Record Review 11 Fountains of Wayne: Traffic and Weather

Soooo... what do we say about Fountains of Wayne? A couple of clever kids who named their band after a sign they saw of the Jersey Tunrpike advertising a fountainse store in Wayne New Jersey. There are more then two of them in the band but Chris Colingwood and Adam Schlessinger have provided all the songwriting preffering the “Lennon and Mc Cartney” way of giving credit for it rather then breaking it out. they are competently backed by Jody Porter of Guitar and Brian Young on Drums.

Fountains of Wayne has been a favorite of mine for a long time. They almost ruined it all with the tragic but hooky “Stacy’s Mom” a few years ago on their brilliant pop masterpiece “Welcome Interstate Managers.” That song and it’s hype and overplaying drove their audience down into the 6th grade which for any indie band has to be a little...creepy. Irony is at the heart of so much of their music along with social and relationship commentary that, well... you have to have had some angst in your life to get it. Fortunately you do not have to have had angst in your life to sing along and enjoy the melodies.
These guys know a hook and if you have not done so, go back and buy their previous releases, “Wlcome Interstate Managers,” “Utopia Parkway” and the epynomous “Fountains of Wayne.” Are all beuatiful and to quote the hidious band Better The Ezra the “Got more hooks then Madonna got looks.” Seriously, they have not made a bad album and this one flows right along. Do not look for a lot os apparent substance on this CD or any of the catalogue but the music... and their vocals and harmonies are just so damn good. “Someone to Love” kicks off with a little angst filled tale of a boy and girl working in the city and you just about think they are going to hook up and... Melissa Auf Der Maur (who is not a porn star but is indeed bassist for Smashing Pumpkins) add backing vocals and we are off to a rollicking start. “92 Subaru” and “Yolanda Hayes” are throw aways that any other band would kill for. Traffic and Weather”....crunchy guitars...chorus...”We belong together like traffic and weather....” Say no more. it is a radio song. “Fire in the Canyon” is too pretty like “Hackensack” and “Valley Winter Song” from “Interstate Managers” but there is nothing wrong with pretty. This better be good starts with the singer telling us that “He saw you holing hands with a guy wearing light blue docker pants...” Constant references like this in all there songs...allow visualization of what they are talking about and this song offers Brian Wilson, Beach Boys, dreamy background vocals...good stuff. “Revolving Dora” and “Michael And Heather at the Baggage Claim”mare more pleasant...brilliant fill. “Strapped for Cash” adds a few trumpets and has a different feel but different in a very same way as you get ELO type harmonies which makes it...weird...if you really listen to it. “I-95”...more songs about highways and food...and truck stops. A truckers lament. “Hotel Majestic” could be a Squeeze song from back when we though Squeeze was cool. “The Planet of Weed”? Where well would we be without an ode to getting high and wasting your life. Though the Planet of Weed does sound worth a visit. “New Routine” is another nice throw away set in a Diner...so we like it. “Seatbacks and Traytables”..an ode to flying starts with a nice Bob Dylanesque harmonica whine and the whole thing has another Pumpkin, James Iha on Guitar and is a suitable finisher for this fine, fine, pop CD.

The CD is a MUST buy if you like pop music. It is only pretentious if you really force yourself to listen to it because frankly it is so fucking brilliant. But on it’s surface where most of the listening gets done...you nod your head...you smile (you can undertsand the words) and the more you listen you find layers of meaning and depth int he music that keeps improving on every listen. BUY IT! 9 Slingers out of 10.
On a more disturbing note when I went to get track listings for another Fountains of Wyane CD on Amazon I came upon the dreaded:
Customers who bought items like this also bought
• Out-of-State Plates ~ Fountains Of Wayne
• Wincing the Night Away ~ The Shins
• Utopia Parkway ~ Fountains Of Wayne
• Welcome Interstate Managers ~ Fountains Of Wayne
• Fountains of Wayne ~ Fountains Of Wayne
• Because of the Times ~ Kings of Leon
• We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank ~ Modest Mouse
• The Crane Wife ~ The Decemberists

Since I have already reviewed three of these CD’s this year and am looking forward to buying the King’s of Leone CD I suddenly feel VERY pedestrian and predictable in my “eclectic” tastes. Perhaps O need to find some Bulgarian rock to review. Indeed.