Smile (Boris album)
Encyclopedia
Smile is the fourteenth full-length album by Japanese experimental
band Boris
. It was released through Diwphalanx Records
in early 2008 (late 2008 for the live version accordingly), featuring guest musicians Michio Kurihara of Ghost and Stephen O'Malley
of Sunn O)))
, both of whom have collaborated with Boris in the past. Shortly after this initial release, the album was released by American label Southern Lord with a slightly different track listing, different artwork (by Stephen O'Malley
), and an almost entirely different sound. The first 3000 copies of this edition include a DVD containing videos for "Statement", "Pink" and "My Neighbor Satan".
Notably, this release is the second Boris album to feature vocals on every track (the first, excluding any one-track albums, was Amplifier Worship
). Also, it delves more into experimental tendencies with a more manipulated sound, use of drum machines, and even experiments with sampled tracks (notably, "Dead Destination" is essentially "No Ones Grieve part 2" from The Thing Which Solomon Overlooked 2
with added vocals; part of the seventh song from Vein is used in the untitled final track).
The album can also be seen as humorous since Boris have referenced this album in an interview with Terrorizer Magazine as "un-cool" and "The sell-out album" with comical lyricism, an 80s look for the band themselves, and the tones of voice in some of the songs.
The album charted on the Billboard Top Heatseekers
chart at number 20.
received this additional free download-only collection.
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
band Boris
Boris (band)
is a Japanese experimental rock band, known for often combining and switching between different music genres including drone metal, sludge metal, noise rock, psychedelic rock, ambient and pop...
. It was released through Diwphalanx Records
Diwphalanx Records
Diwphalanx Records is a Japanese punk/metal record label. It releases primarily Japanese bands.-Artist list:*Antiseen*Balzac*Banana Shakes*Bitter Sweet Generation*Blue Beat Players*Boris*Church of Misery*Central*Cool Wise Men*Dead Pan Speakers...
in early 2008 (late 2008 for the live version accordingly), featuring guest musicians Michio Kurihara of Ghost and Stephen O'Malley
Stephen O'Malley
Stephen O'Malley is a musician, predominantly a guitarist, producer and composer from Seattle, Washington who has conceptualized and participated in numerous drone doom, death/doom, and experimental music groups....
of Sunn O)))
Sunn O)))
Sunn O))) is an American doom metal band known for its synthesis of diverse genres including drone, ambient, noise, and black metal. Supported by a varying cast of collaborators, the band has two core members: Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson .-History:Sunn O))) is named after the Sunn...
, both of whom have collaborated with Boris in the past. Shortly after this initial release, the album was released by American label Southern Lord with a slightly different track listing, different artwork (by Stephen O'Malley
Stephen O'Malley
Stephen O'Malley is a musician, predominantly a guitarist, producer and composer from Seattle, Washington who has conceptualized and participated in numerous drone doom, death/doom, and experimental music groups....
), and an almost entirely different sound. The first 3000 copies of this edition include a DVD containing videos for "Statement", "Pink" and "My Neighbor Satan".
Notably, this release is the second Boris album to feature vocals on every track (the first, excluding any one-track albums, was Amplifier Worship
Amplifier Worship
Amplifier Worship is the second album by Japanese band Boris.Excluding the "one-long-song" albums, this is one of only two Boris full-lengths to have vocals on every song , and the first time that Takeshi performed lead vocals for the band...
). Also, it delves more into experimental tendencies with a more manipulated sound, use of drum machines, and even experiments with sampled tracks (notably, "Dead Destination" is essentially "No Ones Grieve part 2" from The Thing Which Solomon Overlooked 2
The Thing Which Solomon Overlooked 2
The Thing Which Solomon Overlooked 2 is an album by Japanese band Boris. This album, along with The Thing Which Solomon Overlooked 3, continue the series of Thing Which Solomon Overlooked albums....
with added vocals; part of the seventh song from Vein is used in the untitled final track).
The album can also be seen as humorous since Boris have referenced this album in an interview with Terrorizer Magazine as "un-cool" and "The sell-out album" with comical lyricism, an 80s look for the band themselves, and the tones of voice in some of the songs.
The album charted on the Billboard Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
chart at number 20.
Track listing
The different versions of Smile contain different mixes: the English version was mixed by drummer Atsuo, while the Japanese version was handled by Souichiro Nakamura.Diwphalanx CD
Disk Union vinyl
Limited to 500 copies.Southern Lord CD
Southern Lord vinyl
Several limited-run colors of the Southern Lord vinyl have been released: clear orange (7000 copies), opaque orange (1000 copies), grey (1000 copies), yellow (1000 copies), and black (3000 copies). All versions contain the same music. The mixes here are similar to the Southern Lord CD release but the duration of some tracks have been changed, in part due to the addition of two bonus tracks.Southern Lord bonus DVD
The bonus DVD came with certain limited editions of the Southern Lord CD, limited to 3000 copies. It features three official music videos."Choice Cuts" Amazon exclusive drop-card
All copies of Smile sold through Amazon.comAmazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
received this additional free download-only collection.
Personnel
- Takeshi - guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals - Wata - guitar, vocals
- Atsuo - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, vocals - Michio KuriharaMichio Kuriharais a Japanese guitarist who has played with Ghost, Boris and The Stars, formerly known as White Heaven. He has also released a solo album, Sunset Notes. He collaborated with Boris on the albums Rainbow and Cloud Chamber, and also appears on the Boris album Smile.-References:...
- guitar on "My Neighbour Satan", "Flower, Sun, Rain", and "You Were Holding An Umbrella" - Stephen O'MalleyStephen O'MalleyStephen O'Malley is a musician, predominantly a guitarist, producer and composer from Seattle, Washington who has conceptualized and participated in numerous drone doom, death/doom, and experimental music groups....
- guitar on "Untitled"