Parktone Japan 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: By now, we should all be aware of Inokasira Rangers, Japan's premier exponents of undeniably excellent reggae and rocksteady covers of everything from Nirvana, Kraftwerk and New Order to Underworld and Radiohead. Here they put their spin on two more classic cuts. On side A, they turn Madonna classic 'Like a Virgin' into a cheeky rocksteady instrumental, with the pop megastar's vocal being replaced by heady Hammond solos. Over on the reverse, they go for a sun-splashed, Balearic-leaning instrumental reggae revision of A-ha favourite 'Take On Me'. Yes, it's a novel and unusual idea, but as ever they've executed it beautifully.

Review: Inokasira Rangers is a reggae band from Tokyo who've been around since the 1990s, but they're hardly (criminally) known outside of Japan. Their latest release, 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You,' promises to change that, covering Frankie Valli's timely original from the late '60s, not to mention Crystal Waters' dance-pop hit on the B. A Shibuya-kei sensibility runs through this sweet pair of covers, but the main mode is lo-fi reggae. The Waters cover is particularly charming, as if this were the original, and the song had existed as a folk song for generations prior to the glitzy rave version.

Review: Over the last couple of years, we've been treated to numerous reissues of classic cover versions by Japanese reggae/rocksteady combo Inokasira Rangers, including takes on Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', Pharrell's 'Happy' and New Order's 'Blue Monday'. Here we're treated to another, as the band's 2017 take on Underworld anthem 'Born Slippy' gets a fresh pressing. It's certainly a revolutionary revision, with Keichi Sokabe's surprisingly Karl Hyde-sounding lead vocal rising above a lusciously languid, sub-heavy reggae groove. Over on the flip they take on 'Groove Tube', a 1991 indie-pop-meets-acid house single from Japanese outfit Flipper's Guitar, reframing it as a baggy, glassy-eyed rocksteady number.