Search - Hey Mercedes :: Loses Control

Finally, they've written a rock album

A. J Metz | San Francisco, CA USA | 08/18/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"He finally did it. (Note: this review has nothing to do with Elliott Smith.)



Every fan of Braid or Hey Mercedes has once wondered in their heart of hearts if Bob Nanna and co. would finally issue a straight-up, honest pop record. We're talking Material Issue, Dada, or the Raspberries. Loses Control recalls all of their reference points: earnest `70s power pop, affected `80s Smiths influenced alt-rock and `90s Midwestern basement angst.



How they've incorporated the last one without resorting to cheesy Taking Back Sundayisms beats the hell out of me. Even the Get Up Kids can't get it up anymore. In a word, Loses Control combines quality, hooks and power. Hey Mercedes always seemed to have two out of three. Until now.



"It's Been A Blast" recalls much of the late Braid's power (and the late Braid's late period, natch, as that's when they regrouped as Hey Mercedes.) Early Braid always relied on cute Kinsellaesque puns, skronky dueling guitars and single-tracked vocals, whereas the work of 1998's Frame & Canvas and their last few singles ("First Day Back," "Please Drive Faster") relied more on chunky chord progressions.



The fluid majesty of the late Braid days stands out on tracks like "Go On Drone," an ode to the girls and streets of the Midwest. Loses Control is simply an album about beer and girls, but one of the best ones in recent memory. "Oh Penny," makes listeners remember why Nanna's ear for an odd melody is one of his strongest assets.



The first track, "Quality Revenge At Last" is the obvious single. In the video, car wash squeegees mimic Nanna's Xerox-copier guitar, and it works. Hold Sean Slade responsible for the assured, dense production. Sure, it's no Live Through This or Pablo Honey, but Loses Control possesses much of the sunny self-assuredness of Slade's work with Juliana Hatfield, Echobelly or Papas Fritas.



Even the more mediocre album tracks like "Knowing When To Stop" and "The Boy Destroyers" would sound like highlights when juxtaposed with their last album, 2001's Every Night Fireworks. We got a winner on our hands - just don't tell the teen demographic that a bunch of 28-year-olds wrote their emo-pop album of the year.



Confidential to Nanna: all bonus points awarded for unironic quotation of Sam Cooke's "You Send Me" on "Lashing Out" are hereby revoked for all references to the Knack, either musical or lyrical. To paraphrase David Crosby, referring to John Lennon's assassin: "We must never say [their] name.""

Can't get into it

M. C Wright | Indianapolis, IN USofA | 05/12/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I really have no idea why I bought this album, I thought I was a Braid fan then I thought I was a Hey Mercedes fan then I found I out I wasn't either. I don't know why or where I came up with this brief obsession, but it seems that I'm better now. Anyways I bought this album cause the video for "Quality Revenge" was inticing and it made me feel awesome inside, then I bought the album, listened to it once and have only listened to it once more cause I was in a room with a bunch of people who like lame music and this was the only decent piece of pie I could sneak into thier ear drums without any dissent. As I was saying, man I don't even know, it's just not an interesting release, I think it's just too smart for it's own good. I'm going on and on I know but I must admit I like the writting style of Mr. Nanna and thier first ep is smashing, just smashing. So pick that up and read some of his stuff, I'm sure you will know when you see it and I am like haw haw haw haw haw haw haw, this isn't..."