Review: That's Mister To You - And Another Thing!

Posted on 21 November 2007 | No Comments

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Just Plain Rock

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A few weeks ago our friend Laura from Dallas asked us to give a listen to her friend’s band That’s Mister To You. I remarked that they have a terrible name but I agreed to give ‘em a listen. Oftentimes a personal influence such as this might skew a review to be overly positive. I am (however) going to be objective and I’m not going to overstate the facts here.

So That’s Mister To You (TMTY) is a pop-rock band from Austin, Texas that plays what I’d probably be most likely to call “college rock.” Their latest album And Another Thing! is full of melodic hooks and is fairly straightforward but traverses a wide enough musical landscape to appeal to a wide array of fans. It is that widespread appeal that makes ‘em similar to the type of band that played at just about every Saturday night frat party on your college campus; except that TMTY isn’t a cover band. Their songs sound friendly and familiar and that makes them easy to like.

Overall the band comes off like the more mature and hard rocking cousins of the Plain White T’s, but throughout the album I can hear shades of Matthew Sweet’s melodies, a bit of AC/DC-esque pomp and stomp, and even a little alt-country vibe reminiscent of the Old 97’s. Heck, they even throw in a few impossibly catchy Rentals-inspired synthesizer leads like the one on “Mark of Cain” to show it ain’t all guitar rock. Sure, the album starts off like that but ventures into a bit trashier territory with some scorching guitar solos and an underlying cock rock swagger a la Slaughter circa 1988 at the Whiskey that gives me the impression that these guys can kill it live.

Here (however) is the part that I seem to write about so many bands these days. It is obvious that TMTY is a really talented band that knows how to write a good song but And Another Thing! just seems a little unfocused to me. They don’t sound indie enough to capture those fans and might be too mainstream and all-encompassing to distinguish themselves from many of the other radio-ready bands vying for the next big major label contract. But don’t take my word for it, listen to the two tracks below and judge for yourself.

MP3 | That’s Mister To You – Turn Around And Another Thing!
MP3 | That’s Mister To You – Allie And Another Thing!