If you like ska, then The Slackers are definitely up
your alley! First formed in 1991 in New York City, the band has been releasing
albums steadily ever since, all the while fearlessly championing a genre
which has seen better days. With this album, the band ventures further into
rocksteady than on previous releases. The band returned to one of their faniliar
haunts, Ernesto's in Holland, to cut the backing tracks for this CD. Fromk
there, the band overdubbed vocals, horns and few other instruments and created
this album full of songs about political topics and family matters.
The band
came up with the idea in order to mix the studio vibe with the intense
feeling they get when they play live in a club. The result is fresh and interesting,
boasting a sound that immediately draws you into the album. Vocalist Glen
Pine is definitely the focal point of the album, though each Slacker brings
something to the table for sure, and these six guys (plus several guests)
put forth a supreme effort. It seems like a great deal of energy was expelled
during this project, and it shows it the music for sure. One aspect of
The
Slackers sound that must be mentioned is its' consistency. For a band with
a 15-year history, the Slackers sound amazingly vital and spot-on, even
though I must say that this is not the best album I have heard by them.
Still,
this
is a fun album in a time when fun albums are few and far between and
the lead-off track "Every Day Is Sunday" is such a great song for driving
that it is worth the price of admission for this song alone. The Slackers
have managed to give their fans yet another great album. Don't they always?
THE
SLACKERS
