yah yah yah "stars" does have a little BEATLES organ in it but give me a break...next to "ob la dee blah dah"(or however u spell it) the beatles didnt do anything ska/reggae. so tho the organ is kinda beatles-ish the song as a whole is certainly NOTHING like the Beatles. So to say its the "best beatles song" is just insane. anyways, last i checked the Beatles sampled alot of great artists (chuck berry anyone?) and that was fine with me to...n the rest of the world.........last time i checked...

Wow. What a good record! I love the variety of styles. There's never two happy-sounding ska songs in a row, or two dark-toned reggae songs in a row, so it really feels like some kind of journey from start to finish. Then there's "Stars", which sounds like nothing they've done before, and it's one of my all-time favorites now. "Eviction" is one of the catchiest reggae songs I've ever heard, and "Sing Your Song" harkens back to the days of Redlight or The Question. I can see myself listening to this album for years to come.

After reading these, I'm even more excited for the new album! I just won my copy off of ebay, so I should get it within a few days. A new Slackers CD is practically a monumental occasion for me, since I know I'll be listening to it for...well, probably forever. I still listen to Peculiar regularly, even though I've had it since it was released over two years ago. It doesn't feel like it's been that long, because I'm not even remotely tired of it.

I had the opportunity to make it up to Ithica for the first concert since the release of Self Medication, where copies of the new release by The Slackers were readily available, and I'm proud to be one of the first however many people to own a copy of this cd. I can't even begin to tell you how necessary it is to purchase this cd or to see them live. Whether you're a Slacker release completist, or a newcomer to the band or genre of music that they play, you'll be sure to enjoy this cd. Having seen the band live in the vicinity of thirty or so shows, I've known most of their new material since Wasted Days before it was carved onto a shiney disc. Many of their songs are honed before a live audience on multiple occasions long before they are ever recorded. Self Medication is the first in several releases where only a small portion of the content was played sporadically prior to the release date,which made it interesting to listen to for a diehard fan of their music. This cd follows a hiatus of approximately 8 months since the release of the Boss Harmony Sessions cd; less then the gestation period it takes to create another human, much less a cd, and far less than most bands take to release new material. For many years now I've thought about why I stopped considering the bands that I loved before The Slackers as my favorite any more and it's simply because I got bored waiting three years between releases. Not a chance of this happening when you're a Slacker fan. The SBB review was great to read, however there's so much more to the new cd. Five out of the six members of the band are involved in the songwriting aspect of the new release. That's nearly 85% if you're keeping stats. As Mr. Letterman used to say 'It's not a competition, it's only an exhibition'. And quite an exhibition it is. There are two songs written by Marcus Geard who somehow managed to channel my inner thoughts into his songwriting skills for the opening song 'Every Day Is Sunday'. This song needs to be used in a movie soundtrack. I'm picturing perhaps a Farelly Bros. movie. 'Don't Have To' is a departure from the the present and a trip back to when Elvis Presley ruled the planet. This song rocks in a way that doesn't sound like anything the band has ever released before and after eight years of enjoying nearly every moment of every song this band has ever recorded, I could get used to this. Dave Hillyard's 'Don't You Want A Man' is a must have for any fan. One of my favorite tracks on the new disc. Vic Ruggiero evokes visions of of a music video in my slackfilled mind with 'Stars', which rises to a Sgt. Pepper style crescendo. Glen Pine is in his element and has certainly matured in his writing through the years, carrying on the tradition of 'What Went Wrong' in 'Estranged'. And Jay Nugent's 'Leave Me' is a must hear as well, whether you've experienced the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat in a relationship. Ara Babajian appears on seven of the twelve tracks with Glen Hackett filling in on the drums for the remaining tracks. I found it ironic that Glen actually plays on 'Don't Forget The Streets' rather than Ara. The sun will rise regardless.