Fountains Of Wayne -Traffic And Weather

Wed 18th Jul, 2007 in Music Reviews

A good litmus test for a music critic is to ask them what they think of pop. A lightweight will immediately start decrying it as the end of music as we know it, like their favourite artist never wrote a song designed to make people happy, or dance, or both. But anyone who knows anything about true pop knows that Fountains Of Wayne are the unsung heroes of pop rock, with album after album of delicious slices of rich creamy pop, with chunky guitar riffs and drum lines disguising lyrics which are usually haunting insights into suburban life. Their new album Traffic And Weather doesn’t quite hit the highs of previous efforts, but it’s still a great album.

Fountains Of Wayne have never had obscure influences, but their love for 80’s pop and synth rock is more obvious than ever. The power pop of first single and opening track Someone To Love will have all but the most cynical tapping their feet, while simultaneously feeling sorry for the lovelorn characters of the song. This dichotomy is pretty much par for the course for Fountains Of Wayne – listeners never know whether to cheer triumphantly or reach for the Kleenex.

Yolanda Hayes upbeat piano/guitar backbone carries it through, while the Fire In The Canyon sees the return of the acoustic guitar for a Fountains Of Wayne country song. The constant namechecking of Michael And Heather At The Baggage Claim grinds a little, but the joyously synthy Strapped For Cash could have been plucked straight from 1987 AM radio.

The album continues in this vein – after this many albums, Fountains Of Wayne stick to what they do best, insights into the closed-off personalities of American suburbia coming thick and fast. There’s a little more experimentation on this album than on previous efforts (the banjo is nice touch to album closer Seatbacks And Traytables), but it all feels like a natural progression.

Unfortunately, the songs on this album aren’t as memorable as previous efforts – you’ll want to listen to the album all the way through, but when you get to the end, you won’t remember a whole bunch of what came before. By lathering them in synths and production, some of the big chunky riffs get lost, and the songs are weaker for it. But it’s still a good listen – it just requires a little more commitment from the listener.

Fountains Of Wayne had a bit of a breakthrough with Stacey’s Mom from their last album, and although they may never again have a theme as ubiquitous as a friend’s hot mother, or a film clip as MTV-friendly as Rachel Hunter in a bikini, they are still the unquestionable kings of pop, a position where even the slightest misstep results in a great album rather than a classic. Traffic And Weather is that great album, and listeners should love it, mistakes and all.