BAND: Boredoms

ALBUM: Live at Sunflancisco May 2005

LABEL: rhythm zone

CATALOG #: RZCM-45758/B

DURATION: 11:26

Released on December 19, 2007

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

1. U-Bus
2. Relerer

DVD: Region 2, 4:3, Duration: 65 minutes

1. SF Live DVD

My first discovery of the Boredoms was back in the 90’s when I was listening to their album “SUPER ROOTS 6″ and was just enamored by their sound. Afterall, the Boredoms were the quintessential experimental noise band from Japan.

I guess for me, because their music were so different from anything I have ever listened to (think drums, garbage cans meets R2-D2), I purchased the album.

Here we are over a decade later and the Boredoms are still entertaining audiences worldwide and have a US tour planned in 2008. The group featured on this album are Yamantaka Eye (Vocals, Noise and Sound Effects and for this album turntables and CD), Yoshimi P-We (drums, percussion, vocals, djembe and keyboard) joined by ATR (drums) and Yochan (drums).

Their music has changed quite a bit when I first started listening to them over a decade ago and focusing on repetitive minimalism, ambient music and tribal drumming.

For “Live at Sunflancisco May 2005″, at first, a 14-minute album with two songs may be a little difficult for someone to swallow and wonder if it’s worth the $40.00 price tag. But this release should be thought of actually as a DVD which comes with a two-song CD instead because the DVD is where the action is at and the album is just a bonus.

The DVD features the four performing in San Francisco in front of a live audience. Huddled in a small stage area are three drumsets and Eye’s hardware.

The DVD I have to say is where things are a bit “iffy” in terms of what one might want to expect from quality. Is the quality great? Is it well produced? Well, I think about an associate who likes to record her indie bands that she manages during a live performance. Preferring the quality of someone holding their video camera at a live concert. I would think that Futagawa Junko is going for that raw, watch it as it happens look.

With “Live at Sunflancisco May 2005″, the DVD starts off in the guest room with the family members getting prepared for the concert. Then for nearly five minutes, the camera’s focus is out and you see the lights which look like blurry diamonds. Now whether or not this was intentional or not, I don’t know. But once the group gets onto the stage, we get an overhead in an angle, look at the group performing in concert with the audience dancing and loving every minute of it.

Production wise, if you are looking for a concert with high production values, this is not it. You get the occassional zoom on a band member and there are some special effects used but it’s a raw, energetic live house filming with a video camera. This is how some people I know who video tape their indie bands prefer their recordings to be and the same can be said for this DVD.

There is no CD insert, the packaging is a cardboard fold out with two CD sleeves. artwork and DVD information.

All in all, this is an album that Boredom fans will enjoy. Their last live video was “Super Seeeeee!!!!!!” video which came out back in 1998. But here we are years later, another live album but on DVD and a CD with breakbeats by Yamantaka Eye.

The DVD captures the group live and the fans enjoying themselves watching the Boredoms perform live. It’s a straightforward video that fans can really enjoy and bare in mind that Boredoms releases are not always easy to find either. So, all in all, if you are a fan of this noise band, you can’t go wrong with this release.

Throughout the years, friends have asked if they would enjoy the Boredoms. I equate it with a lot of the music I listen to, especially with genres such as classical music or opera. It’s all music for your ears and you either find the beauty in it or you don’t.

Experience the Boredoms live in March/April 2008.  Click here.

BOREDOMS U.S.A. • Spring Tour 2008

15/Mar/2008 (Sat) : SAN DIEGO, CA Cane’s
16/Mar/2008 (Sun) : LOS ANGELES, CA Henry Fonda
18/Mar/2008 (Tue) : SAN FRANCISCO, CA Fillmore - in the round
20/Mar/2008 (Thu) : PORTLAND, OR Crystal Ballroom
21/Mar/2008 (Fri) : SEATTLE, WA Neumos
25/Mar/2008 (Tue) : MINNEAPOLIS, MN First Avenue - in the round
26/Mar/2008 (Wed) : CHICAGO, IL Logan Square - in the round
29/Mar/2008 (Sat) : BOSTON, MA Paradise
30/Mar/2008 (Sun) : NEW YORK, NY Terminal 5 - in the round
02/Apr/2008 (Wed) : PHILADELPHIA, PA Starlight
03/Apr/2008 (Thu) : WASHINGTON, DC 9:30 Club

Their latest album “Super Roots 9″ is due to be released in the U.S. via
Thrill Jockey Records (http://thrilljockey.com/).

**********************
Boredoms signs to Thrill Jockey (pitchfork article)
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/48224-boredoms-sign-to-thrill-joc
key
Tour dates included:

SuperRoots9 CD+Booklet of EYE’s Musical Score) RD: April 9th (Thrill
Jocky)
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/42183-super-roots-9

Boredoms “77Boadrum” article in The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/07/arts/music/07BORE.html?_r=1&st=cse&sq=Bore
doms&scp=2&oref=slogin

the band leader EYE had a hardcore band called HANATARASHI,
you should click on HANATARASHI to find out more about crazy EYE.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boredoms