Boris--Pink

Veteran underground rockers Boris are back with their new album, "Pink." Sticking with their hard-rocking alternative sound, "Pink" delivers a punchy package that’s sure to please old fans and draw new ones.

Boris has been playing the underside of rock since 1996, so there’s no surprise that "Pink" sounds on the most part mature and refined. There are songs however that did not impress, reminding me of a rambling old man, and losing my attention. "Afterburner" for example should be ended half way through, the last two minutes are repetitive, winding, and quite boring. Also, the last thirteen minutes on "Just Abandoned My-Self", a hummer at eighteen minutes, are nothing but feedback. While it got my attention and was certainly very unique, it becomes annoying considering the how incredible the first five minutes were. Also, if you’re looking for good, meaningful vocals and lyrics, look elsewhere. Most of the vocals are distorted and are more like another instrument in the song rather than lyrics.

Enough complaining, because this album is very good. The instrumentals are amazing, reminding me of a mixture of grunge bands like Nirvana or Mudhoney and The Velvet Underground. Songs like "Farewell" have dazey, almost shoegaze-esque styles played with heavy distorted guitars. The songs are very hard-hitting, fast, and energetic. "Pink" includes blazingly fast guitar solos, indistinguishable yet melodic vocals, and a total experience that will have you banging your head. Most impressive is the complexity and many levels of instrumentals. Every time I listened to this album I found a new guitar part, new bass beat, or weird effect that I hadn’t heard before. This level of instrumental maturity made a fan out of me, if only the band would take out the minutes upon minutes of boring and annoying repetition.

(Published at ComfortComes.com)