Rockin‰’ psych-surf

If this album were a beverage it‰’d be Rockstar Energy Drink- and probably do just as good of a job keeping you up all night. “Brooklyn based Total Slacker take scuzzy, in-your-face guitar tones and send them into space‰” on their latest album, Slip Away. This is no understatement- Total Slacker brings intense riffs, bangin‰’ drum fills, and psychedelic pedals to define their sound. Not only are the instrumentals incredibly mixed and arranged, but the lyrics hold their own, if you can tear yourself away from the music enough to catch them. “You‰’ve gotta love yourself before you can love someone else,‰” sings the ever-wise and ever-mellow vocalist with light female harmonies on all the right notes. The best quality of the album is that it isn‰’t predictable. The tempo fluxes between songs and the key switches around, but it‰’s like looking at a Jackson Pollock: the seemingly messy splatters defy reason and look kickass anyway. Slip Away is a rockin revival that gets all its fizzy energy from sheer guitar awesomeness; try a sip.

RIYL: Wax Idols, Reading Rainbow, Radical Dads
Recommended: 1, 3, 6