Category:
Punk

Try if you like:
Buck-O-Nine, Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish

Ska is Dead! Long Live Ska! The age old question when I review a ska album, does anyone care? And my answer is, if the music is fun, done well, and entertaining then hell yeah! And Mustard Plug is one of those bands. Don't look to today's ska bands for some revolutionary sound. Ska is like punk, punk is like metal, the genre has been around for so long now that very rarely can a band release that revolutionary album. Mustard Plug hasn't done that but damn if In Black And White isn't one of the Michigan-based band's best albums. Vocalist Dave Kirchgessner sounds revived on tracks like "Puddle Of Blood" and the band sounds just a lively here as their earlier Evildoers Beware album. They start out strong too with the opener "Who Benefits". It shows the band maturing but still retaining their sense of fun. I love the track "Real Rat Bastard". I'm going to make that my theme song.

So I'm of the opinion that no genre of music ever really dies. The focus may move off of the genre but the genre will move back to the underground and thrive and people, that's exactly what ska has done. You find a ska band hitting the charts but you will find masses of fans desperately awaiting the next Mustard Plug album, and to those fans, enjoy. This is some fun music.