Reviews – Yellow #5

Photo 2002 by Anna Clive

LITTLE GOBLIN
Rating: 8/10

Ska’s back.

No, seriously. It is. You thought it was dead, but that was merely life support.

First, we got the first new Reel Big Fish record in years, and now the best Mustard Plug record, ever.

Ska’s back, kids, ska’s back. But can it survive. Well, bands like Mustard PLug never went away. They just kept the torch going, as one of punk rock’s hardest working bands, which is demonstrated wonderfully here. Tight hooks, wonderful horns, clever lyrics, and some truely bad ass song-work. This is the best they’ve ever delivered, and if you liked ska during its third/fourth wave, the fifth wave has begun and you need to jump on this record now.

Or, was that second/ third and fourth?

PUNK PLANET

The ska-punk fad has come to pass – just ask one of the thousand bands that disintegrated in the past two years or so. Never ones to follow, Mustard Plug are back with their fifth full-length featuring 11 tracks to dance your silly little ass off to. The trumpet/trombone combo is the best around and the group-sung choruses will have you bopping your head if the catchy melodies don’t. Little has changed since their first LP hit the streets a few years ago. There are no signs of slowing down as the up-tempo melodies and danceable instrumentals clearly show. There’s no denying the fact that with the Mighty Mighty Bosstones in a downward spiral, Mustard Plug is the best third-wave band left standing.

RAZORCAKE
by Donofthedead

I’m ready to be happy again. The overabundant influx of ska bands that we had to endure during the late ’90s almost killed the genre for me. Now that the bad, "I’m going to get rich and famous," wannabe bands have given up, the quality of the releases is going back up. Take Mustard Plug for instance. I have always liked this band. I think I appreciated every release that I received. This release I would compare to the most recent Bosstones record; a sense of familiarity and I notice a maturity to their sound. This music is the same with the sound of skanking guitars and the presence of happy horns. The songs are tight and feel like they have worked on them until they were just right. This is not a bunch of songs just to get a bunch of songs out there. I feel like they are doing it for the love of the music. Ska lovers take notice.

SOUNDCHECK
by Jeremy Weiner

Wow! I’m impressed. I have to admit, not being a big fan of post-2-tone era ska, I wasn’t really expecting to like this. At the very least they deserve props for genuinely sounding like they are having fun; something of a rarity in today’s world of emo and nu metal. In third generation ska fashion, the music alternates between pop punk and ska. The horn section helps the punkier moments stand out and not sound generic. The production is also noteworthy, sounding nice and clear without the polish that many albums suffer from today. Overall this is a solid effort. A high point came during "Get It Goin On," which reminds us that "Rock n Roll is here to make you dance and shout." May we never forget.

THE TOWER
by Rob Gegner

Jump in the pit kiddies and start a-skankin! Mustard Plug is mixing it up with their forth release, "Yellow #5."

For those who are wondering, "Who in the hell are Mustard Plug?" they are one of the most influential third-wave ska bands in the underground music scene.

The six-piece band, which hails from Michigan, first debuted in 1993 with "Big Daddy Multitude" and hasn’t released an album since 1999.

Mustard Plug is a bandwagon pioneer. The band’s career spans over 10 years, during which they have played 1,000 shows and sold more than 1 million records. (mp note: actually it’s more like 200,000).

Yet, while the band is still not underground and not quite pop, it is a long way from selling out. It has stuck to its musical roots.

Track 1 on the new CD, "Not Enough," is enough for anyone to grab the album sleeve and start singing along.

Mustard Plug defiantly knows how to mix ska, rock, pop, and punk just right, so everyone can enjoy it.

Bob your head to the infectious chorus of "Get It Goin On," a true rock’n’roll piece. The fast tempo and positive lyrics are enough to make anyone get up and start dancing.

The sharp ska-reggae guitar riffs and soothing horns add colorful melody to each song on the record. Vocalist (Dave Kirchgessner) spits out super-fast lyrics and super melodic chouruses in time with the rest of the music.

Track 5, "Already Gone," is one of the more mellow tracks on the album. "No One But Myself," is a jump-around tune that is reminiscent of Catch 22.

"Your Secret," track 9, is a powerful anthem full of cheering chanting.

Fresh off this summer’s Warped Tour, Mustard Plug is hopping back on the road in October. They will be touring the East Coast with Digger, another band on Hopeless Records, to promote their new album.

Like most bands, it is probably accurate to say that Mustard Plug’s live performance blows the CD version of thier music right out of the water.

Take the same catchy foot-stomping, finger-snapping tunes featured on the CD, crank up the intensity and volume, and throw in hundreds of screaming dancing fans, then you might get an idea of what a Mustard Plug show is like.

SUSPECT DEVICE

"Fuck the trends we still love ska." The liner notes say it all for the Michigan ska-punk mainstays. They were there before the beginning of the ska craze and they are still as fresh and energetic as ever. This will have you bringing out your old ska-punk albums for another listen and youngsters looking for more. Even though the sound is familiar this is a refreshing album in a time when so many new releases sound the same. Full of songs that will be stuck in your head for days.

RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL

Playing a genre that’s no longer trendy, ska-punk vets Mustard Plug press on anyway, which is good news. One of the more melodic, interesting bands of ska’s third wave, the group’s "Yellow #5" features a mix of melodic choruses and horn charts that thankfully don’t sound like Chicago, loudly distorted guitar and upbeat punk or rock beats. Fans of early Bosstones would like this a lot, and Plug gets extra points for not succumbing to easy novelty lyrics, instead writing about the more introspective sides of life and love (except for a couple of funny "we can rock, too" songs).

MIDWESTERN HOUSEWIVES.COM

Yellow #5: Guaranteed To Not Lower Your Sperm Count.

Why the hell would a band like Mustard Plug, a well respected group who has been around for over 16 years, agree to play Warped Tour on the local band stage receiving little (if any) pay or attention for that matter? I am willing to bet they do it for one reason. FUN. That three letter word is pretty much the philosophy the band and their album Yellow #5 lives by.

While Yellow #5 is anything far from breakthrough for the band (it was released back in 2002), it still stands out from the majority of angst-filled music today. Yellow #5 is a collection of 11 punk-ska tunes guaranteed to make anyone smile (unless you’re an emo kid I guess). So for those of you who turned your back on ska, ska hasn’t turned it’s back on you. Pop this album in and remember what it’s all about, simply having a good time. And Mustard Plug, we think it’s about time that you come out with a new album already, you’re almost as bad as Streetlight Manifesto in this aspect.