So, I finally decided to download the japanese version of Boris's album Smile. Big difference. Different track order, and completely different mixing, as well.
Overall Impression: MUCH better than the american release, and if you can find this one on CD, get it. Seriously, there isn't too much change to the track order, but the mixing makes a big big difference. There are lots of things that just get lost in the america release, due to the level that it was mastered at, and how much louder the guitars are than the vocals and drums.
Messeji - Very different feeling than the american one here. Still got the distorted guitars and bass, but much less noisy. Much more clean than the american release version. The american release sounds like someone turned it up so loud the whole track became distorted (which may well be the case).
Buzz-in - Still got the creepy opening. Sounds like it was mastered a bit lower than the american version. The levels are different. There are more weird sounds over top of the guitar, rather than the distorted guitar overriding everything. If anything, it's so much weirder than the american version. And the ending is different. It flows into Hanate!, the next track properly.
Hanate! - Much more sparse than the american, with a heavy distorted kick sound in the bakcground, and loud overdistorted guitars going in and out, but not covering the vocals up completely. Nor are the vocals turned up. You can hear what they're playing on the guitar much more clearly, rather than a mashup of crazy crap. And I should point out that the kicks, or floor tom hits, or whatever they are are WAY more distorted in this version. After 2 minutes in or so it begins to really diverge in mixing from the american version. The same sort of idea in what they did with it, but the japanese version is much better done, and you can hear things that were drowned out in the american release. It also doesn't cut out suddenly after the acoustic section begins, which is nice, because it really sounded like a bad touch in the american version, where they managed to sing 1 word or so, and suddenly get cut off.
Hana, Taiyou, Ame - This was the opening track of the american release. The japanese version has some percussion that was drowned out in the american version, and sounds a bit cleaner. The solo sound less like someone trying just to make noise and like a structured part of the song. The ending is cooler too. The instrument tracks fade out while the chanting of "Hana Taiyou Ame" continues until that too fades out.
Tonari no Sataan - Same cleanness found throughout the album. Mostly, the vocals are loud enough to sit on top of the guitar, rather than be drowned it in, creating an effect where even the heavily distorted guitar is easy to listen to, because it creates almost a texture in the background. There are some sounds that are apparent in this mix that aren't audible at all (or possibly aren't even present) in the american release. And at the 2 minute mark, where the song breaks into a solo, it sounds so much better. There's a second guitar creating a cool melody on top of the solo that really adds to it. The second solo is so much more in this version.
Kare Hate Ta Saki - This one's opening resembles the american one a lot. The biggest difference I can hear in this one is that you can actually hear the cymbals and such more clearly. Also, lots of weird talking and such later on. Apparently this done is shorter by a decent bit than the American release.
Kimi Ha Kasa O Sashi Te I Ta - Where the last song is shorter than the american release, this track is longer. The opening is clearer, you can tell that it's drumming with some effects (some sort of reverb that really distorts stuff almost like a ring mod). On top is a delicate guitar track and vocals that convey more emotion than the american release makes them sound. There's a bass guitar that isn't distorted in there as well that wasn't there in the american version (or wasn't audible anyway). This is one of the songs that the american version butchered, compared to it's japanese counterpart. I should point out that the drumming almost sounds like a train, chugging along in the background, and really comes out in this version. The second half of the song is still as distorted and forlorn sounding as it is in the american version, just clearer.
Hidden Track - Same as the rest: much clearer and easier to hear everything. Not too much diffeent mixing, really. Also, this one is 19 minutes, rather than 15 minutes.
