With the latest releases by Kemuri, Snailramp and Potshot turning up in the record charts, ska-core has emerged from the underground. Ska-core has thrived through a network of small clubs and indie record labels across Japan much like its musical cousin, mellowcore. (Members of Snailramp run one of the strongest labels, School Bus Records.) And, like mellowcore, this has meant that ska-core has been able to gain popularity without the usual aid of Tokyo media and major label hype.
Gianormous Records, as part of its ongoing attempt to catalog Japan's various musical subcultures, has put together a selection of up-and-coming ska-core groups for its latest installment of the "Japanese Homegrown" series.
The ska-core compilation is the fourth release in the series, and like its predecessors, gives a bird's-eye view of a vibrant corner of the Japanese indie scene. As the name implies, ska-core combines the intensity of hardcore with the light swing of ska. Ska-core originators came out of the California punk scene. However, unlike its California hardcore counterpart, not to mention British ska and two-tone, Japanese ska-core is decidedly unpolitical, despite the almost obligatory songs about race or peace. Instead, Japanese ska-core takes the Amercican model and adds a sunny smile.