Search - Fountains of Wayne :: Welcome Interstate Managers

Pop returns to the top

Steve Neuman | 08/07/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD has had me astonished for two months and I'm not sick of it at all yet. It has an overall feeling of catchy, absorbent and clever music so strong that makes you not want to listen to anything else. The band's sound is reminiscent of classic pop-rock, but no one else today makes this kind of music more cleverly and tastefully than they do.
A first listen is enough to realize that you are in front of a top quality album, highly catchy and smart, but it's after repeated tries that you finally lose all doubts that this is not less than a big pop masterpiece. Personally, perhaps I prefer the slower and more intimate songs (gems like 'Hackensack', 'Valley Winter Song', 'All Kinds of Time', 'Hey Julie' or 'Fire Island'). But on the other side, the more electric stuff is also brilliant: 'Mexican Wine', 'Stacy's Mom' and 'Bright Future in Sales' are perfect, unsurpassable catchy power pop songs. Then you have the sweet mid-tempo extravaganza ('Halley's Waitress'), the lovely country ballad ('Hung Up On You'), the tasteful, slightly psychedelic number ('No Better Place')... truly, it would be quicker to tell which kind of great pop song is not on this album than to go over all the gifts it contains. And this perfectly written tunes are also so smartly arranged that you can enjoy finding all the lot of musical layers that support and embellish the songs while they always remain fresh and true. I know someone may find all this praise exaggerated; but not someone who loves great pop music -basically, great melodies and great lyrics- and has listened to this CD (both conditions must hold). This latter one knows what I'm talking about (and so will you if you buy this glorious CD)."

Third try is yet another charm

Robert Moore | Chicago, IL USA | 11/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Fountains of Wayne has been one of the great power-pop bands of recent years, and while they have managed to attract a significant following, they still haven't achieved the kind of success that they deserve. WELCOME INTERSTATE MANAGERS definitely expanded their audience, and actually gave them a bit of a hit with the single "Stacey's Mom," not least because of the video featuring Rachel Hunter. This is hardly an album with a single stellar cut surrounded by filler. In fact, the disc contains a host of superb pop songs. The first several cuts, in fact, are an unrelenting delight.



Fountains of Wayne is a magnificently melodic quartet, and all of their songs are driven by great pop hooks. I love the band just as much for their clever and quirky lyrics. For instance, the first song on the album, "Mexican Wine," begins:



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

I tried to change, but I changed my mind

Think I'll have another glass of Mexican Wine



Many of the songs more or less tell stories, if not out and out narratives, at least of the shape of individual human lives. Unlike other bands, in which the protagonists are romantic suffering heroes, these songs are filled with somewhat nerdy losers. The second cut features a guy who has a 'bright future in sales," the third tells the story of a guy who has the hots for his female friend's mom, while in another the singer fantasizes about a former classmate who has gone on to celebrity in Hollywood returning to be his back in Hackensack.



Because so many of the songs are stories and because the lyrics matter, the mix brings the voice far more to the forefront than in frequently the practice these days. I love this attention to words. As much as I adore bands like Built to Spill and Modest Mouse, the voices sometimes fade into the background, become merely another texture in the music. But here the voices are brought unmistakably to the front. You really don't want a line like:



And the bourbon sits inside me

Right now I'm a puppet in its sway

And it may be the whiskey talking

But the whiskey says I miss you every day



Few recent albums give me as much overall joy as this one. I should also add that one of the great things about the songs on the album are their instant accessibility. Much like a band like The Smithereens, these songs can be loved the first time you hear them. Luckily, they stand up to repeated hearings as well."

The perfect anesthetic for trying times

chbloom | Chapel Hill, NC USA | 06/13/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"On their third release, Fountains of Wayne again reminds us what we love most about beautiful pop music. This is, in short, a truly stunning album. It's all here - immediately catchy hooks, smart lyrics, and an almost uncanny melodic sensibility. The 1-2-3 punch of the opening tracks, "Mexican Wine", "Bright Future in Sales", and "Stacy's Mom" alone is worth the price of admission. Pop in the CD, press play, and from the moment you hear that wistful first line about an exploding cell phone, you'll find yourself unable to stop smiling and singing along. Highly, highly recommended."