Boris w/ Michio Kurihara - Rainbow

I am admittedly a sucker for anything that Boris puts out, so I try not to write about them to often since they release stuff pretty frequently. Rather it is an actual album or collaboration, the group seemingly always has something ready to come out, and I am usually more than willing to listen to it. Continuing their list of collaboration releases, their latest which just came out on the Japanese label Pedal is called Rainbow and is with mega talented Japanese guitarist Michio Kurihara. For those not familiar with Kurihara, he can also be found in Ghost, White Heaven, and The Stars.

The reason I am taking the time to talk about this particular release is because I honestly do feel it’s a bit different than most of their back catalog. While almost every Boris release brings something new to the table, this one seemingly does so more than many of the others. On Rainbow, the addition of Kurihara helps push the Boris sound into more of a psych/kraut-rock friendly area. Definitely an interesting expansion to the groups sound. While it does contain at times bits and pieces of the more drone related side of Boris, it’s the interesting and talented guitar work of Wata and Kurihara that truly make this album worth listening to. Some fans might be a bit disappointed with this albums overall sound, but I think it contains a very cool and laid back feel to it. More like a jam session between the involved minds.

Boris w/ Michio Kurihara - Starship Narrator [MP3]
Boris w/ Michio Kurihara – Sweet No. 1 [MP3]

While this is only currently available as an import, for those that must absolutely have it…the album can be found here. However, those who can hang on until May 15th Drag City will be bringing the album to the US for release and it is said to contain a completely new track no found on the current version. So that is some added incentive I suppose. Regardless, for whenever May rolls around, I do suggest picking this up. Fans of a more spacey and psychedelic Boris will surely be pleased.