The Slackers

Close My Eyes (2003)

Adam White

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.