Pitchfork

Dominique Leone & Chris Rediske report:
Yes! It appears that, after an extended five-year hiatus, Japanese mega power maxi super-rock mayhem pioneers Boredoms will return this fall with their first album since 1999's glorious psychedelic excursion Vision Creation Newsun. Titled Seadrum/House of Sun, the record is presently slated for a September 23rd release via Warner Music Japan! Unfortunately, this is all that is known! Fortunately, the speculative details are legion! And we can now offer to you the fruits of our hours upon hours research! Let's go!

In recent years, the elusive Boredoms had been thought to have disbanded, leaving frontman Yamatsuka Eye to record under the name Vooredoms, with the assistance of three drummers. However, no proper Vooredoms LP has ever materialized, despite the band's countless live performances over the past couple of years. Now something real weird has happened: A new disc, Seadrum/House of Sun, has been popping up on the websites of Japaese online CD vendors, credited not to Vooredoms, but indeed, to Boredoms, which suggests that it may, in fact, feature contributions from thought-to-be-departed guitarist Seiichi Yamamoto and bassist Hira.

Furthermore, the title of the album hints at something reported by a 2002 Wire article-- material laid to tape on a beach, with drums recorded underwater. A post on Yahoo!'s Boredoms group may shed more light on the subject, quoting Eye as saying that the band had recorded an album in 2001, but were having trouble getting Warner Japan to release it. Perhaps this is that record. Perhaps not.

One very curious detail about Seadrum/House of Sun is that the album bears the same catalog number as 2001's Rebore Vol. 3, raising doubts as to whether this is even a new Boredoms release at all. However, the Pitchfork interns* have been hard at work translating the Japanese text that accompanies the album at these CD vendors, and it definitely points toward a new studio Boredoms release. The translated text reads:

"Shaking! Amazement! A Thundering Blast of Fresh Air! Tears of Gratitude! Astounding! It's been a long time since their last release back in 1998, but a new work under the name Boredoms has been completed! The members have individually been playing in innumerable other bands over an incredible range, but finally the real thing starts! With the Boredoms' following of hardcore fans not only in Japan but overseas as well, what type of album is coming? This is an album to look out for!"

Seadrum/House of Sun's September 23rd release, unfortunately, does not extend to Europe or North America. As with all previous Boredoms records, it will be issued first in Japan only, meaning that, for the time being, fans will be made to pay outrageous import prices of around $35, including shipping.

Though the album title suggests the distinct possibility of a double album, every CD vendor listing the record at present shows only one disc, with only one track, of which the title is unknown (another parallel with the Rebore 1-3 discs). As every Vooredoms live show we've heard (ranging from 2002-2004) has featured one long, jammy track, ranging from just under 35 minutes to over an hour, that may indicate the direction of this new album-- or it may be a complete coincidence. In any case, we'll keep you up-to-date any new developments in the Boredoms' never-boring story, so stay tuned for more details.

* Ok, it was actually translated by a guy on the Boredoms list. Our Japanese intern is on vacation.