Pitchfork

Defying the age-old tradition which says that freaky people who mellow over time have to put on suits and go to work for The Man, Japan's Boredoms have followed their own path, from anally-obsessed noise monsters to tribal-drumming hippies. They've also been quiet for the past few years, and their new effort follows in the footsteps of Vision Creation Newsun.

But to sun-worshipping tribal drummers, a period of quiet is only a prelude to making some more noise. Hence, the newest Boredoms album, titled Seadrum/House Of Sun. It surfaced last year in Japan, but we won't have easy access to it until May 10, when Vice Recordings is scheduled to release it in North America. Here's a tracklist, which is going to seem kind of pointless in retrospect:

01 Seadrum
02 House Of Sun

The two 20-minute pieces are the result of editing down a bunch of Boredoms sessions from the past few years, some old enough that they include former guitarist Yamamoto. (We should point out that, at least at one point in the past, the Boredoms preferred not to have anyone leave the band as such; certain members would simply "become invisible.")

Live Boredoms shows these days carry on the rhythmic vibe with three drummers (Yoshimi, ATR, and Yojiro) backing up eternal frontman Eye Yamataka. The band is actually supporting the U.S. release of Seadrum/House Of Sun with a few previously announced North American performances, but so far the schedule only includes five dates-- four of the U.S.'s biggest cities, and a festival in Quebec. Victoriaville, here we come! Dates:

05-17 Los Angeles, CA - Knitting Factory
05-19 San Francisco, CA - The Independent
05-21 Chicago, IL - Logan Square Auditorium
05-23 Victoriaville, Quebec - Festival Actuelle
05-25 New York City, NY - Bowery Ballroom