Fountains Of Wayne - Sky Full of Holes (Bonus Version) (2011)

Fountains of Wayne excel at power pop. It’s an odd genre, since its practitioners are rarely popular, aside from the occasional hit. “Stacey’s Mom” was this group’s crossover single, but, really, anyone who enjoyed that song would surely find much to like in many Fountains of Wayne tunes. Singers and songwriters Chris Collingwood and Adam Schelsinger are pleasantly clean-cut in their presentation. Guitars are carefully refined. Beats are usually a solid mid-tempo and the vocals represent earnest tunefulness. Their passion has always been tucked inside the songwriting where their topics take weird turns. Their songs feature an “Action Hero,” a “Radio Bar,” a ride on the “Acela,” time spent at “The Summer Place” with “A Dip In the Ocean.” These aren’t guys interested in baring their inner souls, but rather songwriters writing quirky, subtly humorous observational tunes. Bonus Version includes the track “Song of the Passaic,” a tribute to the band’s days in New Jersey.