No.94 - ‘Peculiar’, by The Slackers (2006)

“If you want my reasons for just why I joined the war; Well I’ll tell you, I had to; ‘Cause when they tell you, “Son stand straight and take this gun”; Well they also point one at you…”

Brixton Academy, 2004 - Deconstruction Fest. Arrived looking forward to seeing MxPx, discovered Yellowcard (with their backflipping vilolinist) and left having thoroughly enjoyed a little known but highly regarded ska band; The Slackers.

With a boat load of albums in their repertoire, The Slackers are, in my opinion, the world’s best modern era, traditional ska band. Whereas their previous albums include around 20 songs, ‘Peculiar’ actually feels like a fuller, stronger album, with just the thirteen strong. Long punk albums can tend to lose my attention (The Slackers being signed to Tim Armstrong’s punk Hellcat Records), and they’ve got the length just right with ‘Peculiar’

Very political songs, covering different styles, but mostly brilliant traditional ska and reggae. ‘International War Criminal’ highlights the Bush Jr years and the Iraqi war, as did many punk rock albums released in the 2000s (American Idiot by Green Day for example). ‘Rider’, a superb reggae ska number, ‘Keep it Simple’ and ‘Crazy’ are highlights that follow this theme. One thing that draws me to punk and ska bands is their consistent themes of unity, justice and peace. Something we seem to be lacking in today’s world. And this album is truly excellent in both musical quality and lyrical theme.

The Slackers formed in 1991, New York and have released 14 studio albums so far. Fronted by the excellent Vic Ruggerio on vocals and keys, with a notable mention to Dave Hillyard on sax. ‘Peculiar’ was actually recorded live, but with studio overdubs and re-recordings, giving the songs a fantastic energy. The album is available on blue vinyl, and resides in my collection. Definitely have to mention their 1998 release, ‘The Question’, which is another fantastic album.

Favourite songs -  Rider, Crazy, Propaganda