''Chocolate Synthesizer'' is the fourth studio album by

Boredoms Boredoms () (later known as V∞redoms) is a rock band from Osaka, Japan formed in 1986. The band's sound is often referred to as noise rock, or sometimes Japanoise (Japan’s noise music scene), though their more recent records have moved to ...

. It was originally released via WEA Japan and

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...

in 1994. It was recorded in four days and mixed in a week. In 2013, it was re-released on vinyl by the California-based label 1972. Early Japanese editions of the album were packaged with a coupon offering a free mail-order only 3-inch CD, titled ''

Super Roots 2 ''Super Roots 2'' is the second installment of the ''Super Roots'' EP series by Japanese experimental band Boredoms. Released as a 3" CD, it was mailed to people in Japan who completed and sent a survey card enclosed with the Japanese release of ' ...

'', only available to Japanese addresses.

Reception

Jon Wiederhorn of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'' gave the album 3 stars out of 5, saying, "Without question, the Boredoms are one of the most bizarre, adventurous bands on the planet, but for anyone who doesn't thrill to disjointed beats and cacophonous clatter, ''Chocolate Synthesizer'' may be a tough sweet to swallow." Meanwhile, Keith Kawaii of ''

Tiny Mix Tapes ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, ...

'' gave the album 4.5 out of 5, saying, "The

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, artists indulge in extrem ...

thing has been done before, of course, but rarely has it stretched this far in every direction, and rarely has it been so successful."

Douglas Wolk Douglas Wolk (born 1970) is a Portland, Oregon-based author and critic. He has written about comics and popular music for publications including ''The New York Times'', ''Rolling Stone'', ''The Washington Post'', ''The Nation'', ''The New Republ ...

of ''

CMJ New Music Monthly CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...

'' called it "their most extraordinary and conceptually unified work to date." In 2007, ''

Rolling Stone Japan ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its cov ...

'' placed ''Chocolate Synthesizer'' at number 25 on its list of the "100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time".

Track listing

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1994 albums Boredoms albums Reprise Records albums