Guitarist vocalist Wata goes heavy guitar experimental in Japanese band "Boris"

[the_future_modernes]

via afterellen's New Music Tuesdays

If you like 'em, apparently they've got two new albums out today!

This is guitar-goddess Wata from the Japanese band Boris:

Boris doesn't like to sound the same twice, and guitarist and vocalist Wata is an integral part of their mission explode your speakers while coming up with the most interesting sounds:


Boris - "Statement"

Boris ~ "Huge"

Boris - wata shreds!

Wiki sez that

Boris (ボリス, Borisu^?) is a Japanese experimental rock band, known for often combining and switching between different music genres including drone metal, sludge metal, noise rock, psychedelic rock, ambient and pop.
MORE

Couldn't find an English Interview with Wata so here's stuff from the whole band instead:


Boris Interview at Lollipop Magazine

How do you see yourself? As a rock band, a stoner band, or a progressive/experimental band?
It's easy to categorize something. We ourselves think we're a rock band, and that's enough. When we release a new album, the record store clerk decides which section we go in, which can get interesting! We like the confusion. Sometimes, the classification can help people understand the music.

Do you think of Boris as a band for the head or the heart?
We want people to experience us with all five senses. The sixth sense would be OK, too.

...

Who do you admire in the music scene right now?
People who are sincere, honest with themselves, show their feelings purely. People who want to grow with what they do. People have a tendency to admire only players, but the people who support them and introduce their music to listeners are also important.

People in the underground sometimes think there's just the indie bands and the listeners, but there are a lot of people you work with that can influence you. You can be part of an underground scene, but you have to change inside, or it doesn't mean anything.

Why is Wata bleeding from the head on the cover of Feedbacker? Is she bleeding from the ears because of the volume, or is it something more sinister?
The title was Boris at Last. Wata had become an icon for Boris, so if she died, would it be the end of Boris? But I wouldn't read too much into it, because sometimes death can signal a new beginning.

Do you have a favorite Boris album?
Takeshi: Amplifier Worship/Flood/Feedbacker.

Atsuo: The next one. I always get bored with our albums while we're mastering them.

Wata: FeedbackerMORE

Boris - Floorshaker from Roadburn 2008

BORIS "My Neighbor Satan"

Here's stuff that talks about the way the techicalities of their instruments, with some eyerolling on my part at the interviewer: Boris Interview at Dwarf Devices

1. How are you using the Dwarfcraft Devices? I wonder especially about the Shiva. Is that used for noises, octave fuzz, rhythm, or something else?

...

Wata / Shiva
Especially for lead part on quiet songs.
Though she likes very loud noise sound, the tone which she can get an accidental breaking off dry sound with using Shiva is more appealing to Boris.

2. Everybody wants to know about your amps, too. Can you tell us about that set-up?

...

Wata
Orange OR120, Matamp, Orange Thunderverb, Orange Rockverb, Orange4x12Cabinet x2
Output to amplifiers vary in each song.

4. What tunings do you use? The albums sound very low sometimes, but especially on Pink, we hear a lot of sharp/higher pitched punk influence.

Both Takeshi and Wata tune three steps down on guitar and bass, occasionally they tune 1/2 step up on B string or one step down on A string on certain songs. Playing higher position on down tuning guitar, we can get a different sound, feeling or chaotic texture than regular tuning since its wider sway of stringsMORE

Wata has also released a split EP called She's So Heavy with Ai Aso.

Official Website

Myspace

Pink Album Review @ Continuum Transfunctioner blogspot

Wata is simply amazing--a poster of her should be hanging on the wall of every teenage Metalhead from Tokyo to Tacoma. This is simply an example of taking extreme forms of music from rock history and bumping the stakes up a few more notches. This music bowls the competition over with an almost religious fervor, as though they recorded this album from inside a moving tank.MORE

One more for the road:

Boris - Naki Kyoku