| Smile | ||
|---|---|---|
 Cover for the original Diwphalanx release. Southern Lord version below. | ||
| Studio album by Boris | ||
| Released | March 7 2008 | |
| Recorded | 2007 at Sound Square in Tokyo, Japan | |
| Genre | Stoner Rock, Hard Rock, Shoegaze, Noise Rock, Experimental | |
| Length | 61:42 (Diwphalanx) 48:03 (Southern Lord CD) 64:54 (Southern Lord Vinyl) | |
| Label | Diwphalanx Records; Southern Lord Records | |
| Producer | Boris, You Ishihara | |
| Boris chronology | ||
| Rock Dream (2007) |
Smile (2008) |
Smile Live In Prague (2008) |
| Alternative Cover | ||
| ||
Smile is the fourteenth full-length album by Japanese band Boris. It was released through Diwphalanx Records in early 2008 featuring guest musicians Michio Kurihara of Ghost and Stephen O'Malley of Sunn O))), both of whom have collaborated with Boris in the past.[1]
Shortly after this initial release, the album was released by American label Southern Lord Records 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".
Excluding the single song albums, Smile is the second Boris album to feature vocals on every track (the first of that nature was 1998's Amplifier Worship). Smile notably delves more into experimental tendencies with a more manipulated sound, use of drum machines, and even experiments with sampled tracks from prior releases. "Dead Destination" is essentially "No Ones Grieve part 2" from The Thing Which Solomon Overlooked 2 with additional vocals while part of the seventh song from Vein is used in the untitled final track. The band also covers "Flower, Sun, Rain" by the Japanese 70s psych band PYG.
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 (A prime example being the song "Buzz-In" which is about the Melvins live video Salad of a Thousand Delights), an 80s glam look for the band in photoshoots, and the tones of voice in some of the songs.[2]
The album charted on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart at number 20,[3] with mostly positive reviews.[4][5]
Background[]
Boris would begin work on Smile in 2007, recording drastically different mixes for the Diwphalanx version and Southern Lord versions, though not known at the time. The different versions of Smile contain different mixes: the English version was mixed by Souichiro Nakamura, while the Japanese version was handled by You Ishihara. Both of these engineers also contributed some bass and guitar parts to various songs on the record as well.
Preceding the release of either version of Smile, a single would be released for each version of the album. "Messeeji" would get a 12" remix single on 7 March 2008 via Diwphalanx with a re-mix of "Floor Shaker" as the b-side.[6] Southern Lord would release a 7" single for "Statement" on 26 February 2008 with "Floor Shaker" as the b-side, limited to 3000 copies (2000 black, 1000 yellow/gold).[7] Music videos were also produced for "Statement" (based off the US mix of the album) and "My Neighbor Satan" (Based off the US vinyl mix, with different solos than the US CD or Japanese version).
Smile would be initially released via DiwPhalanx Records (in collaboration with Disk Union and Daymare Recordings) on 7 March 2008, the cover being a yellow spongey heart.[8] The Japanese 2LP would be released on 11 April 2008, limited to 500 copies and contained in a box sealed with a sticker.[9]
The Southern Lord version of the album would be released circa 29 April 2008 on CD, featuring a standard double jewel case with clear tray, 2x sticker on cover & 18-page lyrics booklet with fold-out on last page. Booklet cover sleeve is made shiny metallic. A limited CD would be composed, limited to 3000 copies and containing a DVD with three music videos.[10] A compilation dropcard would also be given away with pre-orders through amazon.com, containing two exclusive live tracks at The Echoplex on 16 October 2007.[11]
The Southern Lord vinyl edition would be released on 24 June 2008, featuring bonus tracks and alternate mixes of some songs.[12] 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. "Laser Beam" would be shortened, due to the ending portion moved to side C and titled as "After Me". The sample of "VEIN" that appeared on "Untitled" would be it's own song, closing Side A. "My Neighbor Satan" would feature alternate solos and this version was used for the music video. "Flower, Sun, Rain" would be extended to over seven minutes. Finally, the full-length version of "Untitled" is presented on side D, albeit with the "VEIN" portion removed.
Tracklist[]
All songs written by Boris, except where noted.
Diwphalanx Version[]
- 1. Messeeji (メッセージ) (7:06)
- 2. Buzz-In (2:34)
- 3. Hanate! (放て!, Shoot!) (5:02)
- 4. Hana, Taiyou, Ame ("花・太陽・雨", "Flower, Sun, Rain") (5:35) (Takayuki Inoue, Osama Kishibe)
- 5. Tonari No Sataan" ("となりのサターン", "Next Saturn") (5:20)
- 6. Kare Hateta Saki ("枯れ果てた先", "Dead Destination") (7:26)
- 7. Kimi wa Kasa o Sashiteita ("君は傘をさしていた", "You Were Holding an Umbrella") (9:19) (Boris, Ai Aso)
- 8. Untitled (19:20)
Southern Lord CD[]
- 1. Flower, Sun, Rain (7:26) (Takayuki Inoue, Osama Kishibe)
- 2. Buzz-In (2:57)
- 3. Laser Beam (4:29)
- 4. Statement (3:24)
- 5. My Neighbor Satan (5:17)
- 6. Ka Re Ha Te Ta Sa Ki — No Ones Grieve (8:58)
- 7. You Were Holding an Umbrella (8:54) (Boris, Ai Aso)
- 8. Untitled (15:28)
Southern Lord 2LP[]
- A1. Statement (3:24)
- A2. Buzz-In (2:57)
- A3. Laser Beam (3:46)
- A4. VEIN (2:33)
- B1. My Neighbor Satan (5:22)
- B2. Ka Re Ha Te Ta Sa Ki -No Ones Grieve- (8:58)
- C1. Flower Sun Rain (7:50) (Takayuki Inoue, Osama Kishibe)
- C2. You Were Holding an Umbrella (8:54) (Boris, Ai Aso)
- C3. After Me (1:59)
- D1. Untitled (19:17)
Personnel[]
Boris[]
- Takeshi - Guitar, Bass, Lead Vocals
- Wata - Guitar, Effects, Echo, Vocals
- Atsuo - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
Musical Guests[]
- Souichirou Nakamura - Guitar ("Messeeji"); Bass ("You Were Holding An Umbrella")
- You Ishihara - Analog Effects Manipulation & Treatment, Percussion ("You Were Holding An Umbrella")
- Michio Kurihara - Guitar ("Flower, Sun, Rain", "My Neighbour Satan", "You Were Holding An Umbrella")
- Stephen O'Malley - Guitar ("Untitled")
Other Personnel[]
- Fangs Anal Satan - Engineer; Layout (Diwphalanx)
- Souichirou Nakamura - Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
- You Ishihara - Mixing, Producer (Diwphalanx)
- Miki Matsushima - Photography
- Yoshiki Ikeda - Lyrics Translation (Southern Lord)
- Nene - Illustrations
- Stephen O'Malley - Layout, Collage (Southern Lord)
External Links[]
- Discogs
- Southern Lord CD Version on YouTube
- Southern Lord Vinyl Version on YouTube
- DiwPhalanx Version on YouTube