Boring Noise
* Boredoms: POP KISS (1.5 mb) | Pitch at Butch on Itch (1.0 mb) | Monster Rex & S*und’A'R*undus (3.0 mb) | 96 Teenage Bonage (3.5 mb)
From Super Roots : Vice Records
Before the Boredoms became a shamanic drum circle with EYE as the leader (look here), they were a spastic, noise/distortion filled, sound art band from Osaka, Japan.
1993’s Super Roots just might be strangest of the group’s entire catalogue. It comes off assaultive but playful; a well-executed hit carried out by infant assassins with toy musical weapons. These mostly percussive, acoustic tracks rely almost solely on the performers’ heads, hands, and mouths to generate a restless, clanging racket. All over the record you’ll hear snatches of bodily functions, metal percussion, Eye screaming as if he’s being flogged, various band members beating the tar out of electric guitar and rock drums, mile-a-minute auctioneer vocalisms and barbaric percussive assaults, alien-nerd daisy chain chants, and the sound of getting electrically sick in the bathroom. It’s easily the most entertainingly difficult music they ever made. (Vice Records)
To a certain extent, my fascination with this band is because of how crazy EYE is: from releasing a limited edition album of 1 that included one of his teeth, to rumors of him driving a backhoe into a rock club as part of his “performance”. But even beyond that, the noises, squiggles, music and energy are utterly compelling to me. Those of you who are only familiar with their later works will definitely be in for a surprise by this album. And hopefully you’ll like it as much as I do.
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