psychedelic rock | Through the Shattered Lens

Doing a major 180 degrees the latest Song of the Day come from the Land of the Rising Sun. This song was first introduced to me by site music writer necromoonyeti and from the first time the song began to it’s final note it became one of my favorite songs. My last.fm profile will attest to this as I’ve played it a couple hundred times since hearing it for the first time.

I speak of Naki Kyoku by the Japanese power trio, Boris.

It’s difficult to describe the band Boris. They’re definitely s rock band, but other than that simplistic description they’re not a band to be pegged into any particular genre of rock. Their albums have ranged from early hardcore punk and crust. They’ve dabbled in drone metal, sludge metal and ambient. The song Naki Kyoku comes from their 2003 full-lenght album, Akuma no Uta (means “The Devil’s Song”). This particular album and, especially, this song brings to mind an eclectic blending of stoner rock with its cousin, psychedelic and noise rock.

Just like the band which birthed the song, Naki Kyoku can’t be labeled under any particular subgenre of rock as it seems to sound differently for each listener. Don’t know exactly who and what Boris is as a band and especially this particular song of theirs, but I know what I like and this song is one I definitely fell in love with at first listen.

It’s a Friday night, long day at work and now home to relax, unwind and just plain decompress. What better way to do this than to have a glass of 16-year old Lagavulin single-malt scotch whisky (three fingers worth poured), a pint of Guinness, a nice novel and, finally, light up a nice cigar. But to truly round things out listening to The Black Keys’ Attack & Release album just tops it all.

One particular track in their 2008 Delta-blues and Zeppelin psychedelic rock fusion album which really gets my head nodding to the beat and my foot tapping is the second track listed. I speak of “I Got Mine” and does this song ever blow my mind like 10k call-girl with skills. This song right from it’s first heavy chord right down to the last brings to mind some down and dirty southern, Mississippi Delta-blues and classic Hendrix psychedelic rock. While this song like the rest of the album has a more polished sound than the typical lo-fi and “garage band” music The Black Keys have been known for it still retains an in-the-moment and live vibe to the track.

The first 30 or so seconds of the beginning is an aural assault from Dan Auerbach almost channeling Hendrix and Duane Allman. Accompanying Auerbach on the drums is the heavy sticks of Patrick Carney who seem to be attempting to pound every drum beat right straight through onto the floor. Delta-blues segues into a psychedelic late-middle section before the two fuse into one unique sound to finish off the song.

When it comes to two-man rock bands many seem to be fans of The White Stripes with a growing legion of music lovers prefering Flight of the Conchords. They’re both very good groups, but I’ll choose The Black Keys w/ Auerbach and Carney over the two any day of the week plus Sundays twice over. The Black Keys really keep classic southern blues rock alive and well.