Manhattan’s godfathers of ska just laid out a beautiful 5-track EP. The Slackers have been laying out some of the most powerful, beautiful, and laid-back ska music for over 30 years, and this new album is every bit as terrific and poignant as some of the greatest songs scattered throughout their catalog. The catalog is one of the most prolific catalogs around, and they have another 11-track album scheduled for release in December.
The EP starts with the title track- “Money is King”, a cover of a Calypso song from 1935 by Growling Tiger. Keeping much of the original composition and structure, the song ends up being the most upbeat of the 5 tracks on the EP. However, the song still manages to sound and feel like the Slackers’ original material. It’s amazing how well a song from 90 years ago, lambasting the way society treats dogs as better than poor people, and how money grants power and rules the world. While Donald Trump boasted he could go out of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and nobody would care, the same observation was made in this song nearly 90 years earlier. “When a man has money and wealth, they don’t care if you’re evil as hell…commit murder, get off free- live a life of luxury”. The similarity was so jarring, I had to double-check that they didn’t change the lyrics to make this a criticism of Trump. But, alas, that’s the nature of wealth and capitalism; it will always create a class of citizens who aren’t held to the same standards as the rest of us.
The song goes on to portray the life of poor people, treated worse than dogs. The Slackers cleverly and quietly added dog howls through the mix to drive home the point, without making it too obnoxious. The lyrics point out that people feed stray dogs that beg on the street and might take one home as a pet, but poor people begging on the street are met with cold shoulders and the police.
Each of the four original tracks on the EP was primarily written by a different member of the band, adding a little extra diversity to the album. While I like all 4 tracks of this EP, my favorite is “The Whole World Was In On It”. The structure and storytelling are fairly straightforward, but it works extremely well. Incidents and impactful moments throughout a life all work together to make someone the person they are today. The fire, the storm, all imbuing their essence into the soul.
The Slackers are well established as one of the most successful ska bands, and I don’t feel I need to dwell on the musicianship on this album. They are incredibly talented with everything they do. If you aren’t familiar with their work, this is just as good a place to start as their earliest music. They have endured this long for a very good reason. They don’t jump on trends; they continue with authentic storytelling and talented songwriting. Give the EP a stream, and if you like it, support the band and buy a copy.
Written by Gimp Leg
