Big D and The Kids Table – For The Damned, The Dumb and The Delirious 2XLP – With every listen of Big D and the Kids Table’s latest – For the Damned, the Dumb and the Delirious – it’s hard not to keep thinking of the title of the Against Me! song “Even at Our Worst, We’re Still Better Than Most.” Because even if this isn’t Big D’s worst – that honor sticks with Salem Girls – it’s easy to be underwhelmed by the latest effort, while still really liking near every cut on it.
For the Damned is a good set of songs; it’s just not a great album. And after the two very distinct, very fantastic efforts that were Strictly Rude and Fluent Stroll, the overall punk feel of Damned just feels like it doesn’t have quite the same identity as its predecessors.
That said, the album starts with the kick to the face in “Walls,” with a guitar and horn intro designed solely to tell fans to stop standing around after Fluent in Stroll and start moshing again. Then there’s a great baseline that reminds of old Goldfinger, a stylized chorus and then a move-your-ass chorus again, with will encourag sing-alongs at shows, no doubt.
In the middle, it’s got a few that will be up to the taste of fans. “My Buddy’s Back” tells the tale of a friend returning from war, but the vibe of the track is oddly silly, with David McWane’s writing and pronunciation of things like “wicked long war” seemingly going out of their way to give the track an unnecessary Boston identity. Much of the success of Big D’s unique sound is owed to McWane’s particularly interesting handling of the vocals, but on Damned it seems like he’s trying too hard at times.
That said, the eleventh track, “Good Looking,” is one of my favorite Big D tracks in a long time. It starts with an offbeat vocal intro, but explodes into a stylized tirade about life being difficult for those not rich or good looking. It’s filled with great interludes of jazzy saxophone solos and saloon-esque piano. The band also does a great job slowing it down with “Home,” and ripping it with great punk tracks like “Brain’s-a-Bomb.”
Ultimately, the only complaint to have is that certain tracks lack the same impact, and it doesn’t have the same cohesive feel of previous albums. But those buying it on vinyl are treated to a nice double LP, with a download code. It is pressed well and sounds just fine. The album photo art is a fantastic fit for a punk album, and is laid out well outside and inside the fold. If any of the limited-to-300 pressing is still available, ShopRadioCast is also offering an exclusive cool Red Sox red-and-blue half-and-half translucent pressing that looks really cool. So there are plenty of reasons to pick up this solid collection of songs on vinyl.
Review by: Bill Jones
Sound/Press Quality: 4/5
The Album: 4/5
Artwork & Packaging: 4/5
Vinyl Collective boards
No Comments