Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra – スカパラ登場 (Skapara’s Intro)
welcome back to the Skaject folks! today we’re looking at the 1990 release from Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra –スカパラ登場 (Skapara’s Intro)
ストレンジバード (“Strange Bird”) is the first track off the record. this one’s fine. it’s got a jaunty vibe to it, i dig that. バンパイア (“Vampire”) was a track i’d had a good time with in the Skaject 1.0, but i think it’s the only track i liked back then that i feel kinda middling about now. it’s not bad but i’m not seeing now what i saw then. Monster Rock, on the other hand, DOES deliver what i remembered from 1.0. that crest right at :40 seconds is extremely good. 仔象の行進 (“Elementary Students”), is doing some fun stuff, bass wise. neat song – i really like how they’re able to pass the focus around the band. gets a lil repetitive at the end, but it’s doing good so i can’t fault it for that. ウーハンの女 (“People of Ume”) is pretty pleasant. Tin Tin Deo is another of the tracks i’d liked before and continue to like. really good track. 月面舞踏 (“Moon Dance”) feels very formal – its kinda delicate and evenly paced, but its got some nice stuff here. にがい涙 (“Tough Day”) is one of the few tracks with vocals on the record – p solid song. いにしえの花 (“Ancient Hana”) feels like a song that would be playing during a nice trip around a lagoon. very much a “soft sounds under moonlight” song. Golden Tiger is one that tends to slip by sometimes, but the saxes here are very very good. Hit the Road Jack is a Ray Charles cover and i actually think this one works pretty well, haha. ドキドキTime (“Doki Doki Time”, so like, Heartthrob Time?) is fine. no real feelings about this one, but it does feel nice to put a track that definitely feels like a party right at the end, haha. especially since the actual closer, 君と僕 (“You and I”), is a very mellow reflection. kinda woulda preferred to end on Doki Doki Time.
faves – Monster Rock, Tin Tin Deo, Golden Tiger, Hit the Road Jack
dislikes –
i dug this a lot – TSPO has a really energetic, extremely well-performed style where they bring in a bunch of different influences and do some really fun stuff with it. i think this particular record has a bit less that jumps out and grabs me, but there are tracks here that are really phenomenal. i think i said this on their EP, but if you really like the big-band-y ska sounds, definitely give this one a shot.
スカパラ登場 (Skapara’s Intro) – 7/10
next up, we’re checking out Bim Skala Bim’s How’s It Goin?
previous: Dance Hall Crashers | next: How’s It Goin?
previous TSPO record: Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra | next: World Famous
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