Big Daddy Multitude (2010 re-issue)

If goofy mid-'90s third wave ska wets your tongue, Mustard Plug may be just what you need. Completely indicative of the era and style in which it was created, Big Daddy Multitude is a happy-go-lucky record of bouncy rhythms, cohesive horns, occasionally chugging distorted guitars, and slightly nonsensical lyrics that focus on nothing more than "skanking" and having fun. Just about any band from the same era will evoke the same emotions, and there honestly isn't too much distancing the septet from cohorts like the Scofflaws or anyone else on the '90s roster of the now defunct Moon Ska Records. Even the running theme of novelty ska tracks makes its way onto the disc, this time around in the form of the ultra pop-friendly murder tale "Mr. Smiley" and the '60s goofball odyssey of "Gum." It's difficult to criticize the group for its mildly unoriginal sound, as the bandmembers seem so awfully happy that it probably wouldn't matter to them one way or another. For what they are playing, pre-popularized but still easily consumable ska/rock, it seems the members of Mustard Plug might have made it a little further if they weren't so goofy but, at the same time, it's an incredibly upbeat and innocent record that is really nothing but a good time. ~ Peter J. D'Angelo, Rovi