Review Summary: An abyssal foray into the institution of Boris.
While many musicians and artists out there explicated the definition of music long before Boris, few did it as well then as the Japanese trio has been doing for years, and are still doing now. While it’s safe to say that the band (oft-pigeonholed as ‘stoner rock’) haven’t changed the face of music forever, it’s difficult to deny that they’ve warped it in such a way that they’ve made their very own realm of music, creating a sound all their own. For years now the band has been nonchalantly defying expectations by crafting confounding record after confounding record, each different from the last. Refusing to be pegged into any sort of genre definition, they change themselves with each release, adding a new piece to the puzzle that is Boris. After all, Boris is Boris, forever and always. And no record better supports that than their much heralded
Boris at Last-Feedbacker.
Feedbacker is an aberrant piece of music to say the least. It’s easy to brush it off as a fuzzed out indulgent drone bonanza, as initial feelings are conducive to that. However, the album is a multi-faceted one, filled with intensity, thoughtful musicianship, and that oh-so wonderful Boris sound. It’s equal parts drone, metal, rock, and ambient, and is easily one of the most atmospheric albums of the last decade. Sure, guitar feedback plays a large part in said atmosphere, but once every other component is added, it quickly becomes more than some masturbatory experiment in noise.
Feedbacker is deep and complex, requiring an open mind and quite a lot of time for digestion.
The album is actually one long for composition, consisting of nearly 45 minutes of music split into five separate parts. Each part is depicted as ‘Untitled,’ furthering the feeling that they aren’t meant to stand as single songs, but rather, pieces of a larger, grander whole. Together they make
Feedback a wandering, exhilarating, and massive work of music. Within it lays stylistic shifts ranging from drone to metal, all whilst seeming incredibly natural. These shifts are subtle, and feel organic in that they aren’t mere gimmicks to make the album more interesting. Peaks and valleys, lows and highs are all present, and give the album depth without it becoming too bloated. Each moment in
Feedbacker is where it should be, making the album a wholly consistent, and frighteningly solid affair.
Feedbacker is ultimately beautiful, despite the confined chaos and unconventional sounds. It’s exceedingly deep, and marvelously complex. Pass it off as noise, or an experiment gone wrong. Scoff at its ardent and callous idiosyncrasies. However, for those who accept
Feedbacker for what it is, and for what Boris meant it to be, those will be treated to a truly unforgettable musical experience.
