You wake up, put on your slippers, get a bowl of cereal, read the newspaper, put on a shirt and tie, kiss your wife and kids goodbye, and drive to work. Congratulations-- you're the stereotypical adult. Which is a shame because stereotypical adults don't enjoy the things normal people enjoy. They like to play golf, they like to read the business section of the newspaper, they like "fast- paced blockbuster action films," and they like to count their money. They can't grasp the concept of anything new or original; instead, they must stick to what they're already familiar with, which is precisely why they can't figure out VCR clocks.

Likewise, they'd never comprehend the musical value of Slicker's Confidence In Duber, a weird ride through a sonic soundscape of bleeps and bloops that's taken samples of common, everyday noises and turned them into twitchy rhythm. It's this type of thing that gives dad a headache, makes mom confused and that grandpa calls "Satanic."

Slicker is also known as John Hughes, son of the famous filmmaker, so it's only obvious that, as a musician, he'd try to get as far away from Simple Minds as possible. And he's pulled it off-- imagine the insane mindfuck of "Vahz Mon" as the ending credits to "The Breakfast Club." But Confidence In Duber is the type of sound Hughes' label Hefty Records is known for. Past releases have included the bizarre recordings by the wonderful Bill Ding, and Super ESP, an electronic project featuring Trenchmouth vocalist Damon Locks and indie rock superstar Casey Rice.

So, what have we got here... indie cred, innovation, uniqueness, heir to riches, hip label owner. Yeah, that's about right. It fits Slicker into that category of catagories, "Cool To Like." But is it really likable? Undoubtedly.

-Ryan Schreiber