A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the “Love I Bring” b/w “My Cat is on Prozac” split 7” single by Sic & Mad and The Slackers. There’s little doubt that this review will sound dismissive – such is the most common byproduct of a release which isn’t very good. Now, it’s true that the governing wisdom in the music industry has always been that, “They can’t all be genius,” and that may be true – but basic quality control measures have often dictated that not every idea needs to be seen through to completion and this single feels like it should have fallen into that category pretty early. That isn’t to say that either of the songs collected for this Slackers/Sic & Mad single is bad, exactly, just that neither song ably keeps the single afloat or shines as a standout which requires that a spotlight be cast on it – and those are the pretty key terms that the songs on a single need to exhibit in order to justify the medium’s existence. In fact, in this case, the staunchest, most humorless and rigid critics could go so far as to say that both of the songs on this single are perfectly forgettable and question the justification for their inclusion here.
The question of “Why this single exists” becomes raised pretty quickly after needle settles into groove and a very rocksteady rhythm aerates out of “Love I Bring”. Now, it does need to be said that the song is not poor; Vic Ruggiero’s vocal stands strong and brightly in the mix as Marcus Geard’s bass and the horns supplied by Pine and Hillyard cast a very relaxing spell over listeners, but the movement is so sedate that even the greatest of the band’s supporters will quickly feel their interest waning. When the song finally concludes after the four-and-a-half-minute mark, listeners probably won’t be sorry to see it go so much as surprised that it was still playing.
Conversely, Sic & Mad’s contribution on the B-side of this single, “My Cat Is On Prozac,” isn’t so much bad as it is dumb. The song’s lyrics – which are focused on the tribulations that singer Michael Weininger has to endure from a cat that he also medicates – are more sophomoric than anything else, and the rhythm (which feels like indie hardcore but without any testosterone) feels well-worn (and worn out) long before the song reaches its terminus at the three-and-a-half-minute mark.
…Needless to say, while it’s not entirely possible that this seven-inch may find an interested audience among Slackers or Sic & Mad fans (or just fans of all things Vic Ruggiero, for that matter), it doesn’t feel as likely as one would hope. There just isn’t enough here to justify the kind of appreciation it would take to maintain an enduring sense of interest. [Bill Adams]
Artist:
https://www.theslackers.com/
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Album:
The Slackers / Sic & Mad “Love I Bring” b/w “My Cat is on Prozac” split 7” single is out now. Buy it here, directly from Pirates Press Records. https://shop.piratespressrecords.com/products/the-slackers-papa-b-sic-mad-split-7
