Gensho

Gensho
Split Album by Boris Merzbow
Released	March 16 2016
Recorded	2015 at Sound Square in Tokyo, Japan
Genre	Noise, Drone, Shoegaze
Length	148:51
Label	Relapse Records
Producer	Boris With Merzbow
Boris chronology
Mr. Shortkill (2016)	Gensho (2016)	Crossing Waltz (2016)
Merzbow chronology
Konchuuki ‎ (2015)	Gensho (2016)	Kakapo (2016)

Gensho (Eng. Phenomenon) is the fourth collaborative studio album and seventh release by the Japanese experimental band Boris and noise musician Merzbow. It is presented in two parts. The first disc features re-recordings of several Boris songs and a cover of the My Bloody Valentine song "Sometimes" in a drone-based, drumless style. The second disc consists of new compositions by Merzbow. They are intended to be played at the same time, much like the previous Boris double album in 2005's Dronevil, or as separate works.

Background

The album was inspired by their Boiler Room set on 28 June 2014, during which Boris played a drumless set, followed by Merzbow, and then a joint set by Boris with Merzbow. In support of Gensho, they played a one-off show at Fever in Tokyo on November 27, 2015; a recording of the concert called Gensho at Fever 11272015 is included as a bonus with the Japanese release of Gensho by Daymare Recordings. It includes the recorded debut of a new Boris song "More", as well as a performance of rare song "Kilmister," created for the web anime series Ninja Slayer, and a cover the Man song "Many Are Called, but Few Get Up". Because the Boris tracks are primarily drone-based, both presented versions of the song "Akuma no Uta" are actually more similar to "Introduction" from the same album; regardless, the song is credited as "Akuma no Uta" on all versions.

The vinyl version of the album is released as two separate double LPs; one LP with half of the Boris material and one LP with half of the Merzbow material. Thus, no matter which form is purchased, it is possible to play both contributors simultaneously. These are also available bundled together as a single deluxe edition. The deluxe LP was featured as Record of the Week by Pirates Press.

Gensho would attain mostly positive reviews. AllMusic critic Thom Jurek wrote: "When taken together, these records offer ever-varying degrees of light, dark, power, and emotion that wash over the listener. Creatively, Gensho is so rich and expansive, fans of both acts should find it indispensable.". New Noise Magazine would award a perfect five star score, stating "One of the most impressive releases of the year and well worth your money if you’re a fan of one or both acts.". Other notable reviews would come from the likes of Consequence of Sound ("C"), Cryptic Rock (4/5), Antihero Magazine (8/10) and The New York Times.

Tracklist

All songs written by Boris except where noted.

Gensho Disc One - Boris

• 1. Farewell (7:53)
• 2. Huge (10:50)
• 3. Resonance (4:03)
• 4. Rainbow (6:20) (Boris, Michio Kurihara)
• 5. Sometimes (9:45) (My Bloody Valentine)
• 6. Heavy Rain (7:50)
• 7. Akuma no Uta (11:43)
• 8. Akirame Flower (6:14)
• 9. Vomitself (9:47)

Gensho Disc Two - Merzbow

• 1. Planet of The Cows (18:43) (Merzbow)
• 2. Goloka Pt. 1 (20:09) (Merzbow)
• 3. Goloka Pt. 2 (19:33) (Merzbow)
• 4. Prelude to a Broken Arm (16:01) (Merzbow)

Gensho at Fever 11272015

• 1-1. Overture (2:46)
• 1-2. Farewell (8:10)
• 1-3. Huge (10:23)
• 1-4. Rainbow (6:01) (Boris, Michio Kurihara)
• 1-5. Resonance (1:02)
• 1-6. More (6:46)
• 1-7. Kilmister incl. "Many Are Called, but Few Get Up" (12:10) (Boris; Man)
• 1-8. Melody (7:23)
• 2-1. Angel (18:17)
• 2-2. Akuma no Uta (14:57)
• 2-3. Heavy Rain (7:09)
• 2-4. Vomitself (14:05)

Personnel

• Atsuo - Drums, Percussion, Electronics, Vocals
• Wata - Guitar, Echo, Vocals
• Takeshi - Guitar, Bass, Vocals
• Merzbow - Computer, Electronics
• Shinobu Narita - Sound Production (Boris)
• Fangs Anal Satan - Engineer (Boris), Artwork
• Souichirou Nakamura - Mixing, Mastering

External Links

• Discogs
• Part 1 on Discogs
• Part 2 on Discogs
• Bandcamp