud ever!! The president’s claims are completely baseless and actually just plain idiotic…but that has been the case with everything out of his mouth. Whatever you are hearing over there, realize it isn’t as bad as they say. I actually have faith in the system, but maybe I’m naive. The only difference with this election is that it is so close. I think it normally takes a long time to count, but because races aren’t usually this close they can call it sooner. They now actually need to count every ballot this time before they can declare.
Who’d have thought two men in their seventies could maintain an election for so long!!
That little blue pill works well.
Same pic front and back on the LP cover – honest.