Fountains of Wayne Albums Ranked
Fountains of Wayne was an American rock band that formed in New York City in 1995. The band consisted of Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter, and Brian Young. The band is best known for its 2003 Grammy-nominated single “Stacy’s Mom”. In 1999, the band released Utopia Parkway, an album named after a road in Queens, New York. The album was a concept record that dealt with life in modern suburbia. Utopia Parkway was received well by critics, garnering many favorable reviews, and was the album of the week in People magazine. The group once again toured extensively behind the album, but frustrations grew between the band and the label. The band was later dropped by Atlantic in late 1999. Here are all of Fountains of Wayne albums ranked.
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6. Out Of State Plates (2005)
“Out-Of-State Plates contains several songs that may be considered sub-par by Fountains of Wayne’s but it’s a terrific bargain none-the-less. You get Maureen, Karpet King, Nightlight, Girl I Can’t Forget, Man in the Santa Suit and a smattering of other above average tracks in this album along with some ones that can be skipped over.”
5. Traffic And Weather (2007)
“Listeners will be dazzled by killer pop hooks, gorgeous vocal harmonies, luscious chiming guitars and crisp sparkling production values. Schlesinger’s playing is especially notable on tracks like “Yolanda Hayes” and “Strapped For Cash” where he delivers crisp punchy bass lines that jump out of the mix and suck us into the groove. In addition to their obvious musical strengths the songs here sport clever, insightful lyrics and a self effacing sense of humor.”
4. Sky Full Of Holes (2011)
“My current favorite song on this album is “A Road Song”. “Perfect” is a term used too often, but I’d say that this song is “nearly perfect”. The vocals and music blend together so effortlessly that the listener will easily sense the mood intended by Fountains of Wayne. Their music has been described as “power pop”. Maybe it is because they are able to include in their lyrics “Cracker Barrel”, “Will Ferrell”, and “Steve Perry”. The other songs should satisfy the most ardent Fountain of Wayne fans. Hopefully this album will introduce this talented band to new listeners.”
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3. Utopia Parkway (1999)
“The title track begins things with some nice keyboards and guitar though out, and then blends into “Red Dragon Tattoo”, love the .38 Special and KoRn references. Their hit “Denise”, #34 MSR, very devilish, with some Beach Boys harmonies. The melodic pop of “Hat And Feet”, very early 70’s sound, “Valley Of The Malls”, is a nice little pop-rocker. The elegant grace of “Troubled Times”, the fuzzy drenched -60’s feel of “Go, Hippie”. “A Fine Day For A Parade”, with Ron Sexsmith on backing vocals, a nice little popper.”
2. Fountains Of Wayne (1996)
“All the songs are great, there is no filler. “Radiation Vibe” kicks off the cd with energy and a very catchy chorus. “Joe Rey” moves fast and employs a Nirvana soft/heavy style. “She’s got a problem” and “Sick Day” epitomizes the unique conversational songcraft. “Barbara H” rocks, rocks rocks! “I’ve got a problem” and “Leave the Biker” exemplifies the wit in their songwriting.”
1. Welcome Interstate Managers (2003)
“Musically, this album is more diverse than “Utopia Parkway,” and yes, it seems that they spent most of their recording budget on about half the songs, the rest being a little looser (but that doesn’t mean worse!) sonically. “Halley’s Waitress” is a masterpiece of postmodern ironic funk (actually, I don’t know where to place it, genre-wise, but the Burt Bacharach comparison seems pale). “All Kinds of Time” is more moving and thoughtful than anything they’ve done before this album. I don’t know of any bands (other than the Flaming Lips) that are making music at once so lyrically accomplished and melodically complex. A great album.”
