Don't let the name fool you. Japan's all girl Oreskaband, while certainly ska-fueled, isn't all ska all the time. In fact their songs are often only tangentially connected to the ska sound. Sure, they've got a bunch of horns and aren't afraid to use them, but they are first and foremost a pop band, just a pop band with very strong ska-like overtones.
Formed in 2003 while the girls were still in middle school, the band has since graduated, been signed to Sony and toured the world. Perhaps most notable have been their appearance in America at Anime Expo and their two years on the Warped Tour. This earned them a massive American following and proved to the world that they could actually hack it on a real, grueling tour.
Their natural ska tendencies are strongly tempered by their overall peppy pop sound. They also drop the syncopated rhythms from time to time to simply rock out. While outwardly they portray a tough look, sporting boy's school uniforms and talking tough, their songs have a decidedly softer, more positive spin. They are more a peppy party band, which is something that really shows through in their live shows. And isn't that what ska is really all about?
Papaya
Official Site
MySpace
Members:
Ikasu - Guitar, Vocals
Tae-san - Drums
Leader - Trombone
Saki - Trumpet
Moriko - Tenor Saxophone
Tomi - Bass, Vocals
Albums:
Penpal - 2005
Ore - 2006
WAO!! - 2007
What A Wonderful World Vol.1 - 2008
What A Wonderful World Vol.2 - 2009
24 Karats
Pinocchio
Wasuremono
Knife and Fork
4 comments:
i never thought i'd ever like something even loosely connected with ska because i simply hate it.
i can't stand it, it gives me the sudden need for a toilet where i can puke in but 24karat is one awesome song. so i listened through their stuff and man, they're so on my to buy list.
zac, you can make the impossible happen :D
I must say... at first I didn't care for the band too much. They did, however, have an unforgettable sound. So much that when I started watching Bleach subbed instead of dubbed, I got a chance to hear the full ending and noticed I recognized the instruments being played. Sure enough, it's them, and that song is SO DAMN CATCHY. -Sigh- Thanks. You helped get them stuck in my head. :p
It's interesting to hear how people that normally wouldn't like ska or peppy, girly music seem to like Oreskaband. Same goes for me, to a small extent. I still don't really need to listen to them very much, but yeah, they're actually really good at what they do!
I think this band has become popular in the US (about as popular as a ska band can get in 2009) because the singer has a lower, less nasal voice than most j-singers. Overall, I think Muramasa has way better songs. (But they just broke up.) The schoolgirl gimmick helps, but I really think the voice keeps them from being an instant turnoff so people give it more of a chance.
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