REVIEW: Who Hit John, Hey Buffy (Not So Permanent)
- Scott Slonaker
Merging the scruffy garage sensibilities of the Replacements with the dreamy harmonies and bright hooks of classic '60s AM radio, Nashville's Who Hit John have come up with that rarest of beasts: a consistently entertaining and stylistically varied power-pop record that scatters its best moments throughout all eleven tunes.
After the pacesetting opener "Smile Together" quickly comes high point number one on Hey Buffy: "Giving a Twist a Turn". Driven home by drop-dead vocal hooks, the tune deserves to be blasting from car radios right next to the Gin Blossoms' "Hey Jealousy" 'till the cows come home.
Singer Chuck Tate (I think he's the main vocalist; it's unclear from the liner) especially summons the Westerbergian ghosts on tracks like "Fan Club" and "The Ballad of What Will Never Be", as the band stomps out engaging rough-edged melodies, not unlike Minnesota's finest. However, Who Hit John has more than one mode, as evidenced by the sweet power balladry of "Incomplete" and the disc's best song, the Who-ish clapalong power-bop of "Somebody". Piano, harmonica, and 12-string guitar are tossed into the mix for maximum retro impact.
Another pleasant touch is bassist Pat Meusel's comparatively roughed-up vocal turn on his "Above the Fold". To top off the whole extravaganza, the boys roll out a reverent cover of another of their musical forebears. The rendition of seminal Nashville power-poppers Big Star's "Don't Lie to Me" sounds just like the original, and that's good. Like the rest of the year's best power-pop album, it's a class act.
For information on Who Hit John, check out the website at: http:\\www.geocities.com\~whohitjohn\.
