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ivan@stellysee.de
| From | zoogang@buhdge.com |
| Subject | FOW |
| Date | Thu, 08 Dec 2005 16:01:52 -0600 |
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<Am I the only one on this list that doesn't quite get the appeal of
Fountains of Wayne? For a long time I've thought that they were a band that
I should invest some time in because so many people with the same music
taste have told me that I would definitely love them.>
I'm always interested to hear that bands I really love aren't group-hugged like
I think they should be.
The comments so far within this thread are very interesting. For me, FOW's
lyrics aren't really jokey at all; I look at many of them, such as "Mexican
Wine" or "Utopia Parkway" or "Red Dragon Tattoo" as a writer having fun with
language, adept at wordplay, at telling a well-worn tale from an interesting,
clever angle ("Hat and Feet"). As for the music, I think their music is
insanely catchy, on average.
The first FOW album is my least favorite of the three; they're demos, I think,
and the songs, for the most part, don't really ever get into third gear for me.
Utopia Parkway is simply brilliant the whole way through; if I made top 10
lists, it would be in the top five, for sure. Even throwaways like "Laser Show"
and "It Must Be Summer" are golden. They just make me smile like nobody's
business.
Welcome Interstate Managers is like FOW's White Album, to my mind. It's all over
the place stylistically, and there are some songs that just don't float my boat,
like "Hailley's Waitress." But there is real gold in them there hills; "Stacy's
Mom" is just plain cool, and that final harmony stack always puts shivers up my
spine (the video is cool and clever, too). "Bright Future in Sales" really hits
the nail on the head of the loser salesman and rocks, too. "Hey Julie" is a
wonderful short and sweet pop song. "Fire Island" is very true and tuneful. And
so on. But I do think the album is too long by about a third.
I've seen FOW live, and didn't really enjoy them. It was mentioned on this list
a while ago that the band has this don't-give-a-crap attitude on stage, and I
saw a little of that, but what I saw more of, and has been mentioned within
this thread, is that in infusing the songs with so much power and loudness,
some of the songs lose their subtlety, one of the biggest attractions of their
recordings for me.
Out-of-State Plates is a mixed bag, but I knew that going in. What else could it
be? That said, "The Girl I Can't Forget" is grade-A pop, and shoulda been a hit.
I look forward to more from these very talented guys.
Alan
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