Serious? Not This Time

Have you ever wanted to bitch about your stupid retail boss in a song, or sing in a smooth, rich voice about your friend’s hot mom, or have so much fun listening to an album, you want to jump around your poster-plastered room in your underwear? If you have, the boys of Fountain of Wayne have beaten you to it.The poppy catchy riffs and grungy guitar are so infectious, it makes you want to shake your booty and sing along. Tight 80’s hair-band harmonies and fun surf-rock electronica sound effects wriggle their way into each song, along with giddy caffeine-induced lyrics, making this music not for those who are looking for an existential head-trip but more for kids who will appreciate songs about “period one.” The boys from Wayne, New Jersey are obviously influenced by some classic rock and a lot of Indie rock, as is evident in head-bopping songs like “Bright Future in Sales.” Yet it sometimes sounds a little too much like the popular radio soundtrack for some crappy WB slop-opera as credits scroll past James Vanderbeek’s head, such as in “Peace and Love.” But then again, this is pop-culture, aimed at the younger, not-so-serious generations. It’s fun beer-drinking party music, not sophisticated thought-provoking conversation pieces.