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Pink's 10th birthday reissue is the perfect way to revel in Boris’ delirious power

"Pink (Deluxe Edition)"

Release date: 08 July 2016
9/10
BORIS Pink cover art
27 June 2016, 10:30 Written by Geoff Cowart
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Hyperactive. Accessible. Aggressive. That sums up Pink. Ten years after its release, it remains the Japanese trio’s most focused album as it displays the full Boris arsenal – from dreamy shoegaze pop to squalid riffs.

The group achieve in just the one minute and 47 seconds of "Electric" what most bands spend their entire careers attempting – to craft a slice of pure majestic and unadulterated rock. And the treble-heavy mix of the recordings plays straight into the album’s garage rock fixation, showing off their unhinged guitar work complete with woo-hoo catchy choruses. In short, it’s a killer album from the long-time line-up of drummer/vocalist Atsuo, guitarist/vocalist Wata and bassist/guitarist/vocalist Takeshi.

So do the nine unreleased tracks included on this expanded reissue make it worthy of your hard-earned cash? Yes. Because the songs derive from the same Pink sessions in 2004 and 2005 that yielded the album. It also features the artwork of the original Japanese release, made by the band members themselves, if that piques your curiosity.

As an unexpected bonus, the extra songs are even rawer, more ragged, and wilder – proving that lightning can indeed strike twice. And since Pink has always sounded so concise and so breathless, it’s amazing to hear another album’s worth of songs that were recorded in the same vein, even if the additional songs never received the same production polish as the original Pink tunes.

Opening with the six-minute "Your Name Part 2" sees Boris predict Yellow & Green-era of Baroness with its slow-burn charm. Yet its spell is immediately reversed by the absolutely mighty thrash of "Heavy Rock Industry", which actually sounds like it was recorded in a garage. It’s all the better for it as it twists, thrashes and turns in reckless abandon. While "non/sha/lant" is an aptly nonchalant and meandering double guitar work out, and "Talisman" is filled with pure Sabbath-like grinning intensity.

So yes, the 10th anniversary edition of Pink shows it remains both fresh and amusingly prophetic, while its nine unreleased tracks make it well worth the price of admission. It's a perfect way to revel in Boris’ delirious power.

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