Review Summary: I consider this Big D and the Kids Table's best work. It loses it's seriousness in some points, but this can be overlooked because of this single fact. It's [i]fun[/i].
In 1999, Big D and the Kids Table were a ten piece. That's right, ten people. The amount of pure energy and blends of instruments on this album is simply amazing. Hailing from Boston, Big D and the Kids Table were determined to make a name for themselves, and with this, their first non-split full-length, I think they did.
At this time, Big D had two singers, which lends a lot to the fast-paced singing in most songs. In one song David McWane might handle the catchy sing-along chorus, while Marc Flynn's voice can be heard during the quick, bouncy verses. The Very next song might have the role reversed.
The opener on this album,
Myself is a great example of the fact that Big D has perfected the use of dual vocals. It starts out with a quick attack of drums and a very catchy horn-line, which usually carries the song in most cases. David McWane opens the vocals on the song, and quickly transitions into a very Skankable verse sung by Marc Flynn.
One thing that turns people away from this band is Singer David McWane's immature voice. When I say immature I mean it. It can be compared to a high schoolers voice. Some points it will sound normal enough, and suddenly will crack, squeak, or change pitches without warning. One big example of this is the short screaming section towards the end of
Fatman. While this is a turnoff for many people, it actually helps the music. His voice fits in perfectly, with a normal voice, the music would almost be boring.
Like all of this bands work, they can weave multiple genres into a single album effortlessly. Some songs are the perfect definition of ska/punk, while other songs don't even have horns, and are just straight-up punk. (See the short, but awesome
Apology)
Some verses almost sound rap-like, a perfect example of this is fan-favorite
Can't Be Caught. It's a fan favorite for a reason. The fast rap verses blend perfectly into an addicting hornline and a fun chorus. The song also features some of Big D's most fun back-up singing. Lots of laughs, screams, and one-liners stuck into the backround, something that will be made popular on one of their later releases, How It Goes.
Conversely to this, the band can also do a slow song and make it sound great. The two great ones are
Find Out, and the title track,
Good Luck. The former being a quite peaceful song with a lovely guitar riff and more signature back-up singing. The latter is my favorite of the two, opens with an acoustic guitar, and some great lyrics putting forth an interesting outlook on life.
Despite this, the album does lose it's seriousness in many parts. Songs such as
G.L.D.,
Dirt Lip, and
She Won't Ever Figure It Out are fun and catchy, but don't expect anything too meaningful or deep.
The real high point on the album for me is
51 Gardner. It manages to blend every aspect of this album together into one insane package. It starts out with a lone horn, building into a bass and a slow ska intro, then quickly gets faster and faster until it eventually morphs into another dual-singing rap-like verse. The song has all the trademarks of Big D. It has it's serious, slower, quite beautiful parts. It has the insane backround singing. It has Fast dual-vocals. It Has Immature yet fun lyrics (Those Little ***ers try to hide from us!). Overall, it's simply amazing. Even if you don't want to buy this album, I recommend downloading this song.
On the whole, I consider this Big D and the Kids Table's best work. It loses it's seriousness in some points, but this can be overlooked because of this single fact. It's
fun.
