Ska Punk Music

Mustard Plug's fourth album, "Yellow #5," finds the six-piece Michigan ska punk music bands sticking to their fun-loving ska goodness, but toning down parts of their sound with mixed results. "Yellow #5" offers a few memorable treats, but ultimately lacks the lasting effect and consistency of previous Mustard Plug albums. Mustard Plug's latest album starts strong, but fizzles out through its short 11 tracks.

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During the last eight years, Mustard Plug has earned the reputation of being one of third wave ska punk music most impressive groups, known best for their energetic live shows and anthems like "Skank by Numbers," "Miss Michigan" and "Lolita." Well-known for their bouncy rhythms, chant-along punk choruses, and infectious ska hooks, Mustard Plug return in 2002 after a three year hiatus with a couple new members and a slightly different sound.

"Yellow #5" revs up promisingly with "Not Enough" and "Get it Going On," perhaps the two best songs on the album. "Not Enough" shows off the old-school Mustard Plug sound of chugging guitars mixed with a frenzied horn section (Jim Hofer on trombone and Brandon Jenison on trumpet), creating a fast-paced and lively opening track. Predictable ska punk lyrics aside, the quick pace of "Get it Going On" shows Mustard Plug at its most fun and musically potent.

Like some of the later tracks on "Yellow #5," the next track, "You Want It, We Got It" is missing the sense of urgency in the chorus that makes Plug's older songs so memorable and addictive. The sudden rush of horns and guitars that sweep up a ska chorus and made "Skank by Numbers" a danceable classic is absent here. It's still a good time, just nothing spectacular.

The next track, "Already Gone," sends the upbeat "Yellow #5" to a screeching halt. While there's absolutely nothing wrong with a ska punk song being low-key, the vocals in "Already Gone" are droning and lack intensity. "No One But Myself," "In Your Face" and "Sorry Now" also suffer from lackluster choruses.

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While Mustard Plug picks the tempo back up with the rare ska punk records beauty "Safe," the album never quite picks up where the first four promising tracks left off. Upon a first-time listen to Mustard Plug's latest album, "Yellow #5" felt like a flat alternative to the band's usual sound. After a couple more spins in the CD player, however, it became obvious that the album had some good things to offer -- they were just scattered around a bit. Despite its flaws, "Yellow #5" is still worthwhile ska punk fun, coming from one of the very best groups in the genre. See also ska music, and pages relate to ska punk music | more