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Kid Dakota - A Winner’s Shadow

$Kid Dakota - A Winner\'s Shadow$

I began writing this review for the last site I contributed to, but then our server crashed and we lost all of our files. This had the unfortunate timing to correspond with the site administrators own hard drive crash, as well as my own laptop failure. All of these things happened within a week-and-a-half period or so. So, now I have my own website, a new server, and a place to post this review. Thank jebus.

Kid Dakota has been a favorite of mine since I picked up the So Pretty EP from mp3.com back in 2001 or so. Its darkness haunted me, and begrudgingly drug me through the depths of snow, lightless days, and emotional doldrums of the Minnesota winter. When I feel depressed I listen to So Pretty from beginning to end, and even though it puts me in a very dark place, I know that things could be much worse. It’s grungy, grinding, and powerful.

In 2005 Kid Dakota followed on So Pretty with The West Is The Future which didn’t immediately live up to my expectations. A more open sound, cleaner production, and a more positive lyrical base (only slightly) were characteristic of this album, although the drug allusions were still everywhere. Ten Thousand Lakes brought back the raw rehab-induced power of So Pretty, with my favorite Minnesota reference:

but I’m optimistic, but I’m off to Mystic
cause I’m feelin lucky

I grew to love this album, and anxiously waited for news about the next album.

As soon as I heard that A Winner’s Shadow was going to be available on pre-order, I ordered it immediately. It has been a few years in the making, and truth be told, it hasn’t quite made the best impression on me. The album still contains everything I like about Kid Dakota, with some major changes. Although not necessarily brighter or more positive, it has moved into a vein of emo-saturated rock so typical of the Minneapolis/St. Paul scene. It is not as gritty as the first two, and they experiment with some quicker tempos that have not been characteristic of the last two albums. The two tracks that were released before the album , Chutes + Ladders and Stars, are among the weakest tracks on the album.

For me, the album only picks up after the first half. Puffy Jackets revisits a familiar scene for Kid Dakota - heroin. On one hand it is a serious song about addiction and freedom, questioning “when will I be free?” over and over again. On the other hand it is a song you could skip down the sidewalk to, completely oblivious to the lyrics. The dichotomy presented is not new to Kid Dakota, but rarely is it as spelled-out as it is here.

Of Age provides a much-needed pace change for most people familiar with Kid Dakota’s previous albums. It is not a slow song, and gives the band’s new drummer, Ian Prince, a chance to shine. The track ends with a breakneck trip-hop beat that is tight, complicated, and driving - standing in sharp contrast to former drummer Christopher McGuire’s habit of hanging slightly behind the beat. The tension built by this style of drumming is completely absent on the album, but it is nowhere as obvious as it is on Of Age.

The last handful of songs provide a kickback to So Pretty, beginning with crunchy rhythm of Long Odds and carrying into the Overcoat-esque Downhill and Fallout. For true fans, the album will not disappoint - however, it is a direction shift for Kid Dakota. I will wait for the next album with even greater curiosity.

Kid Dakota - Long Odds - A Winner’s Shadow

Kid Dakota - Ten Thousand Lakes - The West Is The Future

Kid Dakota - Bathroom - So Pretty