Neil Michael Hagerty and the Howling Hex – “Mountain” (Singles Going Steady)

Morgan Y. Evans: Neil Hagerty is one of the original ’90s vibe deconstructionists, a master guitarist who is way underrated by the mainstream. Royal Trux are one of the most important bands ever, but some people will always have to have their hand held in a conversation about the ripples the band started by throwing their weird hybrid of noise collage, ’70s rock influences and gutter glam in the alt rock pond. Neil preceded the likewise talented Kurt Viles and Kevin Devines by a long shot. This new Howling Hex song (they’ve got a lot of records now) is pretty darn linear, with a video that could be a stoner version of HBO’s cancelled show The Newsroom and an arrangement that is practically power pop with the sneared kind of thin and weasely sounding vocals fans love. A far cry from Pussy Galore’s chaos but certainly worth some spins. If the absence of Hagerty’s at times epic and juicy solos bugs you can always revisit “Shadow of the Wasp” on your own time. [6/10]

Pryor Stroud: Fanged with electric guitar wail-pulses, nimble bass work, and unalloyed old-school punk energy, “Mountain” implements a simple rhythmic foundation on which Hagerty stretches out his Violent Femmes-esque vocal whine. It’s jagged, propulsive, and compacted into a two-minute span of unyielding intensity. “Long enough is coming real soon / Waiting for respect / Not wrong / Not right”, Hagerty sings, and you can hear the desperation metastasizing in his timbre: he’s tired of waiting to be treated as an equal, and he’s about to commit a morally ambiguous act — “Not wrong / Not right” — to prove that he deserves the respect that he’s been begging for. [7/10]

Emmanuel Elone: “Mountain” is a song comprised of lost potential. Even though it falls in the category of pop rock, the instrumentation feels more like garage rock due to the song’s lo-fi recording. On top of that, the vocalist’s singing is frustrating and annoying as he struggles to remain on key and pitch throughout a short two minute song. Honestly, “Mountain” just isn’t a good song to listen to, but not all was lost; the lyrics were fine, the song structure was decent, and the instrumentation would actually be fine if the recording wasn’t so shoddy. If Hagerty & The Howling Hex made some simple fixes, “Mountain” would be a pretty good song; as of now, though, it’s nothing more than a mess. [3/10]

Chad Miller: The drum rhythm and the guitar solo were really cool. The melody was pretty catchy too, albeit slightly unmemorable. If it seemed to succeed in places, it was usually the result of the instruments in the background. Overall though, it’s a pretty enjoyable track that remains short enough as to not overstay its welcome. [7/10]

Chris Ingalls: I like the retro-glam feel, and it’s a decent rocker, but that brittle beat always seems to be on the verge of toppling over. But maybe that kind of tension is one of the things that makes the song work. At just over two minutes, the song never overstays its welcome. Perhaps anything longer would be excessive. [6/10]

SCORE: 5.80