The Pontiac Brothers

• Fiesta en la Biblioteca [Frontier, 1986] B+
• Johnson [Frontier, 1988] B+

Consumer Guide Reviews:

Fiesta en la Biblioteca [Frontier, 1986]
Their dense mix is twixt-punk-and-pop Replacements with plenty of Huskers thrown in, their idea of cover tribute the Dead's "Brown Eyed Woman." So say they're a roots band the way the Exile Stones were, shading their guitar barrage into bottleneck and fingerpick. The songs are mostly on it, too. But Hunter & Garcia had tuffer attitude--beyond the occasional one-line hook, medium equals message here. Again. B+

Johnson [Frontier, 1988]
First they were Stones clones, then replacement Replacements, their rough-hewn ways a joy to those who find the former too slick and/or the latter too clever. Me, I take pleasure in how closely they resemble their superiors without surrendering their independence--you never get the feeling they're trying to be anybody but themselves. Also enjoy their sonics, lyrics, hooks, etc. B+