Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra – Fantasia
welcome back to the Skaject folks! this week, we get two records as i wrote last week’s but forgot to post it! first, the record that was supposed to be up last Wednesday, is Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra’ Fantasia!
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra records are an interesting mixed bag for me – the language barrier puts up a bit of trouble trying to do more than surface level analysis, and the instrumental quality has such a high baseline that i have trouble meaningfully commenting on individual songs.
Fantasia does not meaningfully break from that paradigm. if you like big bandy, jazzier ska, youll enjoy this record, as youll enjoy quite a bit of Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. i dont believe this makes any big breaks in style or structure from the previous record (or if my memory from the old skaject is correct, the next record). its really solid.
that being said, there are a few tracks here where the vocal track or “vocal track” REALLY get in the way for me. Hi-Speed Bus is the post child of this problem. the instrumental on this song RIPs, but theres a layer sitting on top of it that sounds like chewing tinfoil. Dream Express does a bit of this as well, though not nearly to the same degree.
otherwise, like i said, this is a good time. from the opening track, ハプニング (“Happening”), its a bright, extremely upbeat joyride of brass and percussive energy. highlists for me are Magical Fin, which is just deeply, deeply pleasant to listen to, インターセプター (“Interceptor”), a blistering song that im like, 90% certain is about a race, Skadon, another fast, frantic track, and Black Swan Lake, which does some weird fucking stuff at the bottom of the mix but does some neat stuff, haha.
faves – Magical Fin, インターセプター (“Interceptor”), Skadon, Black Swan Lake
dislikes – Hi-Speed Bus
Fantasia – 6/10
next week, we’ll be taking a look at Buck-o-Nine’s debut record, Songs in the Key of Bree.
previous: God Bless Satan | next: Songs in the Key of Bree
previous TSPO release: Pioneers | next: Grand Prix
Discussion ¬