By the Numbers - "Drowning by Numbers"

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This music series is international. Two U.S. artists, and a German band. And today, we’re headed off to Japan with a band that calls the Land of the Rising Sun home. In 2020, right in the middle of COVID, Tokyo-based trio Boris released a heavy (in sound - the vinyl weighed 180 grams) album called NO. The album was chock-full of heavy-duty rock songs, except for the final track, an ethereal song that turned out to be a hint of their next release, 2022’s W. Intended as a companion piece to NO (get it? NOW?,) W shows off the experimental side of Boris, an ambient album without the heavy riffs Boris is known for - and as a treat, lead guitarist Wata performs all of the vocals on the record. And her soft, whispery vocals give “Drowning by Numbers” the “healing” side of the two album’s concept of “a continuous circle of harshness and healing.” Other than Wata’s counting, the vocals are in Japanese, so you won’t understand her unless you can speak that language. You aren’t going to hear “Drowning by Numbers” on the radio anytime soon (ever.) As I said, this is an experimental piece, going more for atmosphere rather than hooks and riffs. The album as a whole has been compared to shoegaze (a genre that Boris does quite well,) and I’ve even seen this tune called “scary.” Haunting is a more apt description than “scary,” but music is subjective and I can’t listen for everybody, now can I? All I know is that this would have been right at home on the indie label, Kranky, back in the early 2000’s, had it been released then. A nice companion piece to a late night. Alone. Link is to the official promotional video featuring Japanese ballet dancer Yukiko Doi (admit it - you want a hat like that:)