CD of the Week: Fountains of Wayne

Welcome to a new feature in my blog (okay, I guess that since I just started this thing, technically every feature is "new"), my "CD of the Week"! [Insert fanfare here.] Sometimes it'll be a new, hot-off-the-presses release, sometimes a recent one, and sometimes it might even be a dusty old favorite from my past. Needless to say, this feature could change and evolve (possibly become a more-than-once-a-week thing, or spawn another weekly CD "spotlight" ... who knows?), so stay tuned! Meanwhile, here's my inaugural honoree....


FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE
"TRAFFIC AND WEATHER"
(Virgin, 2007)

I've been a fan of Fountains of Wayne, the current standard-bearers of power pop, since about a year before they released their "Welcome Interstate Managers" album and "Stacy's Mom" took the Top 40 by storm ... an occurrence that didn't surprise me (music this fun and catchy should be in the Top 40), but also did surprise me (that Americans could actually demonstrate good taste in music once in awhile). Now, after a long four years (unless you count the B-sides collection, "Out-Of-State Plates", released two years ago), our patience has been rewarded with their new album, "Traffic And Weather".

Those of us who are faithful Fountains of Wayne conoisseurs will find plenty to like in this album. The hooky tunes and clever lyrics are all still firmly entrenched, waiting to invade our hungry, power-pop-loving ears. There are the occasional horn accents ("Strapped For Cash", "Yolanda Hayes"), the pleasant little touch of country ("Fire In The Canyon"), the melancholy ballad ("I-95"), and the obligatory hit singles (hell, nearly all of 'em!). The lyrics might occasionally get a bit too clever for their own good, but I'd rather have overly clever lyrics than trite and unimaginative ones.

The casual Fountains of Wayne listener who's looking for the next "Stacy's Mom" may well be disappointed by this album, but that's not to say it's bad. In my opinion, any FoW album is better than a lot of the junk out there. These guys make just the kind of music I like ... not overly sexy or angry or brooding, but toe-tapping, hum-along tunes that give the mood a little lift.