Big D And The Kid’s Table – Fluent In Stroll

I’ve had a love-hate relationship with Massachusetts’ favourite third wave ska outfit, Big D & The Kids Table, for quite some time now.  Having formed in the mid 90’s Big D has become one of those ever-present ska authorities, and unlike the majority of still active 90’s legacy bands, including Mustard Plug and Buck-O-Nine, they have always pushed themselves beyond the genre’s limits.  But despite recognizing their ambition and love for music, I’ve just never been able to fully immerse myself in the Big D experience.  Their rap album back in 2003 threw me for a loop, and 2005’s odd dub-inspired Halloween EP Salem Girls really confused me.

So when the band announced 2009’s Fluent in Stroll, I felt that I had given the band enough chances, and that I would grudgingly let this release pass me by.  But as fate would have it, a review copy found its way to my doorstep.  So I thought to myself “well, I’ve listened to everything up until this point, I might as well give this one a spin – for continuity’s sake.”  And boy am I glad fate was looking out for me, because Fluent in Stroll is quite an achievement.

There’s just something that makes Fluent in Stroll stand out from the rest of Big D’s discography – and not in the way their rap album did.  Fluent In Stroll feels like a coherent summation of their previous releases.  In addition to their ska foundation, the album draws upon aspects of genres like dub, reggae, jazz and swing.  The band even incorporates an influence referred to as “hopscotch,” which serves as one of the album’s more distinctive sounds.  It involves school girl-like gang vocals reminiscent of playground skipping-rope chants.  It’s surprisingly refreshing, and serves as a wonderful counterbalance to frontman David McWane’s sloppy, high-pitched vocals.  I’ve always found McWane’s vocals a little overpowering, so the girls make a great addition to Big D’s lineup.  All together these styles produce what the band have coined “stroll,” which from my perspective sounds like a very relaxed, summer friendly formula.

Most tracks seamlessly integrate these influences within each song, rather than simply changing styles between tracks.  For example, “Doped up Dollies on a Ticket to Blood” and “Fluent In Stroll” employ trumpets and saxophones for a danceable swing chorus, and employing female vocals for an especially playful, and almost cheeky feel.  Others like “Describing the Sky” and “Been Wishing On” balance ska and reggae with particularly relaxing results – the type of tunes that fit those sizzling, lazy summer afternoons.  As a whole, Fluent In Stroll is undeniably fun.

Personally, I found the weakest tracks to be those retaining a more “classic” Big D sound.  In other words, those tracks dominated by McWane that subscribe to a more basic third-wave ska formulae feel unfulfilling amongst such a lively soundscape.  Even so, they don’t particularly damage the album as a whole, and can usually be listened to without much harm.

Overall, Fluent in Stroll is the first time I’ve found myself truly engrossed in a Big D & The Kids Table album.  The album is catchy, addictive, and despite it’s long run time, very playable.  In an age where summer ska albums have gone the way of the buffalo, Fluent in Stroll is without question a summer essential.