It is the fall of 2004 in Chicago. A band called StrategyGame are set to release an E.P. entitled Take One. The air is charged and emotions are running high. After 9 well received live performances, the band finally awaits the release of 5 songs. The future of the world, as it were, hangs in the balance.The music is said to be one part New Wave and one part BritPop. This description amuses the band members. It also confuses them.They have been friends for many years, but only recently began playing together. There are people who seem to enjoy this. Many of those people have found it enjoyable to see The Strategy Game live at one of their few but worthwhile Rock Concerts. Some of these events have even reached capacity attendance, again confusing the young men in the band. Some of the places where the band have played include Double Door, Metro, Beat Kitchen, and Subterranean. Interestingly enough, they plan on playing in these venues again but look forward to playing outside of the city of Chicago. Why they would do this seems to be tied to the November release of Take One by a new local label called Red Mercury Recordings. The Strategy Game are currently seeking representation. For booking info contact Joe Nesbitt - [email protected]
You can buy "Take One." on iTunes HERE or on Amazon.com HERE.
Album description from The Orchard:
Chicago based, The Strategy Game's debut EP titled "Take One" features five songs excellently orchestrated. "We Are The Air" leads off the EP as the band showcases its talent with a mixture of Brit pop and Indie rock hinting an 80's influence, giving this genre a face lift to what has became music standard. While "Take One" falls into a category of the Muse and the Strokes, this release is not bound by this style as tracks "Moving Picture" and "All These Stars" illustrates. Lyrically, "Take One" has a lot of substance, as The Strategy Game separates itself from the mainstream with a sound that leaves one wanting more.
Album reviews:
THE BIG TAKEOVER:
The Strategy Game - TAKE ONE EP - (RED MERCURY)
Strategy Game play catchy and driving pop rock with more than your normal amounts of depth and energy, hitting hard from the first notes of this five-song EP. Dynamic vocals and sharp stop/start rhythms blend melody with furious guitars. Little hints of new wave slip out in some random keyboard riffs, but the drive here is towards a fuller post-punk sound that pushes closer to a rocked out Hot Hot Heat or maybe The Faint if they were a guitar band. Emotional and incessant forward motion propels this band from song to song, and sometimes you just find yourself jumping up and down, singing along.
(www.redmercuryrecords.com)
Marcel Feldmar - THE BIG TAKEOVER Issue No. 56
WWW.SOHOSTRUT.CO.UK
Strategy Game - Take One
This is classic rock with an epic feel. On We are the air, think a U2 feel at the introduction, followed by some strong guitar. Alphabetic has a similar 80s rock flavour, again with those guitar elements and a feel that reminds me of the House of Love. Moving Picture has some effective synthesiser tones to add to the mix. All These Stars and Little Shipwreck take forward the feel of the selection to a logical conclusion.
Rob Massey
