★★★★★
With temperatures failing to exceed the ****ing freezing mark, summer seems miles away. But with their new album 'Peculiar', The Slackers have brought a little early sunshine to a dreary English winter.The Slackers' influences are clear - with roots reggae beats, and upbeat ska guitars, much of the album is similar to Sublime or a chilled out Manu Chao. Deep overdubbed backing vocals, and a strong horn section provide a great reggae backbone to instrumental tracks such as 'Capo', and 'Sauron'...
- www.gigwise.com
2010-11-23
★★★★★
Given their incredible consistency, there's really no reason to expect anything other than greatness when The Slackers release a new record. But the NYC ska outfit's fifth (I think) studio full-length is slightly unsatisfying. It is a moody record, one that contemplates the condition of America and doesn't like what it sees. Close My Eyes marks a move toward a rocksteady sound, especially when compared to their previous release, the almost jazzy, upbeat Wasted Days...
- www.hour.ca
2010-11-09
★★★★★
On this, their 7th full LP, The Slackers have bravely delivered a post 9/11 concept album that thankfully doesn't go tits up and fall flat on its well meaning arse. Right from the start on 'Old Dog' (a bluesy 2-Tone cut complete with New Orleans funeral parade breakdown) the album has a mournful ambience in line with the problematic subject matter...
- www.gigwise.com
2010-11-09
★★★★★
While not as all-around solid as, say, Peculiar, Self Medication's charms are not lost on me. Its strongest tracks, like Every Day Is Sunday and Don't You Want a Man, are very amiable and their melodies lend themselves to sing-alongs. Also, tracks like Stars and Estranged, decidedly un-ska in nature, prove New York's finest aren't restricted by genre, and the title track is thick with mood and atmosphere like it was written in an opium den in a 1940s movie...
- www.hour.ca
2010-11-02
★★★★★
I own every Slackers record, reviewed Peculiar (2006) and Self Medication (2008), and The Great Rocksteady Swindle is way different. Yes, The Slackers still play their brand of ska/rocksteady/dub/jazz/two-tone, but this record's most memorable moments, including the instrumental cover of Ain't No Sunshine and Thank You, are all very soulful in a '60s kind of way. Other songs earning top marks: Sabina, and the magnificent Glen Pine-voiced Bo Evil...
- www.hour.ca
2010-11-02
★★★★★
If ska were as dead as some claim, bands would stop making records this good. I know, I know, ska is outdated and roots is inaccessible. We just tell you that so we can keep all the good stuff for ourselves! Slightly untraditional in nature, the best moments of the very stellar Peculiar are the swingin', friendly Keep It Simple, the partisan International War Criminal, the lonely and meandering Rider and a great cover of Dylan's I Shall Be Released...
- www.hour.ca
2010-11-02
★★★★★
Sound: The latest album from The Slackers offers a new take on a few old tracks and some brand new songs to go along with them. The rhythm tracks were recorded live while the other stuff, like horns, and vocals were overdubbed later in the studio. This creates a semi-live kind of feeling that is certainly unique. A few tracks on this album realy stand out to me. For instance the title track "Peculair" is one the better songs they've written...
- www.ultimate-guitar.com
2009-11-15
★★★★★
Touting their music as "imaginary Jamaican rock and roll," New York's Slackers give classic Trojan-era reggae a decidedly American and British feel that flirts with both punk and ska. They've been at it long enough that their subtle boundary-pushing has become admirably refined. While that might throw purists for a loop, their longevity attests to their reverence for the music...
- nowtoronto.com
2009-11-07
★★★★★
Every year, about springtime, some callow music journalist or fashionista predicts a ska revival. Every year, fledglings of such a cultural volte-face take flight - No Doubt's latest single, Madness the Musical - only to be cruelly hunted down by the falcons of common sense...
- www.noripcord.com
2009-07-21
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