Record Label: Side One Dummy Records
Genre: Ska Punk
Band Link: link
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Those bad boys from Boston are back with another “rude boy with an attitude” album that’s in-your-face, fast, furious and…danceable?

It’s always good to hear the ska punk coming from Boston. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that the last two Big D albums are the best ska punk that I’ve heard since the boys in plaid decided to take an extended vacation. “Strictly Rude” definitely has that Bosstones sound going on. Maybe that’s because Joe Gittleman, the Bass Fiddleman produced it or maybe it’s because Big D & The Kids Table are finally coming in to their own? Where as “Good Luck” was an amalgamation of punk and ska that ended up sounding like circus music, their next full length “How It Goes” was, how could I put it, an epic punk ska album. The biggest difference between those two albums was with their later release, Big D started to rely more on the traditional ska sound as well dabbling in some dub. This added more depth to their sound and provided the variety of songs that was lacking on “Good Luck”. Now signed on to Side One Dummy, Big D have released the follow up to 2004’s “How It Goes” and I was all but ready to accept the fact that their new album wouldn’t even compare to that release. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that “Strictly Rude” does indeed hold it’s own….not as good but damn near close.

What made “How It Goes” so great is that it was one of those albums that bands only write when it’s pretty much them against the world. The songs were personal, introspective and managed to capture the fleeting moments and events that took place during its creation. “Strictly Rude” takes that concept and expands upon it. The songs have a broader scope and deal with social and political issues as well as the reflective tunes.

The name of the album reveals the direction that Big D has taken over the course of the past two albums. Traditional and two-tone ska songs appear more frequently than the punk stuff. Songs like “Shining On”, “Raw Revolution” and “The One” bring me back to the days when you could hear the Pietasters on the radio. I’m not saying that they’ve totally given up on their punk roots because the old Big D sound is still to be found. “Steady Riot” and “Noise Complaint” start the album off on the right foot with the crazy punk stuff that Big D fans will recognize. They even throw in a ska/dance/techno groove in there with “Relocate The Beat”, a song about something that I know a lot about, all of the cool clubs closing down and having nowhere to go to see some shows. Now you’re not going to mistake Big D for the Slackers or Hepcat, but there are some really good trad-ska and dub ska songs that are reminiscent of songs such as the Bosstones’ “Wrong Thing Right Then” or Rancid’s “Wrongful Suspicion”. The last song on this album, “She Knows Her Way” is a perfect example of this. It’s a seven and a half minute long dub song that would make Roland Alphonso proud.

For some reason that remains unknown to me, many people cast off Big D & The Kids Table as your typical generic ska punk band who plays nothing but noise. Yeah, “Good Luck” really wasn’t that good but that was eight years ago. Most things get better with age and experience. How many people do you think would have become Bad Religion fans if they only listened to their first album? I know I wouldn’t have. With Big D expanding upon the ska in ska punk and finally having a stable record company in Side One Dummy that can provide them with the exposure and opportunities that they deserve, I can see the fourth wave being led by the likes of Big D in the near future. Now get off of the Reel Big Fish bandwagon and start listening to something good already!

Bottom Line: Not as good as “How It Goes” but one of the best ska punk albums that I’ve heard since then.
Notable Tracks: Steady Riot, Shining On, Try Out Your Voice, Raw Revolution, The One, She Knows Her Way
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