I first heard the OreSkaBand earlier this year and couldn’t believe what I was experiencing. Ska had found its way into Japan. As a huge lover of Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish, Streetlight Manifesto, and of course Sublime I had to delve deeper into the mysterious entity that was Japanese ska.
For those who aren’t familiar with the genre it began in Jamaica in the 50s as a precursor to reggae and rocksteady. It is a blend of traditional Caribbean sounds with American jazz/rhythm and blues (yeah, the old stuff). It has been historically categorized into three “waves”- the 60s Jamaican scene (First Wave), the 70s revival in the form of the “2 Tone” subgenre in England (Second Wave), and then it hit America in the 80s and continues on (Third Wave). Hooray for musical history lessons! Now back to biz.
J-ska is part of the Third Wave. But how does it compare to American ska? As I write this I have my last.fm scrobbler set to the j-ska tag and I am listening non-stop. So far I am, sadly, not all that impressed. J-Ska is fun and upbeat, but doesn’t seem to deliver the same “feel” like Operation Ivy and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. It’s an easy listen and the music videos are certainly entertaining, but mostly just j-pop with an instrumental makeover. But you be the judge!
In The Ring- OreSkaBand vs. Less Than Jake
“Rest of My Life”, Less Than Jake
In The Ring- Yum!Yum!ORANGE vs. Reel Big Fish
“Precious Days”, Yum!Yum!ORANGE
So, does it have the same caliber as American ska, or is it simply a pop-esque spin on the genre?
~Juno
"Ska had found its way into Japan."
ReplyDeleteSka has been seeping it's way into Japan since like 1989, broski.
"just j-pop with an instrumental makeover."
Except basing japanese ska based on the ska/pop fusion is like basing american ska on the "skacore" movement. It's assumptive and ignorant in all shapes of the terms. Hell, you could argue that bands like Reel Big Fish are just "pop-rock with an instrumental makeover". In fact I find that japan's ska/pop fusion is far superior to the american counterpart. The instrumentation is less well arranged from what I have heard over the years and find the japanese have a better idea of arrangements and composition.
The idea that you are basing the entire region based on ska/pop fusion is beyond insulting and full of ignorance as well. Especially when no american band can touch Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra in composition, depth or quality. Basing regional ska based on one subgenre is just silly.
Listen more, profit.