Topic: Ska is inherently faulty? (Read 21761 times)

Narr · « **on:** 25 Apr 2006, 10:49 »

A couple of the threads that have been posted in the last couple weeks seem to have very strong anti-ska sentiments. Most of the bigger name ska bands have been bashed repeatedly by some of our hipster élites.

I am confused.

I thought the whole point of the genre was to be absurd and silly, and that's kind of the big draw to it. Why is that such a bad thing? A lot of music talent goes into it, a lot of the time. (Some of my most favorite songs are by the Aquabats.)

Is it just Reel Big Fish and They Might Be Giants that everyone here hates and I'm totally missing something, or what?

edit: lol typoz!!1

KharBevNor · « **Reply #1 on:** 25 Apr 2006, 11:36 »

Yes. Ska will traumatise your children, corrode your teeth and punch holes in the ozone layer big enough to drive a Star Destroyer through.

Winners don't do ska.

ASturge · « **Reply #2 on:** 25 Apr 2006, 12:06 »

bah!

I am a winner!

And I like Ska.

Not love it. But i can definitly get down to some Mad Caddies every once in a while!

TrueNeutral · « **Reply #3 on:** 25 Apr 2006, 12:07 »

I kindof like the Aquabats.

OtterErotic · « **Reply #4 on:** 25 Apr 2006, 12:16 »

Steve Albini once said that ska is "mostly for retards."

Just saying.

Ghostwriter · « **Reply #5 on:** 25 Apr 2006, 12:16 »

Ska can be excellent when done correctly! My favorites are Streetlight Manifesto, Catch-22, Common Rider, and Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

As for the people who hate ska on a fundamental basis: I'm not sure I understand. Are you just jackasses? Are you musical snobs by trade? Are you taking a gracious opportunity to lambaste a style of music that is out of your spectrum, possibly to appear as though you have a great amount of musical taste and conviction? I really do not get it. So help me out! I'll remember to decode your opinion, which you have a tendency to purvey as an objective truth, into the realm of musical subjectivity again. It's okay, I understand that you are a winner* because you listen to seriously authentic underground shit that nobody has ever heard of and therefore has not been soiled by any cultural context.

*I am referring to the "special" musical olympics, of course

Rubby · « **Reply #6 on:** 25 Apr 2006, 12:24 »

I kinda like Reel Big Fish, Especially that song "Beer". Whenever he's like "I think I'll have myself a beer" I'm like "hey, me too!".
Seriously though. Ska kinda came along with that whole adolescent punk rock phase for me. Plus, where I lived there was hardly ever shows so when a Ska band came around you had to be all "sure I like ska" unless you didn't want to go to another show for about 4 months.

JodyAnthony · « **Reply #7 on:** 25 Apr 2006, 12:34 »

I liked ska when it wasnt just bad punk with trumpets.

what ever happened to the good stuff like desmond dekker and the like?

EDIT: I must say though, I loves me some TMBG

KharBevNor · « **Reply #8 on:** 25 Apr 2006, 12:45 »

It went to the big dancehall in the sky.

I hate ska on a fundamental basis because it's generally annoying and unoriginal. I R MUSIC LEETIST.

I like Leftover Crack though.

Kai · « **Reply #9 on:** 25 Apr 2006, 13:31 »

Leftover Crack and The Aquabats are the extent of it. ANd if you want to call Propaghandi ska.

Thrillho · « **Reply #10 on:** 25 Apr 2006, 13:58 »

TMBG are ska?

I don't like much ska, but I do like some...RBF, Specials, Madness...

Kai · « **Reply #11 on:** 25 Apr 2006, 14:03 »

Wait, who said TMBG were ska?

EDIT: Wowzas

Thrillho · « **Reply #12 on:** 25 Apr 2006, 14:09 »

Quote from: Kai

Wait, who said TMBG were ska?

EDIT: Wowzas

The OP.

'Wowzas' indeed.

Fen · « **Reply #13 on:** 25 Apr 2006, 15:20 »

The Specials anyone?
2tone ska rocks my socks.

Mark7 · « **Reply #14 on:** 25 Apr 2006, 15:57 »

Only 60s Jamaican and 70s English Ska is worth your precious time.

ImRonBurgundy? · « **Reply #15 on:** 25 Apr 2006, 16:33 »

the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. best ska band in the world? yes.

Inlander · « **Reply #16 on:** 25 Apr 2006, 18:50 »

Quote from: Narr

I thought the whole point of the genre was to be absurd and silly

And therein lies the problem with contemporary "ska": so much of it is the musical equivalent of a fart-joke. Ska (like reggae, of which it was a precursor) was originally an incredibly wide-ranging form - as is any musical genre worth anything - and could be party music, social protest, whatever. Listen to the famous song "Israelites" by Desmond Dekker to hear ska how it should be.

jcknbl · « **Reply #17 on:** 25 Apr 2006, 20:17 »

Go to a high school for 4 years with a music scene that consists entirely of eight terrible ska bands and you lose all sympathy for the genre.

That said, The English Beat is really good.

ALoveSupreme · « **Reply #18 on:** 25 Apr 2006, 21:16 »

Quote from: Inlander

Quote from: Narr
I thought the whole point of the genre was to be absurd and silly

And therein lies the problem with contemporary "ska": so much of it is the musical equivalent of a fart-joke. Ska (like reggae, of which it was a precursor) was originally an incredibly wide-ranging form - as is any musical genre worth anything - and could be party music, social protest, whatever. Listen to the famous song "Israelites" by Desmond Dekker to hear ska how it should be.

Though I'm not as versed in the argument as you are, that is essentially what I was going to say. Guess it was a good thing you did it first, anyways.

Ghostwriter · « **Reply #19 on:** 25 Apr 2006, 21:24 »

What is this ska music that can be likened to a crude and simple musical joke? I have yet to hear it. No, really, I have no idea what you're talking about. Just what are you people listening to, or what am I not hearing? I've never observed ska music as being absurd so much as unrelentingly energetic, in a hyperbolic and (yeah) absurdist sense. But crude and silly? What?

YEAH THAT'S RIGHT HATERS, PLEASE TAKE ONE OR SEVERAL BLUNT OBJECTS TO THE HEAD

Zaarin · « **Reply #20 on:** 25 Apr 2006, 23:12 »

ImRonBurgundy? · « **Reply #21 on:** 25 Apr 2006, 23:14 »

Quote from: Ghostwriter

What is this ska music that can be likened to a crude and simple musical joke?

Mark7 · « **Reply #22 on:** 26 Apr 2006, 00:45 »

That sums it up very nicely indeed

Bunnyman · « **Reply #23 on:** 26 Apr 2006, 01:28 »

Wait...so some time in the 70s, Reggae branched into Ska (Stupid, Silly) and Jungle (Self-Important, Heady). Good to see we have all our bases covered.

Mark7 · « **Reply #24 on:** 26 Apr 2006, 01:35 »

No no no

Ska evolved into reggae.

JodyAnthony · « **Reply #25 on:** 26 Apr 2006, 06:29 »

thermodynamics · « **Reply #26 on:** 26 Apr 2006, 07:43 »

i don't really bash ska in forums, but the music really grinds my gears.

i guess a big part is the ska fanbase. i have several friends that are all about ska, and they are not the brightest ones. actually one of them, my friend jessie, used to be retarded.

ska, at least for this indie rock listener in tennessee, is just an annoyance. o well.

TrueNeutral · « **Reply #27 on:** 26 Apr 2006, 07:53 »

Wait, do you mean retarded as in really stupid or as in the actual condition?

If the latter, wow, I had no idea one could stop being retarded.

MilkmanDan · « **Reply #28 on:** 26 Apr 2006, 08:15 »

The History of Ska Comic pretty much sums it up. Pick up a Trojan boxset and you got some awesome ska.

Also, Bunnyman: what?
That musical timeline is like some sort of Bizarro universe. Ska became Reggae, not the other way round. And Jungle? I guess you could say reggae met rave and breakbeats and evolved into jungle. Sort of. But even so, that's not until the 1990's. And it was neither self-important or heady.

butmyrobotloves · « **Reply #29 on:** 26 Apr 2006, 09:16 »

I don't listen to ska on any sort of a regular basis, nor do I listen to any grand assortment of it. But I must admit, it's a music genre that's disgustingly fun. Makes me dance. That's worth something.

Brian Majestic · « **Reply #30 on:** 26 Apr 2006, 09:25 »

I like the stuff I've heard by the Selecter, at any rate.

eternie · « **Reply #31 on:** 26 Apr 2006, 12:04 »

I don't mind ska. I mean, I don't listen to much, but I have nothing against it. And having something against it just because other people listen to it is silly.

Jus' sayin'.

But then I'm so out of the loop (and at the ripe old age of 18!) that I don't notice what's going on around me. Gives me kind of an advantage.

El Opium · « **Reply #32 on:** 26 Apr 2006, 12:30 »

This board needs someone who is obsessed with first-wave ska and makes sarcastic comments to those who like third-wave too much.

(Imagines trying to parallel park a star destroyer through an ozone hole)

Narr · « **Reply #33 on:** 26 Apr 2006, 13:14 »

So I was right.

It is musical elitism. :\

butmyrobotloves · « **Reply #34 on:** 26 Apr 2006, 16:06 »

Quote from: tommydski

i'mronburgundy? (man, could you tell me your name i feel fucking stupid talking to a film reference...) did you do that drawing? that was superb!

I know this question wasn't directed towards me, but nah that wasn't an original drawing, it's from www.toothpastefordinner.com. You'd probably love to browse the archives, there's brilliant satire for nearly every occasion.

Mark7 · « **Reply #35 on:** 26 Apr 2006, 16:10 »

Good old Drew.

He make music too.

Ghostwriter · « **Reply #36 on:** 26 Apr 2006, 17:08 »

Quote from: tommydski

btw - ska is something simple folk listen to between the age of fifteen and eighteen. you will grow out of it trust me.

Oh shit! Did you just...did you just judge an entire genre of music with one sweeping insult!? Gasp!

Sarcasm aside...who told you that? That's an entirely fucking retarded thing to say. I kid you not when I say that there is honestly some emotionally charged, intelligent, energetic ska music out there. Seriously, what is with the "you'll grow out of it" angle? Christ, that's objectifying behavior.

To the elitists: I don't care how goddamn sophisticated you claim your tastes to be. Get off your high horses and stop berating music you can't or don't want to connect with. Or just suck a tailpipe.

Storm Rider · « **Reply #37 on:** 26 Apr 2006, 17:46 »

Dude, are you aware that you deride like everyone in every thread you post in, and then accuse OTHER people of elitism?

I think you need to chill.

Ghostwriter · « **Reply #38 on:** 26 Apr 2006, 17:57 »

Not in every thread. But yeah, I have this tendency to mostly just lurk and appear when provoked. Sorry for seeming so negative.

I am really tired of that sort of attitude, though. And I'm not trying to be an elitist about anything. Feel free to disagree with me if you feel that I'm the one crossing the bounds of subjectivity.

Narr · « **Reply #39 on:** 26 Apr 2006, 18:15 »

Quote from: tommydski

i'mronburgundy? (man, could you tell me your name i feel fucking stupid talking to a film reference...) did you do that drawing? that was superb!
i'm going to do one of those for 'emo' i think.

btw - ska is something simple folk listen to between the age of fifteen and eighteen. you will grow out of it trust me.

Funny, I didn't start liking ska until very recently, and I am twenty years old now.

I was under the impression that the death metal thing was the "what you listen to between 15 and 18 and grow out of it" catagory before I got here, because that's what I've seen my whole life. Of course, I don't know what the hell any genre is classified as, so I should say "any hard rock music that is popular with the goth crowd."

Storm Rider · « **Reply #40 on:** 26 Apr 2006, 19:16 »

On the contrary, I really needed to ease myself into death metal. I still don't like all of it, and I'm nearly beyond the age group you just mentioned. Really, the only reason I picked it up at all is because Testament became a sorta death/thrash hybrid on their later albums, and that acted as a jumping off point.

onewheelwizzard · « **Reply #41 on:** 26 Apr 2006, 22:23 »

I wonder how musically sophisticated ska can be before it morphs into something else. If it starts getting jazzy, well, it might as well just be jazz. If it starts getting psychedelic, it might as well just be psych-rock. If it starts getting distorted and heavy-sounding, I don't know what the hell's up with that ska, but I doubt it's ska anymore.

I think this is the reason why so many people hate it. If really good musicians play ska, it'll only remain ska for so long before turning into a more snob-compatible genre. It's the kind of stuff that you feel guilty about listening to if you take it seriously, because if it's actually ska, nowadays that means it really is just punk with trumpets, and that's a pretty silly idea when you think about it seriously.

I'm not saying that nobody is capable of genuinely enjoying ska, but anyone who takes a serious approach towards music in general won't find too much in there to be excited about. I suppose it makes perfect sense that the main target audience of ska musicians are high-schoolers (and I think it's quite probable that the majority of ska fans are still in high school).

thermodynamics · « **Reply #42 on:** 26 Apr 2006, 23:03 »

Quote from: TrueNeutral

Wait, do you mean retarded as in really stupid or as in the actual condition?

If the latter, wow, I had no idea one could stop being retarded.

yeah, he was mildly retarded [i.e. iq of under 70] but he got evaluated 3 years ago, and isn't anymore [iq of 78].

weird, huh?

his favorite sport is wrestling, and he idolizes arnold schwartzenager.

though it is off-topic, i had to follow up the post.

Switch · « **Reply #43 on:** 27 Apr 2006, 00:11 »

My school just had Reel Big Fish play for free in a huge outdoor concert. I went and enjoyed myself. I do not own any of their albums, and am not about to buy any. I can't really get into Ska if I listen to it. I like Ska concerts though, it's nothing but upbeat Christian kids skanking. It's fun.

ImRonBurgundy? · « **Reply #44 on:** 27 Apr 2006, 03:11 »

okay, here's my take on it.

SKA BANDS THAT ARE GOOD:
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
The Skatalites
Fishbone
Chris Murray
Bad Manners
Mephiskapheles
Westbound Train
Hepcat
The Pietasters

SKA BANDS THAT MAKE ME WANT TO DIG MY EAR CANALS OUT:
Flip the Switch
Buck-o-Nine
The Suburban Legends
The Skananigans
High School Football Heroes
Codename: Rocky
A Billion Ernies
Detective Jabsco
Goldfinger

the point i'm trying to make here is that ska IS NOT shitty poppy punk bands with horn sections and retarded lyrics. it's just that those bands have somehow come to typify the genre, and it's frustrating for anyone who's really into the genre to hear it dismissed because of these shitty, stupid bands that are essentially ruining the entire genre. it would be akin to basing your opinion of all metal on Bon Jovi and Slipknot.

nuisance · « **Reply #45 on:** 28 May 2006, 05:31 »

Quote from: JodyAnthony

what ever happened to the good stuff like desmond dekker and the like?

RIP, he died this week.

Sadly I'll always think of 'Ob La Di' when I think of him - dearest Sir Paul was trying to make a ska track and named the characters "Molly" and "Desmond" because he thought they sounded like good Jamaican names.

Microfilm · « **Reply #46 on:** 28 May 2006, 06:02 »

Ska is just kinda "meh" to me. It started this stupid trend at my school that I find irritating.

Ska isn't great or mindblowing, so I don't get the big deal.

timehat · « **Reply #47 on:** 28 May 2006, 06:24 »

I will admit, first of all, that I haven't heard a terrible lot of ska. Perhaps all I've heard is this "third wave" that was mentioned. What I did, hear, however, I found to be uninteresting rhythmically, harmonically, and timbrally.

IronOxide · « **Reply #48 on:** 28 May 2006, 18:44 »

I am a big fan of The Aquabats, Reel Big Fish, Save Ferris, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and select Catch 22.

SKA IS NOT DEAD TO ME YET!

tortillafactory · « **Reply #49 on:** 28 May 2006, 23:32 »

I tend to dislike most ska because its sound is very jarring to me - I feel like it's rearranging my heartbeat with all those damn trombones. I hate really energetic jazz for the same reason. [Naturally, my dad plays trombone. I am truly cursed.]

I prefer music that has a traditional pattern to it, I guess. Avant garde is great, but some rules are there for a reason - poetry that seems to end in the middle of a stanza just doesn't work, and neither does music that's just too random. In my experience most ska tends to jump all over the place, cutting off notes in the middle and switching to an entirely different rhythm. I would never voluntarily listen to the Bosstones, Goldfinger, or any of their ilk.

One of the reasons I wasn't terribly impressed with Sufjan Stevens was the strange beat of the title track. I just couldn't get into it, because it set my teeth on edge. (I do love "John Wayne Gacy Jr." though.)

The only ska song I have is Five Iron Frenzy's "My Evil Plan to Save the World," because it makes me smile - but even that has a sort of rhythm to it that kinda works. Still has that intensely irritating brass, though...

(Though, I'd never think of TMBG as ska...is that really their classification?)

THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

Author Topic: Ska is inherently faulty? (Read 21761 times)

Narr

ASturge

TrueNeutral

OtterErotic

Ghostwriter

JodyAnthony

jcknbl

Ghostwriter

Zaarin

Bunnyman

JodyAnthony

thermodynamics

TrueNeutral

MilkmanDan

eternie

El Opium

Narr

Ghostwriter

Ghostwriter

Narr

thermodynamics

nuisance

Microfilm

timehat

tortillafactory