It would probably be fair to say that Boris are one of the most wilfully diverse, and often difficult, bands of the last two decades or so. Running the gamut through drone, sludge and good old fashioned hard rock with admirable ease, the Japanese group deserve their place near the very top of the experimental music tree. Having said that, in recent times Boris have occasionally flattered to deceive. Their records have remained consistently good, but it is the classics records, especially 'Heavy Rocks' and 'Pink' that remain most vigorously praised. Joe Volk (pictured, above), meanwhile, is likely to exist a bit off the radar even for fans of the avant-garde scene. Best known for his work as vocalist for Crippled Black Phoenix, whom he sadly left behind earlier this year, Volk is also a creator of delightfully melancholic folk. A bizarre pairing for a split release then?
Well, actually maybe not. Boris and Volk have had this release planned for some time now, and it shows. This is not so much a case of two artists with a couple of spare songs putting out a split for the sake of something else to flog at live shows, but approaches true collaborative status if only because it all works together so well. Boris may deal in three part dreamy space rock whilst Volk contributes two tracks in a vaguely acid folk style but nevertheless it all sounds absolutely perfect placed on the same record. Volk’s 'Call to Sun' is, in many ways, a perfect pop song. The influence of Nick Drake may be written all over it, but that doesn’t make it any less charming. Closer 'Finland' meanwhile is a haunting piece in which Volk’s acoustic melodies, and the divine addition of some gorgeous string parts, carry a similarly powerful air to the psyched out electrics of the three part 'Cosmos' contributed by Boris.
'Cosmos' itself is Boris reaching a trippy rather than heavy nirvana, yet it is still exquisitely potent. Predominantly instrumental and seeing the band approach post-rock status at points, 'Cosmos' is a delight largely because it deliberately avoids any obvious retread of the band’s previous high points, something last year’s 'Heavy Rocks II' was particularly guilty of, and sets their dial straight for the heart of the sun. The reverb washes over everything in the fashion of the ultimate palate cleanser yet, underneath, there is still some trademark fuzz; it’s just being used more subtly than the band have achieved to date.
With largely faultless contributions from both artists here it is hard to pick out any real flaws in this split release; that is definitely the first and probably last time I will ever catch myself saying that sentence! The only thing one could ask for is whether Boris and Volk could potentially collaborate fully on a record, or just give us another dose of their perfectly entwined creative visions. This is pretty essential stuff.
'Split Release' is out now via Invada. Boris and Joe Volk are touring the UK to promote this release.
Dec 4th - Brighton Coalition
Dec 5th - Manchester Islington Mill
Dec 6th - London Scala
Dec 8th - Leeds Brudenell Social Club
Dec 12th - Bristol Exchange
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Well, actually maybe not. Boris and Volk have had this release planned for some time now, and it shows. This is not so much a case of two artists with a couple of spare songs putting out a split for the sake of something else to flog at live shows, but approaches true collaborative status if only because it all works together so well. Boris may deal in three part dreamy space rock whilst Volk contributes two tracks in a vaguely acid folk style but nevertheless it all sounds absolutely perfect placed on the same record. Volk’s 'Call to Sun' is, in many ways, a perfect pop song. The influence of Nick Drake may be written all over it, but that doesn’t make it any less charming. Closer 'Finland' meanwhile is a haunting piece in which Volk’s acoustic melodies, and the divine addition of some gorgeous string parts, carry a similarly powerful air to the psyched out electrics of the three part 'Cosmos' contributed by Boris.
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