Traffic and weather

I am completely enamored of the recent Fountains of Wayne album, and I don't care who knows it.

Yes, I know they're formulaic. Yes, they tell too many stories and sing pop tunes in the key of happy with the same harmonies and versions of the same clever lyrics. Yes, many of the stories are sappy. Simplistic. Of love that is resolved in three verses with a bridge. Yes, this is a retread of everything they've ever done before, and Leave the Biker has never been bested (though in my humble opinion Red Dragon Tattoo, Hey Julie, and Valley of Malls are its equal.)

I don't care.

I don't even care that they wrote the songs to that Hugh Grant/Drew Barrymore movie, Music and Lyrics, which, by the way, I loved for its sappiness, too. And for Hugh Grant's silly dancing. But mostly for the sappiness.

There truly are few things that make me happier than a well-turned pop song. And even fewer happy things are available at the spin of the iPod wheel.

Fountains of Wayne rock. Rock, I tell you. ROCK.

Comments

BeckEye said…
I'm not a huge fan of Leave the Biker, but I will agree that Red Dragon Tattoo is fantastic. I'd say their absolute best. Hey Julie is wonderful as well, as are Denise, Radiation Vibe and the lovely slow jam Troubled Times.
1:28 pm
Melinda June said…
Duh! How could I have forgotten those! Or Hackensack! Or Barbara H.! Delightful, they are.
3:04 pm
Some Guy said…
I wholeheartedly agree.
8:59 am
Cup said…
You tell 'em, Melinda June. I enjoyed the guilty pleasure that was Music and Lyrics, too. Don't have the new Fountains of Wayne disc; guess I need to mosey over for a download ...
12:30 pm
Bramley Apple Pies! said…
While I agree that FOW rock, I do need to inform you that it is I who truly rock. Last night having never played the game before, after trying a few easier songs, I successfully played my way through Freebird in Guitar Hero 2. You rock came on the screen and the guy smashed his guitar.

I rock!
7:01 pm
Melinda June said…
Glad to hear a resounding agreement from you all. Beth, I have to say it's worth your time.

They're playing free a week from Saturday at the Minnesota State Fair, FYI.

And BAP, I believe there has never been any disagreement about your rockingness, but glad to hear the computer has validated it. Impressive accomplishment! But can you play it on the uke?
7:28 pm
Tenacious S said…
Mindy, there is nothing wrong with music that makes your head happy and your toes tap. Perfect pop is an art form if you ask me.
8:52 am
Ben-Bob said…
In the "one handshake away" category, did I ever tell you that Adam Schlesinger, FoW's bass player, interned with us for a while out in Boston?
2:36 pm
Melinda June said…
Uh, NO. How could you keep something like this from me??? Is he as sexy as I think he is? Are you the bad boss the sing of in Hey Julie?
5:17 pm
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ways other than Paul Blart and lipstick to combat economic depression

They say that, when the economy tanks and you can't see any way through your pile of bills and are wondering who you'll look wearing one of those barrels with shoulder straps, women buy lipstick and everyone goes to upbeat, escapist movies to take their minds off their troubles. But I'm here to tell you that any lipstick worth having is nigh 'bout $20 or more and you'll just end up regretting it, and Hollywood has not caught up with the times yet. Plus, it's Oscar season, so once you've seen Slumdog Millionaire your choices are sexy Nazis seducing children, attractive suburbanites mourning the death of their dreams, and nuns and priests talking about child abuse. (That said, I hear Gran Torino is a good diversion with a message, and if you don't hate Brad Pitt as much as I do you could probably sit through that Owen Meany movie where he ages like he's from Ork .) And while I'm as big a Kevin James fan as the next person, you can't ask him
Read more

Executive MBA 2006-07 Director's Prize

This prize is awarded to the Executive MBA student who is judged by his or her peers to have contributed most to the overall success of the programme. Awarded to: Me I'm really happy about this - I've been the stream rep between the administration and my fellow students, which is the primary reason I've won this...I've managed a lot of situations and helped sort out problems, and while it's been a bit of work it's also been quite fun. I've got all sorts of thoughts and feelings, and in about an hour I'm calling my mom to hear about Thanksgiving with my brother and to tell her the news, but the over-riding reflection I have is this. My dad would be very, very proud. This would have made his day.
Read more

Planning Funerals

We've been picking out hymns and suits to wear at the visitation and crematory urns for the ashes and cemetery plots with a good view. My dad passed away at 1 PM on Father's Day. He'd been in excruciating pain, which progressed as the week went on. By Thursday night we had to up the morphine dose so that he slept all the time, but at least he wasn't writhing in pain. Metastasized bone cancer is an ugly, ugly thing. On Friday, I spent the day with him. I sat in the comfy chair in his room and read him my Managing Strategic Innovation prep work and case study. I guess I'm assuming it was the morphine that kept him sleeping, but we'll never really know. On Saturday, my mom and I played scrabble by his bed most of the day. There were some rousing plays, especially since she refused to let me play 'squab' and 'nori' because these were not familiar words to her and we didn't have an official scrabble dictionary handy. I called her a dirty cheater,
Read more