smoe.org mailing lists
ivan@stellysee.de
| From | Gregory Sager <hochsalzburg@yahoo.com> |
| Subject | Re: Tinted Windows |
| Date | Sun, 3 May 2009 22:20:40 -0700 (PDT) |
[Part 1 text/plain us-ascii (2.4 kilobytes)]
(View Text in a separate window)
I come down somewhere between Mike and Bill on the Tinted Windows album. Mike's right that the sonic qualities of the album are great and that the songs have inconsequential lyrics, but Bill's right that the lyrics don't matter (much as I hate this fact, the sad truth is that power pop lyrics over the decades, whether we're talking great power pop or not-so-great power pop, have for the most part been a sea of banality and disposability) and that there are genuine hooks at work in this album.
I think that Mike captures the essence of the power pop litmus test when he talks about the hummability factor. At its heart power pop is about memorable melodies that have earworm potential (plus the muscle to remind you that you're listening to *power* pop rather than the Partridge Family), and if you want to talk about what makes great power pop you have to talk about whether or not the songs are hummable an hour, a day, a month after you hear them.
I'm with Bill in that I do think that the Tinted Windows album has songs that pass that test ("Messing With My Head" and "Kind Of A Girl" in particular are very catchy). I enjoy the album, and I hope that the band is going to be more than a one-off. But is it a great power pop album? I'd say no. I suspect that Adam Schlesinger is holding back most of his A material for the next Fountains Of Wayne album. In fact, I saw several bands at IPO Chicago in late April that have better batting averages in terms of their songs. Of course, those IPO bands don't have all-star lineups and major nationwide promotional muscle.. The question is: If Tinted Windows didn't, either, would we still be talking about this album?
I'm not asking that question in order to be an indie snob, even though I lament the fact that our support of the power pop underground sometimes seems to get brushed aside when a whiff of mass-media attention falls upon a big-name band that's touting the ancient verities of the genre. I'm asking it because it's power pop, after all, so it's all supposed to be about the songs. Brush aside considerations of band-member pedigree, sonic quality, promotion and public buzz, instrumental prowess, etc., and focus in on the hummability factor.
I'm with Bill in that I think it's a good album. I'm with Mike in that I think we're in for a dismal year if the Tinted Windows album turns out to be the best thing to come out in 2009.
Gregory Sager
For assistance, please contact
the smoe.org administrators.