Oreskaband: Oreskaband

Oreskaband’s music is vivacious and very girlband-Japanese, as if half of Morning Musume had decided to pick up trombones and start covering Toots and the Maytals. (Oreskaband’s take on the Toots classic “Monkey Man” is sweeter than the original and more melodic than the version recorded by their compatriots Melt Banana.) They sound like a happy band, not happy in the snappy, yelping way that a ska band like Madness can seem happy, but openly happy, as if playing this music leaves them feeling thrilled. Pre-existing fans who already own their albums should give Oreskaband a miss as it’s a compilation of nearly all the songs from the two LPs they’ve already released in Japan, Ore and the longer Wao!!. Newcomers can purchase with confidence, knowing that they’re getting almost the entire back catalogue in one hit.