Company Line: On their long-awaited third album, Welcome Interstate Managers, Fountains Of Wayne tackle such time-honored pop subjects as love, work, frustrated commuters, drunken salesmen, retired airline pilots, pressured quarterbacks, bad waitresses, vegan entrepreneurs, clip-on ties, exploding cell phones, lawn mowing, vacations without the kids, New England snowstorms, lousy directions, and, of course, Face The Nation.
The Good:
“Mexican Wine” – Their usual quirky song. The one thing they do best is write a fantastic hook you just have to wonder what it all means and if you care.
“All Kinds Of Time” – They are just as good writing ballads.
The Marginal:
“Bright Future In Sales” – It would be a hit single if it wasn’t so off the wall.
“Hey Julie” – Subtle yet at the same time deep if that makes any sense at all.
“Stacy’s Mom” – Rick Springfield may have just figured out where his career went.
“No Better Place” and “Valley Winter Song” – Lovely track that steps back from the usual bubble gum tracks.
“Hung Up On You” – Country doesn’t hang as well on FOW.
The Ugly:
“Halley’s Waitress” – Boring.
Frankly: The Fountains of Wayne are the kind of group you just can’t figure out. They can write hooks like its nobodies business yet they write these obscure songs that seemingly no one would care about. Welcome Interstate Managers is more obscure than previous releases and even though there is much to sing along to you wonder if you really care about these oddball tracks.
+ rae gun
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.