by Ned Raggett Actually the fifth in the semi-regular Super Roots series, and only the second to have seen American release, Vol. 6 continues in the vein of its predecessors, with the Boredoms showing off an even more experimental and just plain out there sound than on their already wild and woolly regular releases. Here, though, rather than getting even crazier, the group of what is now five generally aim at creating a stripped-down and relaxed effort here, much more suitable for zoning and nodding gently instead of going spastic. Even the more energetic songs don't approach full-on Boredoms chaos. One listen to something like "8," with its droning keyboards and shuffling rhythm, and it's practically 1968 all over again, and doing a great job at it as well. Vol. 6 is well over an hour long, with more than the usual share of total oddities. Something that will catch the ears of longtime listeners is the near total lack of vocals throughout, aside from slight bits of whispering and other more understated semi-chanting than the babbling and shrieking on previous records. Some tracks practically don't exist. "0 (x12)," for instance, consists of an opening half-second beep and then silence for the remainder of its length. Sweet songs surface as well, "6" being another of the band's peeks into the at once beautiful and strange psych/art rock, with a simple guitar line at the center of a variety of string and percussion sounds, not to mention a regular bass bump and a splashing water sample. Loops and Kraut-rock trancebeats in general make up a fair amount of the album's sound; "3" has the band laying down a gentle drum/bass/keyboard groove over various repeated vocal snippets, while "4" (not the same tune from the original Super Roots EP) could fit proudly on Ege Bamyasi without anyone blinking an eye.