Heavy Rocks is the sixteenth studio album by the Japanese experimental band Boris. The album was released on May 24, 2011, through the label Sargent House.[11] It is the second of three Boris albums of this title, with the others being released in 2002 and 2022; all feature the band exploring hard rock and heavy metal sounds.[12] The band repeated the album title for this release because they "seek to redefine 'heavy' music in a culmination of the band's tireless efforts over the past two decades".[13]
| Heavy Rocks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 24, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | 2009–2011 at Sound Square | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 53:00 (Sargent House CD) 52:07 (Daymare CD) | |||
| Label | Sargent House, Daymare Recordings | |||
| Producer | Boris | |||
| Boris chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 70/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [2] |
| The A.V. Club | B+[3] |
| Consequence of Sound | C-[4] |
| Drowned in Sound | 7/10[5] |
| Pitchfork Media | 5.2/10[6] |
| Popmatters |   [7] |
| Rock Sound | 8/10[8] |
| Spin | 7/10[9] |
| Sputnikmusic | 4/5[10] |
The album was released on the same day as Attention Please, with which it shares the track "Aileron."[14] It also shares different mixes of the songs "Jackson Head" and "Tu, La La" with New Album.
Background
editInitial track list information had the song "8" (previously available on Japanese Heavy Rock Hits) listed as the second track, but the final release replaced it with "Leak -Truth, yesnoyesnoyes."[15] On March 29, 2011, Pitchfork Media released the song "Riot Sugar" in promotion for the album.[16]
The vinyl edition features extended versions of "Missing Pieces" and "Czechoslovakia."[17] An additional full length mix of "Czechoslovakia" with vocals by Tomáš Zakopal was released on a split 7-inch with his band, Saade.[18] On May 16, Heavy Rocks in its entirety was made available in full for streaming on NPR Music.[19]
Track listing
editAll songs and words by Boris with the exception of Track 2 by Boris and Keisuke Suzuki.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Riot Sugar" ("甘い暴動", lit. "Sweet Riot") | 3:56 |
| 2. | "Leak-Truth,yesnoyesnoyes-" ("Leak-本当の反対の反対の反対の反対-", "Leak (The Opposite of the Opposite of the Opposite of a Real Opposition)") | 4:11 |
| 3. | "Galaxians" | 4:09 |
| 4. | "Jackson Head" ("ジャクソンヘッド") | 3:00 |
| 5. | "Missing Pieces" | CD:12:22 LP:14:27 |
| 6. | "Key" ("扉", lit. "A Door") | 1:46 |
| 7. | "Window Shopping" | 3:57 |
| 8. | "Tu, la la" | 4:21 |
| 9. | "Aileron" ("エルロン") | 12:45 |
| 10. | "Czechoslovakia" ("チェコスロバキア") | CD:1:35 LP:5:46 |
Credits
edit- Takeshi – vocals, bass, and guitar
- Wata – guitar, echo, and keyboard
- Atsuo – vocals, drums, and percussion
- Michio Kurihara – guitar on tracks 2, 5, and 7
- Ian Astbury – vocals on track 1
- Kensuke Saito – analog synth on track 3
- Yoshiko Kawakita – vocals on track 7
- Faith Coloccia – piano on track 9
- Aaron Turner – voices, guitars, and loops on track 9
- Design by Fangsanalsatan and SOMA
- Recording by fangsanalsatan at Sound Square 2009–2011
- Mix and Mastering by Soichiro Nakamura at Peace Music 2011
- Translation by Yoshiko Ikeda
- Production by Boris
- Photos by Miki Matsushima
- Logotype by Futuyong
References
edit- ^ "Heavy Rocks – Boris". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ Jurek, Thom. "Heavy Rocks – Boris". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ Heller, Jason (May 24, 2011). "Boris: Heavy Rocks / Attention Please". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ Young, Alex (May 27, 201). "Boris – Heavy Rocks". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ Gardner, Noel (May 26, 2011). "Album Review: Boris – Attention Please/Heavy Rocks". Drowned in Sound. Silentway. Archived from the original on December 27, 2014. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ Currin, Grayson. Attention Please / Heavy Rocks review pitchfork.com. 2011-05-20. Retrieved on 2011-05-28.
- ^ Branson, Scott (May 25, 2011). "Boris: Attention Please / Heavy Rocks". Popmatters. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ Kemp, Mike (May 19, 2011). "Boris – Attention Please / Heavy Rocks". Rock Sound. Freeway Press Inc. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ Schultz, Christopher (May 24, 2011). "Boris, 'Heavy Rocks' (Sargent House)". Spin. SpinMedia. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ Andrew, Elijah (May 20, 2011). "Review: Boris – Heavy Rocks II". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ Boris Store Is Now Open borisheavyrocks.tumblr.com. Retrieved on 2011-03-26.
- ^ Hadusek, Jon (2022-08-04). "Boris unveil riff-hitting new song "My Name Is Blank": Stream". Consequence. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
- ^ Press release of the album on Sargent House Records
- ^ Announcement of Heavy Rocks and Attention Please
- ^ Official Heavy Rocks preorder Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ New Boris: "Riot Sugar"
- ^ "Preorder for Heavy Rocks vinyl release". Archived from the original on 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2011-03-25.
- ^ Split with Saade
- ^ NPR Music streams Heavy Rocks