New Fountains Of Wayne - "Someone To Love"
Power pop gurus Fountains Of Wayne are blazing back this year with their fourth LP Traffic And Weather, and between their eponymous debut and Welcome Interstate Managers, they've got a lot to live up to. Good thing they're bloody brilliant! The record's chugging title track's a dirty burner, "Michael And Heather At The Baggage Claim" is a breezy bit of acoustic pop, "Yolanda Hayes" is an pepped-up dose of horn-blasted '60s songwriting, and "This Better Be Good" has the heartbroken-harmonies-and-glockenspiel vibe on lockdown. So yeah, we like it -- but we're fanboys. Here's a stream of the first single, "Someone To Love," a slice of classic FOW, slinging power chords, synth arpeggios, and a beefy hook.
Fountians Of Wayne - "Someone To Love" (ASX)
Traffic And Weather is out 4/3 on Virgin.
Posted at 2:30 PM
Tags: Adam Schlesinger | Fountains Of Wayne
Damn, thought it was going to be a Queen cover.
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I thought the sam thing when I read the headline, Theo. That would be totally sweet. Oh well, any FOW is worthwhile in my book.
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What's with Chris and Adam ALWAYS being the two guys in the background in FoW publicity pictures?
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Since when is this band likable?
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Full track here
http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/virg001/fountains_of_wayne/audio/traffic_and_weather/fountains_of_wayne_someone_to_love.asx
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Total shit. Bad new wave with current pop-culture references = forgotten in six months. And to think I really liked these guys circa Utopia Parkway (still a great album).
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One hell of a single.
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This song grows on you after a second or third listen. Plus the lyrics are fun as always. (But since when does FOW have female backing vocals?)
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not bad i guess. though that guy who doesn't like it, is understandable. that is until he says utopia parkway is a great album. gross. self titled and managers beat the crap outa that crap shoot.
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I never understood why they didn't release "The Girl I Can't Forget" from Out of State Plates. That truly is one of the best pop songs ever written, and could have been a great hit summer song. Instead, they released the meh-tastic "Maureen." Is their record label friend or foe?
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Pretty good tune; can't wait to hear the rest of the album. For those looking for a Queen cover tune ... uummm ... isn't that song called "SomeBODY To Love"?
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Listen - this is what FOW is ...POWER POP GUITAR DRIVEN FUN - If you don't like this song you really just don't get it. Four years is way to long if they are serious about this but this song may be worth the wait!
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The song is great.Catchy tune and fun lyrics.Can't wait to hear the new album!!!!!
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Parts of this remind me of the Sheryl Crow song "A Change Will Do You Good". The "uh-uh-uh" hook sounds familiar too, but I can't put my finger on it.
If you're a FOW fan, you should see "Music and Lyrics" with lots of songs by Adam Schlesinger. Radiation Vibe shows up too.
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"Someone To Love" is a great song in the tradition of other great FOW songs like "Radiation Vib," "Sink To The Bottom," "Sick Day" and "Supercollider!"
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Re: The female backing vocals
According to Filter Mag, that's everyone's favorite member of Hole & Pumpkins replacement bassist, Melissa Auf Der Maur.
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"supercollider"? really?
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Heard the entire record a little while back. This is a great song, but not even close to the best one on the new record. I think this will prove to be the best record, and that is saying a lot.
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Really! "Supercollider" is a great song! Go back and listen to it. There is a really good Fow thread on the Velvet Rope www.velvetrope.com
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ok, call me a dork for knowing the presidents of united states of america beyond their first album, but this song sounds an awful lot like "Tremolo Blues" off of their album "Pure Frosting". I love fountains of wayne and understand that this was likely not purposeful, but do yourself a favor and download it. the resemblance is uncanny.
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FOW are great as ever on this new release, which is very close to the vein of their WIM release in '03.
The songwriting and hooks are brilliant as always, but don't just download, buy it and help these poor songsmiths out.
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The lyrics starts off really well, but they seem to lose interest in them after a while. The last verse (punchline?) is really awful.
And that bit about 'you're not the only one that's lonely'... perhaps the most unnecessary lyrics since Randy Newman threw in an extra verse going 'short people are just the same as you and me'.
To me, Someone to Love sounds like a demo. They probably meant to come back to the lyrics, but never bothered. Such a shame.
Still, the new album seems an overall improvement from their last studio effort. But then again there is nothing here as lovely as Valley Winter Song.
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Genius songwriting. Playful pop perfection with their usual spin of positivity. Another anthem-worthy song from FOW if you ask me. Other favs on this release are "Traffic & Weather", "Seatbacks and Traytables", and "Yolanda Hayes". : )
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Genius songwriting. Playful pop perfection with their usual spin of positivity. Another anthem-worthy song from FOW if you ask me. Other favs on this release are "Traffic & Weather", "Seatbacks and Traytables", and "Yolanda Hayes". : )
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This band stinks like a fresh turd. That Someone to Love tune is pure cat vomit.
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Cat vomit?
I'll take a 5lb bag of Tender Vittles and a bottle of ipecac then, please. Someone to Love is outstanding.
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Ukukk: you say "Someone to Love" tapers off at the end and the last verse is truly awful.
I think the opposite - if FOW was going with a typical cheesy song, they would use the standard 3-verse progression: boy is lonely, girl is lonely, boy and girl meet and fall in love. See: "1985" by Bowling for Soup, "Axl Rose" by SR-71, or "Teenage Dirtbag" by Wheatus.
Instead, the last verse of this song suggests that the two characters in this song are lonely and looking for someone to love, but they're still too blind to see it when it's right in front of their face. Your twenties are a long decade when you're single in the city, and it takes longer than 3 minutes to find someone to fall in love with. I think that's the point of the song - like Tom Petty, the waiting is the hardest part.
Anyway, I appreciate the song more than if the two main characters fell in love and lived happily ever after at the end of it.
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Catchy song... Definitely a feel better, rather than a feel good. I like that they dont meet up in the song, it has a sense of hope, especially if you dont have anyone to love right now.
Cheesy? Yes. Fun song? Yes. Good band? Sure, why not?
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