| Sun Baked Snow Cave | ||
|---|---|---|
| Split Album by Boris Merzbow | ||
| Released | August 23 2005 | |
| Recorded | 2001 - 2004 at Sound Square in Japan | |
| Genre | Noise, Dark Ambient | |
| Length | 62:02 | |
| Label | Hydra Head Records | |
| Producer | Boris With Merzbow | |
| Boris chronology | ||
| Heavy Metal Me (2005) |
Sun Baked Snow Cave (2005) |
The Thing Which Solomon Overlooked 2 (2006) |
| Merzbow chronology | ||
| Scene (2005) |
Sun Baked Snow Cave (2005) |
Senmaida (2005) |
Sun Baked Snow Cave is a collaborative album between Japanese experimental band Boris and Japanese noise musician Merzbow. Recorded and developed over three years, The album consists of a single track that clocks in at over an hour in length. The album artwork was done by Sunn O))) member and regular Hydra Head designer Stephen O'Malley.
Structurally, the album has three distinct sections: the opening 18 minutes consist primarily of quiet, sparse acoustic guitar strums backed by distant whirs and machine noises; a lengthy crossfade shifts the album into drone doom metal, with Merzbow's accentuation via harsh noise layers; eventually, the loud half-hour settles through movements of noise into 6 minutes of a quiet electric guitar and ambience coda. The liner notes read as states:
"The roar of a (gigantic) wheel as it turns uncrontrollably. I vaguely recall it in a warm snow cave. A boom like a chorus of thousands of cicadas heard under the sun. Such a stories deserves to be born."
Sun Baked Snow Cave would be originally released in 2005 as a digipak CD. In 2014, the album was released as a double LP. Released as a limited edition of 1,200 copies pressed on black, white, electric blue, or clear with blue streaks vinyl. Initially available on August 16, 2014 as a limited release on the Hydra Head online store and from Boris on tour. A general release followed on September 23. It was repressed in March 2015 on clear/blue splatter in an edition of 500 copies.[1][2][3]
Sun Baked Snow Cave would attain largely mixed reviews. Greg Prato, writing for AllMusic and awarding Three Stars, would describe the record and note the press release stating "Sun Baked Snow Cave may be both perfect for Rob Zombie horror movies, and for a small baby's gentle night sleep.".[4] Dusted Magazine would praise the release in their review[5] as would LAS Magazine, awarding a 7.5/10.[6]
Going into more mixed reviews, Prefix would award a 6/10,[7] Pitchfork would rate the album the 6.5/10 score,[8] and Exclaim! would describe the album as "an interesting, if not overly drawn out and rather unspectacular collaboration.".[9] Lastly, Robert Christgau, who would award a D+ score, would offer a scathing take on the album with the following short review: "Only innocent doomsayers willing to call someone plucking a guitar every few seconds for 12 minutes a "solo" will get to minute 38, when Merzbow makes some interesting noises that in just a few precious moments decay, like everything in this universe of pain, boredom, and surplus value. But be of good cheer. For verily, if a band named after a Melvins song thinks the world is coming to an end, it almost certainly isn't.".[10]
Tracklist[]
- 1. Sun Baked Snow Cave (62:02)
Personnel[]
- Atsuo - Computer, Feedback Conductor
- Wata - Guitar, Echo
- Takeshi - Guitar, Bass
- Merzbow - Computer
- Fangs Anal Satan - Engineer, Mixing
- Stephen O'Malley - Artwork
External Links[]
References[]
[[Category:Noise]