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Fluent in Stroll
Big D and the Kids Table
(Side One Dummy, 2009)
Somewhat surprisingly 2007’s release of Strictly Rude was met with mixed reaction. Some (correctly) hailed the record as the best Big D and the Kids Table had to offer. Others, a militant hardcore bunch it seems, claimed the record to be too much of a departure from a band that had really nailed that third wave, up tempo skacore sound previously. It appeared that a foray into a more soulful reggae/dub territory wasn’t that palatable for some. Now, if opinion was divided on that release then Fluent in Stroll is going to stick a crowbar into that divide and slash it even further apart.
From the opening beats of “Doped Up Dollied On a One Way Ticket To Blood” it’s blatantly apparent that Big D has chosen to walk another less trodden path, leaving both the reggae grooves of the previous album and the skacore legacy of earlier material, in favour of something, well, different. The soul/swing/gospel sound that percolates from back-up singers (The Doped Up Dollies themselves) is more a throwback to the heady days of Detroit Motown than anything ska has ever thrown out there. It’s a double-edged sword. On the one side it sounds fantastically decadent and intriguing. On the other, at least for the first few spins, it makes Dave McWane’s vocals seem confusingly out of place. Years ago one of the criticisms thrown at the band was that people struggled to ‘get it’ because of McWane’s voice. Here’s a revisit, then. The thing is, given time, the collaboration starts to pay off. Talk about the definition of a grower.
Across the album it’s the moments with the Dollies that make for impressive listening. The title track combines this soul with an almost Ray Charles blues/jazz feel and a fantastic cheerleader like chant. On “Not Fucking Around” it’s not going too far to say that the Dollies save the song, which, whilst being a nice little ska number, is lyrically cringe-worthy.
It’s not all about the Dollies though, nor is it a complete departure for the band. It’s worth remembering that for as much as Big D has always been wiling to mix it up the band definitely knows what works. Etched across Fluent in Stroll are moments, and indeed songs, that hark back to the band’s historical background. “Describing the Sky” is a fantastically chilled number, the perfect summer-in-the-park moment if you will, that would have happily sat alongside anything on Strictly Rude. It, like a lot of the tracks on offer here, is a brass laden number, a direction that the band seems to have put particular emphasis on this time around. “Where Did All the Women Go?” is a bass hungry number that bubbles around organs and brass to the degree of carnival. “Known to be Blue” throws a little Rat Pack aping interlude into the mix whilst closer “We Can Live Anywhere” may well be the best track on the whole album, bringing together every one of the components that make this record traditional Big D fare and border-breakingly novel all at the same time.
Make no mistakes, just because you like Big D & the Kids Table doesn’t mean you’ll like this record. By contrast, if you hate Big D that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy this record. Give it ten-out-of-ten for bringing variety to the park. Points are lost however due to the varying degrees of success of this variety. One moment it gets it spot on, the next it just misses it. Take you’re time with this one: by no means it Fluent in Stroll immediate, but with time it develops a charm that will have you periodically coming back for more. A curious little number to say the least.
SkaMutiny rating: 3/5
Al
