As many of you know I am a music junky, I go to plenty of shows and check out plenty of music whenever I can. As many you may assume this makes me very hard to please when it comes to Jewish music, in fact, although I have a bunch of MBD and Avraham Fried stuff on my Ipod I think that classic yeshiva guy Jewish music sucks. It is basically an 80s beat with a full brass orchestra and the same davening phrases over and over again. I wouldn’t even call it ethnic because its usually just stolen music from non-Jewish musicians and they soften it up to make it “kosher”.
Somehow along the way some brilliant person decided that adults would enjoy listening to cruddy music with a full choir of prepubescent boys singing along with soloists as well. I have no idea why people enjoy the high pitched screaming of children in already drowning music but that’s how it goes with Jewish music- even when you are not expecting it- the music becomes choir driven.
To my utter surprise I found some Jewish music I like. With the help of Sameach Music I have been expanding my weak collection and adding to it. Luckily I can listen to stuff on their site and I told the guy there is no way I am going to review stuff that sucks. With that said – I recently got the 8th Day live album sent to me and have been listening to it quite a bit.
I would describe it as a very Ska influenced album- which may have many of you unknowing folks asking- what the heck is ska. Ska is reggae infused punk rock in my mind, but not really. It has reggae beats mostly and utilizes mostly English- but some Yiddish and Hebrew which is cool- because I love Yiddish- can always do the klezmer thing.
I especially liked songs 1, 4, 5, 8 and 10. It is not one of those cheesy Jewish albums with remakes of good classic rock, nor does it load up the album with ballads. Ballads are great if it is of the 80’s metal variety but they just don’t belong in Jewish rock albums, the Jewish rock ballads just suck. Anyway- song #10 is bar far my favorite song on the album and it happens to be a Carlebach medley- by far the best Carelbach remake I have ever heard and I grew up in the Carlebach Shul so I am used to the real thing. It was again this ska/reggae bit but it sounds amazing and is so energetic.
Listen to tracks of 8th day live by clicking the link. 8th day live album preview.
15 responses so far ↓
1 A Jewish Music Insider // Jul 2, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Interesting points. I must say however I was expecting a bit more information about the songs themselves. This is more like a discussion than a review…I’m just sayin!
(and nit picking)
2 Xvi // Jul 2, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Dude, you need to clarify which ska you’re talking about.
Are we talking Toots Maytal, the Toasters, or Reel Big Fish?
Ska means too many things to too many people. That said, sounds cool. Is there a sample on the website?
Heck… thats a lazy question. I’ll go check the website.
3 heshman // Jul 2, 2008 at 9:58 pm
You know I would say it has that Dance Hall Crashers- Catch 22 ska feel. Definitely not RBF- which is one of my favorite bands.
You know when they bust out that ska beat with guitars and the horns are kind of lacking.
Oh the toasters classic NYC ska.
4 s(b.) // Jul 3, 2008 at 1:15 am
“This Gun for Hire” is my favorite Toasters album. 1991 was an awesome year.
5 Lion of Zion // Jul 3, 2008 at 2:25 am
100% on target with why jewish music stinks. one more thing you probably are too young to remember is that when cassettes were the medium for music, the jewish groups distributed their work on crap-grade cassettes. at least this has been alleviate with CDs (little diffren in quality between brands).
anyway, all this is why i don’t really care about the concert bans. good riddance. so long as they don’t ban ac/dc and shiri maimon.
6 Lion of Zion // Jul 3, 2008 at 2:25 am
100% on target with why jewish music stinks. one more thing you probably are too young to remember is that when cassettes were the medium for music, the jewish groups distributed their work on crap-grade cassettes. at least this has been alleviate with CDs (little diffren in quality between brands).
anyway, all this is why i don’t really care about the concert bans. good riddance. so long as they don’t go and ban ac/dc and shiri maimon.
7 Lion of Zion // Jul 3, 2008 at 2:26 am
your blog is eating up my comments again
8 gennaro // Jul 3, 2008 at 8:33 am
The whole reason that childrens choirs are popular with jewish men has nothing to do with pedaphilia. Its actually because of Kol Isha. Its a way for men to enjoy that voice range that they’d otherwise not be able to listen to.
9 heshman // Jul 3, 2008 at 8:52 am
To me its borderline homoerotic!
10 Chris_B // Jul 3, 2008 at 9:38 am
OK so I checked the beggar woman full download and the samples of the other tracks cuz I too am a music junky(1). Not my bottle of seltzer at all. I didnt hear any ska influence in any of it, just sounded to me like a random rock band’s demo tape. Serious production problems. They need to loose the flute and the double tracked backing vocals for sure. To at least be positive I’d say that with the right producer and mixing engineer (plus someone to distract the flute player while the rest of the band records) they might make a good record someday.
I poked around that site hoping maybe I’d find something to tickle my ear. Naturally first thing I go to reggae, but didnt find anything I could hear there either. I’ll keep on going around the site, maybe I’ll find something good…
So far the only “JM” I’ve found I could enjoy is Matisyahu and Yidcore. Surely there must be something else I can enjoy?
Xvi, I was planning to say that but you beat me to it. You got any reccomends in JM?
1 currently looking at a pile of 20 CDs and vinyl that I still need to check. I average 2 new CDs a week and 4 new vinyl 7″s a month plus sometimes some 10″ and 12″ vinyl as well.
11 gennaro // Jul 3, 2008 at 9:59 am
How amazing would it be to fantasize that the Yeshiva Boys Choir were really the Pussycat Dolls?
12 gennaro // Jul 3, 2008 at 10:05 am
How awesome would it be to fantasize that the yeshiva boys choir was really the pussycat dolls?
13 The Life-Of-Rubin Blog » Blog Archive » Video of 8th Day In the Studio. // Jul 3, 2008 at 1:09 pm
[...] and Shmully Marcus promoting their new Live album. You can read FrumSatire’s review of the CD here. (Mine is in the queue … [...]
14 Yosef Dov // Jul 3, 2008 at 2:49 pm
to listen to 8th day and more of the best mix in Jewish music, tune into the world’s favorite Jewish Music Station over at http://www.OlamRadio.com
15 Redhead // Jul 7, 2008 at 6:17 pm
8th day and Lev Tahor is about as good as Jewish music gets. And even with those CDs I still have to skip songs. The only good Jewish music is ripped off of good non-Jewish music.
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