Loses Control

Hey Mercedes | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 7, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Vagrant Records
• ASIN: B0000CG8F3
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #136,827 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally, they've written a rock album, August 18, 2004

By 

A. J Metz (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Loses Control (Audio CD)

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."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quality revenge? .... More like: quality rock songs, October 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Loses Control (Audio CD)

This album features more angular guitar work, amazing drumming (think: Dave Grohl), interesting lyrics, tons of melody and a highly produced vocal treatment that all adds up to great power-pop rock. The songs are tight (checking in at about 4 minutes each) and upbeat rockers with layers. The more you listen to these tracks, the more you hear in the music. Try this album with a good set of headphones - you'll see what I mean.

This is not indie or emo. It is polished, super-catchy rock cut from the cloth of Foo Fighters & Nada Surf - not bad company at all. Highlight tracks include: Unorchestrated, Police Police Me, Oh Penny and The Switch. Really, the second half of the album is excellent. I would highly recommend this album to listeners who enjoy bands that have the ability to mix loud guitar & drums with melody. Very underrated band!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes, this album is Very good., October 14, 2003

By 

Chris C (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Loses Control (Audio CD)

If you like hey mercedes, then stop reading right here. Go out and buy this album if you haven't already. Selling out? Well, considering that the rising popularity of Emo is causing major record companies to pump more money into their smaller divisions like vagrant (who release hey mercedes albums), then yes, They've "sold out". I would think that if a band releases an album that has a higher production value, the fans would be pleased to see that their favorite band is finally getting realized. Obviously ive become a plastic goon and a media dog, since I thoroughly enjoyed this release. THOROUGHLY!! GET IT?! Seriously though, you can hardly notice a change in their style. Just a few more overlays here and there, but no major changes.