FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE - Traffic
And Weather
In late 2003, Fountains Of Wayne received a flattering,
but rather puzzling, "Best New Artist" Grammy nomination (one
of two categories in which they were named that year). This certainly
made long-time fans chuckle; those in the know knew that 'Welcome Interstate
Managers', the album that spawned the ubiquitous 'Stacy's Mom' and topped
critics' polls everywhere, was actually the New York-based group's third
collection of melodic pop/rock gems. And far from being a flash in the
pan, the quartet was considered by many to be - in the words of Robert
Christgau - "peerless" and "true art heroes", or
as Entertainment Weekly called them, "America's greatest extant
rock and roll band." But FOW couldn't help enjoying the new-found
attention as they began headlining bigger venues, topping charts on
MTV and VH1, and appearing on a 'Now That's What I Call Music' compilation
CD next to the likes of Jay-Z, Nickelback and Black Eyed Peas.
Now, after a long silence broken only by occasional snoring
and the release of the 2005 b-side compilation 'Out-Of-State Plates'
(which CNN called "better than 95% of most bands' official releases"),
Fountains Of Wayne return with a brand new 14-song set, 'Traffic And
Weather', which further demonstrates the musical range, wit, and eye
for narrative detail that have become their trademarks. The new record
finds the band continuing to re-imagine early 60's jangle, late 60's
psychedelia, 70's classic rock, 80's New Wave, 90's alt-rock, and contemporary
pop in their own inimitable style - this time against an even richer,
more varied sonic backdrop of lush harmony vocal stacks, staccato horn
blasts, pulsating analog keyboards, slinky bass lines, and deep grooves.
There's even some banjo in there somewhere, just in case. And, of course,
lots of guitars...chiming, crunching, strumming, and occasionally twanging.
A new, indelible cast of characters is inducted into the
FOW pantheon of stars on 'Traffic And Weather': Yolanda Hayes, a sullen
object of affection behind the glass at the Department Of Motor Vehicles;
Seth Shapiro and Beth Mackenzie, two lonely, hardworking New Yorkers
who cross paths - sort of - in 'Someone To Love' (which features Hole/Smashing
Pumpkins bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur singing backing vocals); the exhausted
couple in 'Michael and Heather At The Baggage Claim', dragging themselves
onto an airport shuttle bus after a long trip; newscasters in heat in
the album's title track, and many others. Hapless protagonists like
the suspicious boyfriend of 'This Better Be Good' and the hit-man target
in 'Strapped For Cash' are also classic Fountains Of Wayne narrators.
Travel and transportation continue to figure heavily in
the on-the-go world of FOW. The guy who buys himself a '92 Subaru' is
convinced that the right pimped-out ride is all he needs to get the
girl; in the Beatlesque 'i-95' a driver explores a rest area gift shop
late at night, on the way to visit his loved one; we hear of "an
eerie kind of sadness on the highway today" in the Gram Parsons-tinged
'Fire In The Canyon' (featuring backing vocals by the Candy Butchers'
Mike Viola, who was the voice of 'That Thing You Do'). The misery of
sitting in coach on a delayed flight is examined in the wistful waltz
'Seatbacks And Traytables' (which contains a guest appearance on guitar
by James Iha). And in the semi-epic 'New Routine', we follow a series
of characters who each randomly pick a new place to live, only to discover
someone else there who can't wait to move away.
Former schoolmates Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood
formed Fountains Of Wayne - named after a semi-legendary statuary and
garden furniture store in Wayne, NJ - in 1996 as a vehicle for their
mutual love of pop songcraft, after having played together in a series
of precursor bands with even more ungainly names. They enlisted ex-Posies
drummer Brian Young and lead guitarist Jody Porter, formerly of The
Belltower, just before the release of their self-titled debut album,
which had been recorded largely as a duo. The band's line-up has remained
constant ever since. Their second album, 1999's widely-heralded 'Utopia
Parkway', featured all four members in the recording studio, as did
2003's breakthrough 'Welcome Interstate Managers'. By now, the band
has developed a sixth sense for arranging Schlesinger and Collingwood's
songs, and Young's muscular backbeat and Porter's endlessly inventive
riffs and countermelodies are integral parts of the FOW sound. And while
the records have gotten progressively more detailed and nuanced, FOW
live remains a lean, loud guitar band with a decade's worth of singalong
faves to pick from.
'Traffic And Weather', which was produced by Schlesinger
and mixed by Michael Brauer (Coldplay, Paul McCartney) and long time
FOW collaborator John Holbrook (Elton John, Todd Rundgren, Brian Setzer),
will be released by Virgin Records worldwide. The band will tour throughout
the year in support of the record, including appearances at the Coachella
and Bonaroo festivals, with more festival appearances and tour dates
to be announced shortly. Videos for several songs from the new album,
none of which will feature Rachel Hunter writhing around in lingerie
(as of press time), are in the planning stages.
'Traffic And Weather' is out now.
