Slick Shoes -- Burn Out

8/10

Remember the fresh-faced Slick Shoes of 1997? The So-Cal punk band toured relentlessly for a year, got burned out, and immediately recorded an album about their feelings. In contrast to Rusty, Slick Shoes' fast and fun 1997 debut, 1998's Burn Out features more mid-tempo tracks, and a decidedly bleaker, angrier vibe.  Just look at the track titles. "Away With You." "When Does It End?"
That's not to say the band still isn't cranking out fast tunes. The palm-muted intro to "East on Tracks" is insane and the super pissed off "Away With You" is as fast as anything they've done (and several other tracks feature a speedy tempo, as well). The later also starts with dark, ringing, resounding chords that are evocative of the album's overall feel--this is the dark tea time of a sunny punk band's soul.
As such, Burn Out acts as a sort of dark mirror to Slick Shoes' debut album, Rusty. Thus, it has different strengths and weaknesses. Burn Out's snare drum and overall mixing sounds weaker than Rusty's, but Burn Out features two guitar players to Rusty's one, and the duo's resulting interplay leads to a higher level of musical technicality.
Rusty meanders just a little bit (such a minor grievance, I didn't even list it in the review), but is a more positive, chill experience to Burn Out. Despite Rusty's overall positivity and hang-out vibe, though, Burn Out presents a more cohesive emotional narrative. The not quite positive, yet pragmatic opener "For Better, for Worse" immediately gives way to the more negative intentions of "East on Tracks," with that darker feeling dominating over the course of the rest of the album, only a few reassuring songs like "Fool Me No More" and "Responsible" tossed in to make sure things don't get too bleak. The penultimate track, "Parting Ways," contains a pretty major touch of finality in the severing of negative ties, before the last catharsis and then cleansing mental truffle-shuffle of two-part closer, "Learn to Unlearn." The entire thing gives the idea of someone setting out with a pragmatic optimism, facing grueling trials, distancing themselves from the situation, moving on, and trying to learn something from the experience. The almost always sunny Rusty doesn't have that type of emotional progression. In that way, Burn Out is as comforting as Rusty, Rusty a comfort during good times, Burn Out a comfort in the dark ones.
If the vocals of barely teenaged Ryan Kepke kept you away from Rusty, he's only a year older here, but Slick Shoes' unique vocals have always been a check in the positive column for me.
Besides, this kind of album-long emotional flow is pretty remarkable for such a young band, and still Burn Out's standout feature 21 years later.

Personally, I was feeling very emo when I first discovered this album, finishing up my first year of college, getting ready to move out for the first time, and experiencing the only period of animosity I've ever had with my younger brother (he was just getting into the puberty, and thankfully the negativity between us was short-lived). In true emo fashion, I liked a girl who didn't like me back, I lazed around in my room staring out the window, sometimes inexplicably tearing up and questioning what the point of it all was. I jammed out to Burn Out a lot while staring angrily at the floor...and of course quickly tapping my foot. I also listened to it on many a late night drive...while driving slightly above the speed limit.
Strangely enough, I first listened to Slick Shoes' discography out of order, but every respective album matched whatever my current life-vibe was. Just now noticing this phenomenon. Weird.

1998 Tooth & Nail Records
1. For Better, for Worse 2:53
2. East on Tracks 2:35
3. The Last Round 2:18
4. Fool Me No More 2:35
5. Late Night Showing 2:42
6. Away With You 3:07
7. When Does It End? 2:16
8. Responsible 1:37
9. Call for Ambulance 2:37
10. Fulfilling 3:09
11. Clenched Fists, Black Eyes (originally performed by 7 Seconds)  1:33
12. Parting Ways 2:19
 13. Learn to Unlearn 6:27