Boris — Smile

Smile is the proper follow-up to 2006's fantastic Pink, which, for lack of a better word, served as the long-running Tokyo trio's "breakout" disc. It strikes an awesome balance between melody and the act's trademark brain-frying noisy freakouts, which makes it one of Boris' most accessible releases. A short-lived squall of distorted guitar ushers in a lo-fi, trippy folk take on Japanese '70s supergroup Pyg's "Flower, Sun, Rain." The cover lulls listeners into a blissed-out state before suddenly morphing into a loud, psychedelic-fueled explosion that carries over to rapid fire stoner metal cuts "Buzz-IN" and "Laser Beam." The fuzzy, hard-hitting "Statement" is a full-blown party anthem complete with cowbell and cries of "yeah" and "woo-hoo," while "My Neighbor Satan" (how cool a title is that?) is a borderline pop song. Fear not, hard rock lovers, the band inject a few heavy, spacey guitar-driven instrumental segments to keep the track from getting too soft. Standout "Ka Re Ha Te Ta Sa Ki — No One Grieve" is nothing short of epic, as the group rip through nearly nine minutes of densely layered chaotic sonic gold that could have easily played on for much longer. Challenging and intelligent without being overly abstract, Boris' latest effort will leave most discerning underground music fans with a grin on their face.

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