Review: Boris With Merzbow “2R0I2P0”
The 7th joint project by two of Japan’s underground musical institutions displays Boris’ song-writing chops and merzbow’s gentle side.
Boris With Merzbow “2R0I2P0” (Relapse, 2020)
Let me start by saying this: despite the fact that they have been around forever I really have only a passing knowledge of Boris. I’ve heard a few tunes and always think “Weird, that’s what Boris sounds like?” and that’s about it. So it goes without saying that I have not heard any of their previous collaborations with Masami Akita of Merzbow. On the other hand, I have listened to a shitload of Merzbow this summer. Not that I’m an expert or anything but I have a pretty good grasp on what it is that the man does when he sits down to make some noise.
All that to say that this record is not what I would have thought a Boris and Merzbow collabo would sound like and its one of my favorite records of 2020.
The album’s first song “Away From You” (video at the end of this review) opens with a sound like small plastic objects being shaken in a box as a wash of guitars and cymbals gently roll in. A melodic bass groove comes in accompanied by soft male vocals. The rattling percussive sounds gradually build up into denser electronic chirps. At times it feels like the Merzbow firehose of noise is waiting in the wings but it never comes in, instead the rattling, beeping and whirring build up in intensity with the emotional route of the song. Rather than get one of the more, ahem, challenging albums of the year, it feels like a late-90’s post-rock record like something that would’ve come out on Grand Royal or Thrill Jockey or been on the Virgin Suicides soundtrack.
As “Away From You” dissolves, Merzbow’s clanging and electronics are isolated and you think that “Ok, this is where he comes in” but instead it segues into “To The Beach” with a repeated single note that blows up into a triumphant riff and another song that’s more post-something hybrid than doom/stoner rock and Merzbow’s strategy remain unchanged. The density of the sounds increases with the music and while its ever-present, the noise never truly overtakes the songwriting.
The third track “Coma” is the first time you get into something that seems like what you’d expect: an abstract effects-laden guitar piece with barreling noise but it’s still a long way off of being a Merzbow record. One is the simplification of what’s happening. The classic Merzbow sound could be described as 8 soloists all playing at once and so fast that there’s nothing that can be considered a “note”, but on “2R0I2P0” the noise is always articulated. A good example is the album’s next track “Love” where there’s always a few things happening but you can clearly tell what’s going on with every single element even at its most atmospheric.
Though this is also where the narrative arc of the record take shape. The bright opening tracks are left in the past and it starts to get loud and heavy. The atmospheric bits in particular work hard here as Boris’ catchy chorus has digital voices pushing in from the edges. On more than one occasion I was washing dishes listening to this on headphones and thought my wife was saying something from 2 rooms over (in case the implication is not clear — she was not). Other heavily affected voices scream across stretches of this while the noise sounds build up, some acting as textures and others coming in with guitar changes.
“less Boris With Merzbow than Boris By Merzbow”
As the record progresses the production gets more and more dense and the cleaner percussive elements and laserbeams are transformed into chugging streams and explosions of static and harsh noise. They keep just ratcheting up the atmospheric qualities over the course of the 10 songs and don’t release until there’s maybe 5 seconds of the record left.
My initial reaction to this record is that these had to be pre-existing Boris songs that Merzbow was adding extra production to. The songs are just too catchy and well-crafted for the band to just hand ’em over and say “Please make a racket on top of this” and Masami’s contribution is too considered (especially if you think about how often his records sound like they’re utterly outside of even his control). I probably listened to it 5 times before doing any research and it turns out that my reaction is pretty much the story. Boris handed over 10 tunes (the bulk of which come from 2019’s “Love and Evol”) and Merzbow molded them into “2R0I2P0”. Its less Boris With Merzbow than Boris By Merzbow — almost like a classic DJ mixtape. You expect the DJ to add some flavor, additional production and cuts, maybe get a little heavy-handed but you don’t want them to fuck up already good songs.
Ultimately that approach is what makes it such an addicting listen: these Boris are songs are great — yesterday I woke up with three different tunes from this album on loop in my head. There’s riffs and melodies for days and those elements are what you remember but then when you are actively listening to it there’s this incredible texture enveloping the whole thing that offers more and more with each listen.
Stream “2R0I2P0” below or scroll further for a video:
Check out the Nature channel vibes in video for “Away From You”