City Newspaper Archives - 5/2007
SKA: The Slackers (5/4)
Published by Frank De Blase on May 02, 2007
The Slackers use music as a vehicle for social and political change. Whether you dig the message or not, at least the band has always given us a solid groove to move to. Now that I think about it, the band's album Red Light is probably one of my favorite records ever.
On its latest, Peculiar, the Brooklyn sextet brings home the ska, reggae, and rocksteady with touches of Motown, r&b, and soul. The back beat gets a hold of the spine and doesn't let go. The horns are tart and tasty. The rhythm tracks were actually recorded live at one of the band's favorite venues, Ernesto's in Sittard, Holland. The rest was laid down and tweaked in the studio but the live vibe remains. Songs like "Propaganda" and "International War Criminal" rock with classic fervor. You'll be thinking while you dance.
Today there ain't no more English Beat, or Specials, or Madness, and the punks that cram ska into their stuff often play it too goddamned fast. The Slackers is the best ska band going today.
The Slackers, The Phenomenauts, Mrs. Skannotto, Room 30, and The Levar BurTones play Friday, May 4, at The California Brew Haus, 402 West Ridge Road, 621-1480, 9 p.m., $12-$15.
