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The Slackers

Close My Eyes (2003)
Hellcat Records

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Contributed by: Adam
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Published on September 12th 2003

The Slackers’ 2001 full length Wasted Days, as well as it’s follow-up project Slackers & Friends were both very dense and busy sounding records. The former added layers of instrumentation and experiments with country and lounge music, the latter featured various remixes and several guest vocalists. While Wasted Days contained many brilliant compositions by Ruggiero and Hillyard, there’s little doubt in my mind that it’s nearly 70 minute running time could have been trimmed.

It’s a pleasant surprise therefore that I find Close My Eyes is one of the most solid and concise albums of The Slackers' career. This is a tight set of 12 songs, free of any filler, which clocks in 20 minutes shorter than both The Question and Wasted Days. The band’s more serious this time around as well. Lyrically there’s an awareness and concern about the state of the world. Ruggiero’s writing more personal and introspective words, reacting to tragedies both personal and social. While he's always been a devotee of classic pop-songwriting, his superb arrangements have more weight with this lyrical focus. Marc Lyn’s only solo vocal outing is on the racially charged “Real War,” showing more depth and feeling than his material from the last full length ever did.

I find myself comparing Close My Eyes to the band’s debut. Much like Better Late Than Never it leads off with an instrumental jam (the Glen Pine written “Shankbon”) and features a more straight ahead ska / rocksteady sound. It may just be the stripped down instrumentation, but the production on Close My Eyes feels sparser then the band’s latest releases as well. That’s not a complaint either; the production suits the lyrical themes on the album.

Ruggiero proves once again that he is one of the best pop songwriters in ska music (and I’d argue other genres as well). Close My Eyes is a more subdued album then the busy Wasted Days, but it has more to say. Since the flow and length of the album are much tighter, I wouldn’t be surprised if this becomes one of my favourite new releases by the end of the year.

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Anonymous (January 1, 2006)

I just listened to this whole cd, and im not to sure if it tops thier previous one.

Anonymous (November 24, 2005)

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Anonymous (June 24, 2004)

best ska band at the moment! only hepcat is on the same niveau but they are not really together at the moment...

Anonymous (September 15, 2003)

YEAH!!!!! about time someone started to talk about the slackers again.
Haven't gotten the last 2 cd's, but will definitly get this one!!! Oh yeah, they're great live so if they come somewhat close to your hometown, go check 'em out cuz it's definitly worth it!!!!

Anonymous (September 15, 2003)

No justin, thats not me down there, but that "olpunker" was right with his assesment, this cd is the slackers at their best.... Brilliant-oldpunker-

Anonymous (September 14, 2003)

the posthardcore genre is now much more commercially powerful than the hardcore scene. i would say that when ptw broke into the mainstream, they crossed over from the hardcore scene into the more commercial scene.
maybe its not the write term
but who fucking cares, really? the point still stands.

who is the new guitar player for limp bizkit?

Anonymous (September 13, 2003)

what?

poison the well, posthardcore?

no, seriously, the new limp bizkit sounds like limp bizkit and the new single sounds like ptw.

ElVaquero (September 13, 2003)

the new snuff is actually quite good. reccomendations along with the entire slackers catalogue.

Anonymous (September 13, 2003)

you know why it sounds like poison the well?
because poison the well is selling records.
because kids threw bottles at durst when they opened for linkin park in chicago.
because durst thinks that he can fucking make bank off of the burgeoning "post hardcore" scene.
and because he can't sing well enough to sound like thursday.

obviously, the world has had enough of his stupidity, and his shitty rapping.

and lastly, i find it very fucking hard to believe that it actually sounds like ptw.
but my dursthate will prevent me from even listening to it.

Anonymous (September 13, 2003)

the new limp bizkit sounds like poison the well.

and you guys like posion the well

FUCKA!

funkisdead (September 13, 2003)

i prefer "durstcore."

Anonymous (September 13, 2003)

exactly
just as there are fucking great bands from every genre
GO SLACKERS!
hmmm
maybe except for nu metal.

Shindo (September 13, 2003)

funkisdead: I agree with you. There are horrible examples of all genres of music, ska and emo are no exception.

adam

funkisdead (September 13, 2003)

you emo vs ska kids are retards.
complete retards.
remember the shitty ska bands that plagued the airwaves, that sounded nothing like real ska... the corporate engineered crap ska... the point is that neither do i.
and you know these bands that sound nothing like fugazi, rites of spring, cap'n jazz, braid, jawbreaker, and jawbox? nobody will remember them in a while. because it stops being an artistic movement, and starts becoming a ploy for cash. style over substance
the fact that slackers are still around making records is awesome...
leave it at that.

vien (September 13, 2003)

I've been listening to this cd like crazy ever since I got it. Beautiful, these guys can't write a bad album.

Anonymous (September 13, 2003)

yeah, mainly becouse emo kids at one time were ska kids.

Anonymous (September 12, 2003)

Emo kids actually make fun of ska. What a joke. Thats like retards making fun of amputees.

Anonymous (September 12, 2003)

Alright, after being disappointed with the latest albums of my other favorite bands of my late teenage years (Bouncing Souls, Less Than Jake...I haven't heard Snuff's new one yet) this had better be fucking amazing. Somehow, I have more faith in the Slackers, especially since the title track off the last album may have gotten me through my last break-up (emo moment...awwww)

--Cos

Anonymous (September 12, 2003)

Oldpunker, you didn't type in all caps and used punctuation. I don't think you are the real oldpunker.

-Justin