Search - Fountains of Wayne :: Welcome Interstate Managers

Welcome Interstate Managers
Fountains of Wayne
Welcome Interstate Managers
Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (16) - Disc #1

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-...  more »

     
   

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CD Details

All Artists: Fountains of Wayne
Title: Welcome Interstate Managers
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 4
Label: Virgin Records Us
Original Release Date: 1/1/2003
Re-Release Date: 6/10/2003
Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock
Styles: Indie & Lo-Fi, Power Pop
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 724359087528, 724359087559

Synopsis

Amazon.com
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

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Member CD Reviews

Melanie W. (novelwriter) from SURFSIDE BCH, SC
Reviewed on 12/22/2007...
This cd is a mixture of upbeat and happy songs with some more heavier and alternative. This is a good cd. I seems that I should try listening to it to get my creative writing juices going.
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Jessica T. (jessicatok) from LINCOLN, NE
Reviewed on 4/23/2007...
In the vein of their contemporaries, the Barenaked Ladies, Fountains of Wayne manage to catch the attention of America with their catchy, "Stacy's Mom." Though this isn't the first disc for FOW, it is certainly the one that brought them the most attention. With silly lyrics and catchy pop-rock, this disc is worth a listen. Personal favorite track: "Bright Future in Sales."

CD Reviews

One of the Year's Best
CCRCAR | Austin, Texas United States | 06/11/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Power pop has long taken a backseat to other genres and that's a real shame, especially when you consider that Fountains of Wayne is one of the best in the business. "Welcome Interstate Managers," the eastern coast quartet's third album, is easily one of the year's top albums.The disc is full of sparkling, tuneful gems that just don't seem to stop. Stand-outs include the CD's impossibly catchy first three songs, "Mexican Wine," "Bright Future in Sales," and the first single, "Stacy's Mom," which deserves to be a #1 hit. The Fountains also shine on softer ballads like "Valley Winter Song," and "Hackensack." Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood might well be this decade's Difford and Tilbrook; Collingwood has some of the sweetest vocals this side of Chris Stamey.Although the band is less successful on songs like "All Kinds of Time," and "Peace and Love," they don't distract from the disc's overall quality. I thought their last release, "Utopia Parkway," was one of the best cds of the last 10 years...what a shame it didn't get the attention it deserved. Here's hoping the band gets more notice on this one... buy it, you won't be sorry...and you'll probably end up buying their other two albums as well. They're really that good."
Worth the Wait
Steve Neuman | St. Cloud, MN United States | 06/11/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's been four years since Fountains of Wayne graced us with Utopia Parkway, which is right behind the Replacements' Tim in the "Why The Hell Didn't This Album Make Them Huge?" line. Pop hooks that hit you like Mike Tyson in 1986, lyrics about .38 Special CD collections and Bactine to prevent infection, and it sold diddly. Further proof, if you needed any, that the world is a dull, dirty place. Well, they're back with Welcome Interstate Managers, and it is good. The first three tracks would be the best 1-2-3 punch of any album this year if the White Stripes didn't exist. That the subject matter includes cell phone explosions, a booze-addled salesman and lust for someone's mom both proves their genius and shows a tin ear for commercial prospects. Thank God. A lesser band would have taken the Cars-y riff on "Bright Future in Sales" and attached it to a song about a girl who needs love in the worst way, a way that only the lead singer can provide. I'm not saying we don't need those songs, but we do need to right the balance between boy/girl songs and soul-deadening career options songs. I think we're at one trillion to seven right now.After you've played this troika over and over and get to the rest of the album, you'll notice that they show equal facility with the down tempo numbers as well. "All Kinds of Time," "Hackensack" and "Fire Island" have a wistfulness that Paul Simon used to conjure, and you will hum them for days. Please, buy this record. Your summer depends on it."