Boris and Ian Astbury - discuss

** BORIS/IAN ASTBURY: BXI: Features a cover of The Cult's "Rain". BXI is the
collaboration between Boris and Ian Astbury (The Cult). Astbury's iconic vocals
are a perfect match for Boris's raw and emotive song writing style. Available on
your choice of CD EP or 180gr. black vinyl.

Anxious, skeptical, and intrigued, all. It's cheap at my local shop - $9. Used to love The Cult, only so-so on Boris. Anyone heard this?

haven't heard it, no. and don't know what to think. was never a cult fan, though i did own a cassette copy of love, bought on account of "she sells sanctuary". boris i go back and forth on. i tend to like them more when they're experimenting with textures a/o sprawling out in psychedelic doom mode, less when they play up the emotive song writing.

There's been some talk in Rolling Metal and on one of the Boris threads. Consensus seems like it is pretty much a misfire by everyone involved.

but the cover of Rain is quite good

Astbury does what he can (he's the reason the first track works), but Boris sort of dropped the ball on this one. And like pfunk says, the cover of "Rain" is the most interesting track, which ironically doesn't have Astbury singing.

This has to sound better than it sounds.

I'll just cut 'n' paste my AMG review:

This EP was never a particularly good idea, but it had the potential to at least be interesting. It's easy to see why Cult vocalist Ian Astbury's overwrought, post-Jim Morrison delivery would appeal to the Japanese hard rock chameleons in Boris; their discography's full of appropriations: psychedelic garage rock, sludgy doom metal, gentle soundscapes and endless abstract drones. The one thing they've never been able to pull off on their own, though, was a convincing vocal performance. Drummer/primary singer Atsuo has a rough bark that works mostly in a "vocals are necessary, so we have some" way, and his guitarist wife Wata's dreamlike crooning, while often lovely, doesn't provide a whole lot of oomph the way Exene Cervenka complemented John Doe, for example. So to bring in a dude who's been strutting the stage for nearly three decades, twirling the microphone and howling at the rafters, made sense on paper. Unfortunately, the songs just aren't there. "Teeth and Claws" starts with a dull riff and never gets anywhere, and Astbury's vocals are outdone by a small child who takes over as the track winds down. The main riff underpinning "We Are Witches" is better, but Astbury seems to be working against it at times, singing an entirely different song. The best track here is a cover of the Cult's "Rain," sung not by the special guest but by Wata in a voice that sounds like Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval, age five. And it all winds down with the fuzzed-out dirge "Magickal Child," which strives for epic-ness but never quite gets there. Basically, nobody involved brought their "A" game, and you can tell.

The one thing they've never been able to pull off on their own, though, was a convincing vocal performance.

^^^ have argued this line to much derision from friends, but atsuo just isn't a particularly strong or tuneful singer. wasn't a big deal when they were painting abstract doomscapes, but as their sound has moved towards soaring/emotive pop, it's become a problem. live show lives or dies by the amount of time he spends not singing.

The surprise appearance by the little girl on "Teeth and Claws" is my favorite part of that track, especially because I think it's Wata and Atsuo's daughter, who I met a couple of years ago - she came with them to a photo shoot. Super nice little girl; when the day's work was done, I had the photographer take a portrait of the three of them and we sent it to them c/o their manager.

This is just bad. Not very interesting work by either of them. Not really sure what the point was overall.

My comments in other Boris threads have been a bit more positive:

Picked this up at the show tonight (which was AWESOME btw, as usual) and played it on the way home and it's a blast. Not really a big Cult fan myself but I like this collaboration, it's an obvious stylistic match once you hear it.

― ilxor has truly been got at and become an ILXor (ilxor), Thursday, July 29, 2010 12:12 AM (3 weeks ago)

I bought this last night at the Boris show. And I like it. And I don't particularly enjoy the Cult, so it works on a different level and I'm not sure how. Cover song's great. Fun little stopgap EP, I suppose!

― ilxor has truly been got at and become an ILXor (ilxor), Thursday, July 29, 2010 10:54 AM (3 weeks ago)

Yup, I'd say it's the songwriting. Last song's decent, and the "Rain" cover is pretty good, but the rest is throwaway.

― ilxor has truly been got at and become an ILXor (ilxor), Monday, August 16, 2010 8:14 AM (6 days ago)

I agree the songs aren't what they could've been, but I think this EP works if you treat it as a fun, throwaway EP. Four songs is pretty much its ideal length; any longer and it'd wear out its welcome, but I've enjoyed playing this.