Mustard Plug is a band that holds a nostalgic place in my heart. In the early ‘90s, they played at least once a month at Club Soda in Kalamazoo. Each Mustard Plug show was a massive social event; there were a lot of people there that you hadn’t seen since the last Plug show, and everyone had a few drinks, danced and had a great, sweaty ska-filled time (ska-filled’s not a word, but you catch my drift).
And a Breath Of Fresh Air
Now, 16 years later, the band is releasing their 6th full-length album. It’s amazing how much is still the same, as well as how much has changed.
What’s the same as the early days? The band is still making infectiously addictive ska tunes – the kind that forces you to dance. Tracks like “Hit Me! Hit Me!”, “Life Is Too Short” and “Copasetic” bring traditional beats and horns to the party, reminding me of old school third-wave and managing to be nostalgic without being stale.
What’s different from back then? The band has matured. Gone are the days of silly tunes like “Skank By Numbers”, “Ball Park Skank” and “Brain On Ska.” The songs are just as good, but they are much less innocent. Instead of silly ska songs about ska itself, Mustard Plug is talking about corporations’ effect on everyday life (“Who Benefits), violence (“Puddle Of Blood”), relationships and simply what it means to get older (a bunch of the songs).
Also, the music continues to progress, as it has over the years, away from the simple two-tone ska sound. Many songs boast serious punk riffs and a dose of metal; much of the record is more ska-core than straight-up ska. “Something New”, “You Can’t Go Back”, “On and On” and “Tell Me” have no problem hauling out three-chord punk or blistering rock and roll riffs.
Some of that is the influence of producer Bill Stevenson (Descendents/ALL, NOFX) from the Blasting Room recording studio (the same studio and producer of the Plug’s 1997 album Evildoers Beware, and some of it simply because they continue to grow and evolve.
Special attention needs to be paid to the album’s best party tune, “Real Rat Bastard”, a crunchy punk tune with perky horns and a singalong quality. In the vein of something Reel Big Fish might do, it’s a lost love tune that’s fun and happy, hammering that idea home with one of the album’s best lines, “I’d slap the pope just for the chance to see your face.”
To be sure, Mustard Plug will continue to be known for and play all the old school ska at their shows that created their following, but it’s really nice to hear them progress and develop their sound as well. Not only would I recommend you pick up In Black and White, but I think I’d also suggest you pull out your old copy of Big Daddy Multitude (my first exposure to the band), or pick up one if you never had it, and play them in an alternating rotation. These guys were kings of third-wave ska back then, and it’s great to hear that they neither stagnated nor gave up their sound entirely after all these years.
