Search - Fountains of Wayne :: Utopia Parkway (+ Bonus Track)

Their best work to date, plus a bonus track

Eric J. Anderson | Ankeny, Iowa | 03/28/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album shows a wide range of lyrical and musical talent -- a talent for whimsy and humor, sympathy, melody, harmony, and rich production that overlays guitars, keyboards, and vocals into a beautiful pop soundscape. They can rock out too, as on Go Hippie and Denise. I suppose one could say it is a little lightweight, but writing the pop music equivalent of The Wall is not Fountains of Wayne's forte. It is what it is.



The Asian import adds a beautiful romantic bonus track, I Know You Well. It is not a throwaway song -- it stands equal in quality to the rest of the album.



The sound of the import, on my system, seems to be tilted more toward the midrange and bass, with a bit less zing in the high frequencies. That's not necessarily a bad thing. The USA release is a little on the bright side."