Mooney Suzuki

O how the mighty have fallen! Tragic news for rock’n’roll lovers everywhere: NYC’s the Mooney Suzuki have officially shed their bratty garage rock styling, devolving into a barely passable bar band. Alive & Amplified hinted at it and Have Mercy has clinched it; the band that we once knew and loved has left the building. Have Mercy’s opening track, "99%,” is a catchy party rocker despite essentially ripping off the guitar intro to the Dire Straits hit "Money For Nothing” and the sing-along refrain from Billy Joel Royal’s "Hush.” Unfortunately, the reconstituted Frankenstein monster of a track is the record’s high point and a slew of utterly forgettable tunes follow. Granted, there is some dizzyingly impressive wordplay on the hard living jug band sounds of "Good Ol’ Alcohol” that deserves a mention but there is otherwise nothing here worth mooning over. If growing up and evolving means that you lose 99-percent of your charm, then the the Mooney Suzuki should’ve remained adolescent fuck-ups forever.