But is it power-pop?

Fountains of Wayne raise the bar (and roof) with Welcome Interstate Managers.

Dec 24, 2023

When

approached me about celebrating the 20th anniversary of the third album from Fountains of Wayne, Welcome Interstate Managers, with him and Nadja Dee, I didn’t even have to think about it for a couple of reasons:

His musical judgment is solid AF. In the spirit of transparency, in addition to guest hosting and being a guest on Abandoned Albums several times, Steve has been an ambassador for the show since the beginning and has made introductions we never could’ve made otherwise. Suffice it to say that the trust quotient is high.
While this episode is a celebration of the album, and the record is certainly reason enough to celebrate, I don’t feel we talk enough about the significant loss of Adam Schlesinger. His passing due to COVID-19 in April 2020 may not make him part of “the 27 Club,” but the creative void he left is as substantial as the loss of any club member, arguably more, because he is not part of that club.

Fountains of Wayne were:

Chris Collingwood - lead vocals, rhythm guitar & keyboards (1995–2013, 2020); lead guitar (1995–1997)
Adam Schlesinger - bass (1997–2013); keyboards, backing and occasional lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1995–2013); drums (1995–1997); died 2020
Jody Porter - lead guitar, backing vocals (1997–2013, 2020)
Brian Young - drums, percussion (1997–2013, 2020)

Look, I have some real struggles with power-pop as a genre. My struggles, such as they are, with the genre, make no sense - not even to me. The genre is everything that I like in a song.

Power pop songs are guitar-driven, smart, taut musical diamonds in a sea of cubic zirconium.

As I write this at 6 am Christmas Eve, I may have finally diagnosed the root cause of my power pop problem. Much like my long-misunderstood ADHD, I’ve suffered from a long, undiagnosed, misunderstood case of “Knacklash.” You see, I loved two things in June of 1979: my Diamond Back BMX bike and The Knack’s “My Sharona” (and an affinity for Supertramp that I’m still working out in therapy).

I feel that reflecting on how I went from “My Sharona” to AC/DC’s Back in Black in six months will say more about the evolution of FM radio than my tastes. That being said, at the time, I was all, “Fuck that pop shit. Have you heard ‘Shoot to Thrill’?”

In the spirit of transparency, I might still say that today; HOWEVER, now I see that “Life Is A Highway” (how many times does Tom Cochrane get a proper shout-out?) and the off-ramps for power pop leaders The Knack and heavy metal gods AC/DC are much closer than my wee brain could’ve imagined back then.

Talking power pop with S.W. Lauden and Nadja Dee is a privilege akin to having a private chat about linguistics with Noam Chomsky.

These are two lovers and practitioners of the genre whose fandom and knowledge are epic, and you'll want to hear them discuss Welcome Interstate Managers. They’ve got some exciting insights… and even more interesting theories. In fact, in vol. 2 of Ride the Lightning: A Guitar Pop Journal (edited by S.W. Lauden), Nadja goes deep in her analysis of Welcome Interstate Managers piece “Welcome Interstate Graduates” by synching it up with the Mike Nichols classic movie The Graduate - ‘nuff said.

Steve also went down a rabbit hole and has some theories that can’t be ignored.

Atlantic Records had dropped Fountains of Wayne after Utopia Avenue, and by late 1999, they were a band without a label and they almost threw in the towel. But they didn’t. Childhood friends and principal songwriters Collingwood and Schlesinger reconvened the band.

Taking the bull by the horns, they recorded and unleashed an album with songs of narrative richness and emotional resonance that were uncharacteristic of the time.

In other words, with Welcome Interstate Managers, Fountains of Wayne released an album that would redefine and reshape their career.

At the heart of Welcome Interstate Managers lies a lyrical narrative that paints vivid pictures of suburban life, love, and longing. Whether that qualifies as a “concept album” is worth consideration (wink, wink). The album's hit single, "Stacy's Mom," is a playful yet emotionally resonant story of adolescent infatuation. Fountains of Wayne's ability to infuse humor and wit into their music without sacrificing depth is a hallmark of this album.

Beyond its hit single, the album boasts a collection of gems like the explosive resignation of "Bright Future in Sales," the triple-A genius of "Hackensack," and the polarizing Burt Bacharach vibe of “Haily’s Waitress.” Welcome Interstate Managers is a one-hour tour de force of the band's keen observational skills, talent for crafting relatable stories, and epic levels of sonic restraint. The melodies are infectious, and the harmonies are impeccably layered, making it easy for listeners to get lost in the songs.

Welcome Interstate Managers is a cheeky wink and a nod to the banality of it all - whatever that “all” is to you.

With its blend of humor, nostalgia, and musical craftsmanship, it’s an album of vignettes painting American suburbia with a brush dipped in humor and melancholy that has a universal appeal. It’s no wonder the record continues to root itself in the firmament of classic rock albums.

One of the fun things about power pop is arguing about whether a song, a band, or an album is power pop. It’s an argument that can escalate to biblical proportions.

I do not attempt to answer the question of whether Fountains of Wayne’s album Welcome Interstate Managers is power pop, indie rock, just plain rock, or whatever here, BUT after talking with Nadja and Steve, I will say this. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, odds are… it’s a duck.

And Welcome Interstate Managers is one ducking great album!!