TAM JOHNSTONE, AKA the GENERAL STORE, is the son of guitarist DAVEY JOHNSTONE, who played with ELTON JOHN in the 70s. While nothing on Mountain Rescue sounds like John’s stuff, it’s steeped in the more lush, melodic aspects of the Me Decade as Johnstone mixes and matches sonics borrowed from various CSN&Y, BIG STAR, POCO and PAUL MCCARTNEY records. “Come Around” evokes *NEIL YOUNG*’s “Old Man” so closely it’s almost thievery, while “Girls From the Mall” jumps back a decade to conjure the BEACH BOYS. Fortunately, tunes like “Desert Weathered Hiway,” “The Wonder” and “Early Morning Fuzz” blend the Store’s sources more carefully, making the tracks nicely derivative rather than baldly larcenous. Johnstone’s beautifully crafted, heartfelt songwriting makes it difficult to bitch about anything that gives this much pleasure.
http://www.generalstoremusic.com
http://www.breweryrecords.com
