Published on Feb 7, 1998
If there’s one particular flaw of “jam oriented” bands, it lies
in their albums. Skimming through my collection to find an album to
review, I fished through my “jam band” section. Big Head Todd and
the Monsters, Dave Matthews Band, Rusted Root and Phish to be
particular. And to be honest, each album from these artists are not
a bad investment at all. But, I’ve used each of these CDs as more
for “mood music” than appreciating the impact of one particular
album.
A deck of cards, a six pack of beer and a couple of friends
over. A common phrase that come out, “put on some Dave Matthews” or
“Put on some Big Head Todd” when those three things are mixed. And,
by listening to
Strategem, I can see how the behavior is justified. By all
accounts,
Strategem is an excellent follow-up to Big Head Todd and the
Monsters gold album,
Sister Sweetly.
Recorded in Boulder, Colorado, a place that has become home to
the Monsters, it has a rich, relaxed feel. Lead singer Todd Park
Mohr seemed to be striving for a blusier feel than the more
pop-oriented
Sister Sweetly or
Another Mayberry. The title track and “Candle 99” are some
of the best and loosest material the band has recorded. Indeed, in
the fall of 1995, when
Strategem was released, my friend and I took our
mountainbikes to ride in one of our state parks. Autumn leaves, a
long stretch of road and a Newcastle brown ale,
Strategem was a damn near perfect soundtrack for that
day.
That all said, even in the right environment,
Strategem doesn’t tug at the heartstrings. This could be due
to Todd Park Mohr’s “goal” of the album. In the liner notes, he
said many of the verses in the album were an attempt at “koans”. A
koan is a riddle that a Buddhist meditates on to empty the mind of
thoughts.
“You make me feel good outside/You were a good public affair”,
Mohr sings on “Greyhound”. While most of the album has stronger
lyrics than this, I did feel that koan-age was established. In my
case, sometimes that isn’t a good thing.
Strategem is so relaxing, it’s untimately a safe release,
slightly edging out Hootie and the Blowfish. True, Big Head Todd
doesn’t aim to fill your head with tales of paranoia and isolation
in a computerized society, but there’s no tension that Mohr creates
in some of the characters in
Sister Sweetly.
As the lyrics are relaxed, so is the music. Bassist Rob Squires
and drummer Brian Nevin give a solid, rhythmic base to each of the
songs. With the exception of “Wearing Only Flowers”, there’s no
music hook that reaches up and grabs you.
Another Mayberry was full of those hooks, and though it
didn’t sound as mature as
Strategem, I do like the album more for that exact
reason.
The album closes with “Shadowlands”, a song that shouldn’t work,
but does thanks for Mohr’s soulful delivery and the band’s fluid
performance. It’s also a perfect closer for what was a left-field
album for the Monsters.
At times pensive, at other times, simply playing it safe, the
band gave their fans an album that took a couple of listens to
fully set it. No “Bittersweet”, no “I Closed The Door” not even a
“Circle” in the bunch. Still,
Strategem has enough off-kilter charm to satisfy a Big Head
Todd fan. For first time listeners though, I would look elsewhere
in their collection before picking this one up.