Mercurotones

The album was produced by Michael Beinhorn, who worked with the band to keep an unpolished sound.^[7][8] Its songs were written by frontmen Andy Thompson and Chris Savage.^[8] The Buck Pets were influenced primarily by the Replacements; Thompson briefly attended school with Tommy Stinson.^[9][10] The lyrics to most of the songs were of a personal nature, as the band wanted to be direct and relatable to their listeners.^[9] Jack Irons played drums on the majority of the tracks, as Island Records was not happy with the ability of the band's drummer, Tony Alba.^[11] They used a horn section on "Libertine", which was produced by the Dust Brothers.^[12][13]

More information Review scores, Source ...

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[14]
Calgary Herald	B+[15]
Chicago Tribune	[16]
The Daily Illini	[13]
The Daily Tar Heel	[17]
The Tampa Tribune	[18]

Close

The Washington Post called the album "semi-raw, semi-catchy hard rock that reveals itself on 'Ave' F Blues', the Mercurotune that most wants to be a Replacements song (and almost makes it)."^[19] The Los Angeles Times noted the "bone-crunching riffs, tunes that are actually tunes and not-a-boy-but-not-a-man lyrics that largely manage to avoid cliches", and stated that "the band relies on songs as much as sonics".^[20] The Chicago Tribune said that the album "has its share of gonzo rock: big slabs of guitar that roar and fade, bodacious drumming and lunging bass riffs", while praising the Buck Pets' decision to take musical chances on some tracks.^[16]

The Calgary Herald labeled Mercurotones "12 bloozy numbers—with a great ballad thrown in—stripped to their metalesque essentials that flounce, swagger and cajole you into believing the American garage is the quintessential birthplace of rock."^[15] The New York Times said that "the Buck Pets have honed their songs with pop concision, even when they defy pop formula."^[21]

In 2009, Spin included the Buck Pets on its list "Unsung: The 100 Greatest Bands You've (Probably) Never Heard", and said that Mercurotones was "ruggedly catchy" and "just a little slick".^[22]