Tanner was a 1990s American rock band from San Diego, California, formed after the breakup of Fishwife.[1] [2] [3] They recorded for Caroline Records and Headhunter Records.
In an early live review, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram thought that Tanner "ravages too much from geeky-noise bands Pitchblende and Truman's Water - minus the diversity."[4]
AllMusic, in a 4.5-star (out of 5) review, deemed Ill Gotten Gains "a grinding set of modern-day punk."[5] Trouser Press called the debut "impressive," writing that "rather than write verse-chorus-verse punk, the trio piles riffs together — sort of a 'hey, this would sound great after that' style — and the almost effortless march through complex changeups is engaging, quirky and cool."[1] Tucson Weekly wrote that "the band sticks to what it knows: straight ahead punk, with quick tempo shifts that don't attempt too much fanciness, and minus any trendy dissonant tangents."[6] The San Diego Union-Tribune thought that "Tanner effectively ridicules suburban insularity, confusion and fear in 'Guard Dog', one of the best songs on the album."[7]