Let's Skank! Mustard Plug Will Make You Want To...
Written: Mar 03 '05
Product Rating:
Pros: solid instrumentation and hooks, top notch production/mixing
Cons: the lyrics suck 95% of the time
The Bottom Line: Evildoers Beware features mindless lyrics and great, energetic music. Combine the two, and you get a decent, though far from great album. 3 stars.
MattA75's Full Review: Evildoers Beware by Mustard Plug
Grand Rapids, Michigan isn't exactly what one would think of when thinking of places that are known to be hotbeds for ska-punk bands. And, well, there's a reason for that. If there is a ska scene in Michigan, it surely doesn't garner much attention. But there are exceptions to every rule, and to this rule, I present Mustard Plug.
In 2006, the band will celebrate their 15th anniversary, and they've seen both good and bad times for the national ska scene. They've diligently plugged away though (no pun intended), and continue to tour and record to this day, most recently on last year's first installment of the Ska Is Dead tour, alongside Catch 22.
My knowledge of the band is rather limited. Evildoers Beware, released in 1997 is their most successful release (it sold 90,000 copies, thanks mostly to the ska-punk explosion of that year), and it's the only record of theirs I actually own. I listened to (and enjoyed quite a bit, if I remember correctly) the band's 1999 follow up, Pray For Mojo. But basically, my knowledge of the band is truly limited to Evildoers.
There's a certain immaturity and monotony in the lyrical content here. As mentioned before in other reviews, it's a trait that really hinders the acceptance of third wave ska bands with those who remember the Two Tone era of political protest thanks to bands like The Specials and The English Beat. What sets Evildoers Beware apart though is it's flawless production and the numerous hooks that dot the entire record.
It isn't that the lyrics on this record are all bad. At times, like on the breakup anthem You, the band shows promise and a willingness to write a somewhat serious song without losing the infectious musical backbone that is the true strength of this record.
Unlike another band who I just reviewed, Buck O Nine, Mustard Plug lets all of their players shine. The horn section in particular lends tremendous bounce and energy into this collection of songs, and even when they're playing a backing part, it feels integral, rather than a nice little add on. This is best exemplified by the obviously Specials inspired intro to Never Be, one of the truly best ska intros ever. The rest of the song is almost a bit of a disappointment when compared to that buildup, but it is still enjoyable nonetheless.
Even when the band is devoid of quality content lyrically, they suck you in with big hooks. One needs to look no further than the first and last tracks on this album for proof. Box tries desparately to make a clever analogy about thinking outside the box, but it doesn't really work. But the song has a tremendous amount of energy in it, and the horn riff is out and out catchy, bouncy, and fun. On the other end of the album we have Beer (Song), which brings little originality either lyrically (it's essentially a new take on The Bartender Song by the Bosstones) or musically. But it sounds terrific, thanks to the production laid down by Bill Stevenson and Stephen Egerton. The instruments have a crisp, warm sound to them that draws the listener in, and before you know it, you're skanking, be it in the car, in your room, or in your cubicle.
Elsewhere, it's the hooks that draw you in. The "whoa oh oh" chant utilized at the beginning of Go shouldn't work, but it does. And the rapid fire vocal delivery of David Kirchgessner gives the song a breezy, summertime feel, which needless to say, is refreshing when you live in Massachusetts in the winter. The horn work on Miss Michigan is the best on the record, with some serious talent being shown, especially by sax man Kevin Dixon. The band's self deprecating humor also comes across well on this track.
Is Evildoers Beware a classic ska-punk record? Hardly. The lyrical content alone keeps it from reaching such status, and I've found that depending on my mood, I can think of this record in even less glowing terms. However, fans of the genre will probably find enough to like about the album, and despite its faults, it manages to make me want to skank more often than it doesn't. In terms of party music, one could do a lot worse. 3 stars.
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