Welcome Interstate Managers Tracks
1. Mexican Wine
2. Bright Future in Sales
3. Stacy's Mom
4. Hackensack
5. No Better Place
6. Valley Winter Song
7. All Kinds of Time
8. Little Red Light
9. Hey Julie
10. Halley's Waitress
11. Hung Up on You
12. Fire Island
13. Peace and Love
14. Bought for a Song
15. Supercollider
16. Yours and Mine
Welcome Interstate Managers Review
After a four-year hiatus notable for some film and television soundtrack work, a lapsed contract, and a relaxed songwriting schedule Fountains of Wayne return with their third and best CD to date. The New York-based power-pop quartet delivers a diverse feast of infectious melodies and endlessly clever lyrics. Songwriters Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood still slide on a sweet scale between the Beatles and the Monkees, but they've branched out from '60s sounds to include bona fide alt rock ("Little Red Light," "Bought for a Song"), orchestrated pop ("Halley's Waitress"), a country lark worthy of Dwight Yoakam ("Hung Up On You"), and hints of psychedelia ("Supercollider"). The Cars-flavored "Bright Future in Sales" and "Stacy's Mom" warrant heavy-rotation airplay. Following their acclaimed eponymous debut and the vastly underrated Utopia Parkway, Welcome Interstate Managers leaves no doubt that Fountains of Wayne are gaining strength. --Jeff Shannon
If you did, then Fountain of Wayne's Welcome Interstate Managers should be just what you need. What better than an album with at least five songs of pure upbeat guitar rifts and silly yet oh so catchy lyrics?
Welcome Interstate Managers opens up with three of the albums most fast-tempo tracks in "Mexican Wine," "Bright Future in Sales," and their #1 single "Stacy's Mom." Sure, the depth of these songs might be less than that of a bathtub, but that's not why we listen to power pop, is it? Nah! We like to listen to the rhythmic tones and the simple, brief rhymes of the lyrics when it comes to this type of music.
"He was killed by a cellular phone explosion. They scattered his ashes across the ocean. The water was used to make baby lotion. The wheels of promotion, were set into motion.
But the sun still shines in the summertime. I'll be yours if you'll be mine..."
These are the opening words of the CD when you first pop it into the CD player and get it playing. Are they corny? Absolutely. Are they "bad"? Heavens no. As evidenced by this album, inner meaning in lyrics aren't always what make a song great. If the words in combination with fast paced instrumentals can get your head nodding , then you have yourself a rather addicting piece of music on your hands.
This is what Fountains of Wayne have become masters at. Not to mention, one of the songwriters, Adam Schleisinger, got nominated for the title track of the Tom Hanks film That Thing You Do! which in itself, defines catchy power pop.
Although much of what makes this album great is its power pop singles, there are a few tracks of slow pace, soft singing, and jingly guitar to relax your eardrums. Of these, Valley Winter Song, All Kinds of Time, and Fire Island are especially fine compositions of music. In my opinion, these songs I find actually better than the power pop songs scattered throughout the album. Valley Winter Song rewards the listener with a touching, winter in New York love song. All Kinds of Time depicts a snapshot of a quarterback's mind when he's been snapped the ball. And, Fire Island, probably the most clever of all of them, is the story of some boys who want to stay home alone while their parents are on vacation.
"Driving on the lawn. Sleeping on the roof. Drinking all the alcohol. All the kids from school, will be naked in the pool, while our parents are on Fire Island."
I would strongly suggest this album for anyone who wants a refreshing blend of power pop and jingly guitar songs with clever (although sometimes goofy) lyrics to top it all off. Enjoy, and make sure to try a glass of "Mexican Wine" next time you're in the need of a delectable delicacy.