Partners-in-crime Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger have made a career out of chronicling the stories of suburban life. The creative guns behind Fountains of Wayne even scored a commercial breakthrough in 2003 with "Stacy's Mom", a perky, raunchy ditty about a teenage boy's adolescent fantasies that cemented their status as kings of power pop.
On their fifth album, Sky Full of Holes, they have mellowed and cleaned up their act a little. The character sketches and solid production still exist, but Sky Full of Holes doesn't quite match the brilliant record that was Welcome Interstate Managers (2007's Traffic and Weather was a hit-and-miss affair). It makes for an enjoyable listen, but falls flat towards the end.
"Someone's Gonna Break Your Heart", a jangly, sparkling song with an oh-oh-oh refrain, is easily the best song on the album, with "Richie and Ruben" coming in a close second. Ballads like "A Road Song" seem to permeate the second half of the album and outstrip the faster numbers, bogging down the entire LP.
Not that it really matters though. The duo's solid songwriting and ability to relate to the everyman are probably reasons why the band have stood the test of time, even after 16 long years in the business.
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