THE SLACKERS Vinyl & CDs

Review: Originating in Manhattan in the early nineties, The Slackers have long retained their place as one of the quintessential ska-punk acts, fusing elements of rocksteady, reggae, dub, jazz and punk to incomparable effect. Respected and adored for their highly prolific nature, their 2008 eleventh full-length Self Medication came hot on the heels of the previous year's more faithfully rooted (no pun intended) The Boss Harmony Sessions LP, and re-instilled much of the garage-rocksteady dub-punk inflections that won over listeners more than a decade prior.

Review: New York City ska and reggae institution The Slackers have been doing their do for some 30 odd years now. Their latest release 'Kill You', though, shows no signs of staleness with plenty of fresh and futuristic perspectives. Recorded during the sessions for Don't Let the Sunlight Fool Ya, the A-side here is an epic at over seven minutes, while the B-side features a dub mix of 'Statehouse' from the band's Sunlight long player. It is a tune with a long and winding backstory that first saw it as an updated version of 'Wrongful Suspicion' which the band's frontman Vic Ruggiero co-wrote for Rancid back in the 90s.