Here's another one for the "What is the purpose of this?" file (if you have one, that is). The Slits, a legendary and influential girl group from the late '70s/early '80s, has reunited for their first release since 1981's Return of The Giant Slits. Following in the footsteps of the recently reassembled Pixies, the group, led by the dreadlocked Ari Up, have opted to create Revenge of The Killer Slits, an EP with three tracks of mildly amusing, unnecessary iPod fodder.
The biggest problem with this EP is the loss of the group's original tongue-placed-firmly-in-cheek deliveries, which made Cut one of the most entertaining records of the '70s. Lines such as "I need something new/ Something trivial would do" are replaced with uninteresting brags: "The first of our kind/ Way ahead of time." Dub-channeling rhythms are ditched in favor of recycled punk and dry, ineffective lo-fi electronica. Since paving the way for such grrrl groups as Le Tigre and The Gossip, the remaining original Slits have opted to liberally borrow from elements found on many Kill Rock Stars records for their new disc.
That said, these aren't the worst songs on the planet we're talking about here; they're just not the most terribly exhilarating ones, either. "Slits Tradition" is a relatively catchy song, and I love the sentiment of "Kill Them With Love" (originally released on Ari Up's 2005 debut solo album), but I don't see how I would choose to have these tracks occupying space on my MP3 player that would be better suited for Erase Errata or The Slits' best work, Cut. It's extremely unfortunate that the group's reunion didn't create something more dynamic and intriguing than the songs presented here.
1. Slits tradition
2. Number one enemy
3. Kill them with love 1. Slits tradition
2. Number one enemy
3. Kill them with love
More about: The Slits
