Ohhh Boy...

Band: Mustard Plug

Country: USA

Notable Album: In Black & White

Favourite Song: "Hit Me! Hit Me!"

So. It's Thursday. Last update? Last Wednesday. Ouch. LET'S IGNORE THIS ok? Let's just pretend I actually started my WHOLE blog a full week later than I really did... so last Wednesday is now yesterday and I'm still on track. DEAL.

Ok, so today's band is brought to you by the Letter "M!" I had a hard time choosing this band because I actually have I think 6 "M" bands that I really like and so it was a toss-up. But I chose Mustard Plug because they are not as obscure as Mouthwash or Morning Glory, and not as well-known as the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Good middle ground. Good talk. Mustard Plug hails from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and have been playing third-wave ska-punk since 1991. Their band is as old as I am! You can usually find them on the Ska Is Dead tour, alongside bands like The Toasters and Catch 22. Their music has legitimately evolved for the past while, and In Black & White really blew my mind when I heard it for the first time. I don't really know how to explain it... but I think the evolution of their music is very audible on this album - if you liked them before, you'll love them after you hear this!

Mustard Plug and the Planet Smashers performing together
Ska Fest at the Phoenix, October 2010 - good night of ska

In Black & White is Mustard Plug's newest album, although it was released back in 2007. I remember listening to the album for the first time while playing Quake III at home on my computer - I just put it on repeat and listened to it over and over. I probably learned most of the lyrics that night! This album is simply awesome - I think what gets me the most is that the horns don't get annoying! That was a problem I had with Mustard Plug's earlier releases, on all the albums except this and Pray For Mojo, the horns got super annoying super fast. I don't know if they were a tiny bit out of tune or what, but what I DO know is that I can only listen to a few songs at a time from their older music. Also, Pray For Mojo is weird because it was released in 1999, but Yellow #5 came out in 2002, and I STILL prefer Mojo. Whatever. Music is crazy sometimes. The other thing that got me about this album was the drumming. In all their releases, I always felt as though the drumming was kind of... soft? On In Black & White, though, the drums are loud and powerful, and quiet down when they need to. But they always provide a strong and forward-moving backbeat that really help each song move along. The one negative thing I have to say about the album is about the similarity of tempo across the tracks. I would venture to say that all the tracks are withing 20bpm of each other, and so at some points you may think you're listening to one track, while you're actually 3 or 4 tracks past it. But that's the only thing I don't like about this album - it's just all-around awesome.

"Hit Me! Hit Me!" is In Black & White's third track, and a super song off this album. It's short, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does exactly what it was made to do - be as skankable as possible! The chord progression is somewhat original, little drum fills add a fun flair to the track, and the tempo is perfect - not too fast as to inhibit the ability to skank, but not as slow as a reggae or original ska song. Absolutely perfect for everything from toe-tapping, to head-bobbing to full-out skanking and singing along! Other awesome tracks from this album are "Who Benefits?," "Over The Edge," "Something New," "You Can't Go Back," and "Puddle of Blood."

Grab this album here, and I will try my very best to have "N" up for tomorrow as to not break this chain of posts. Again.