The latest in the seemingly never-ending line of humorous pop bands is Fountains Of Wayne, the creation of Ivy's Andy Schlesinger and his longtime friend Chris Collingwood. Sounding something like Weezer or For Squirrels, Fountains Of Wayne recorded their self-titled debut album on Tag in an eight-day session earlier this year. Collingwood estimated that a third of the album was written in one evening's time. And darn it if this fact isn't painfully obvious when listening to the album, loaded with run-of-the-mill pop numbers and off-the-cuff lyrics and song titles like "Please Don't Rock Me Tonight" and "Leave The Biker."

How about these lyrics from the head-bobbing "Joey Rey": Joey Rey, he's stoned all day/With two hairdressers and a Chevrolet. Or, this gem from "Radiation Vibe," the album's first single: I went to Pittsburgh and joined the pro team/Talk about a bad dream/I broke a knee.

OK, so enough of the songs here are catchy and worth a few listens, especially the single. But, beyond that, there's not much original or inventive to be found in Fountains Of Wayne's music. "She's Got A Problem" sounds like music from a cruise ship commercial, while "Survival Car" borrows vocal hooks and harmonies from the Beach Boys. "Barbara H" even reuses the melody of "Radiation Vibe!" About the only similarities to Ivy can be found on "Everything's Ruined" and "Sick Day," two slower tunes that use the same basic chord structure found in many Ivy songs. It's surprising too, since Ivy are a fantastic, dreamy pop band possessing much more thoughtful songs than are presented here. As happens all too often, Schlesinger probably felt the need to write some simpler songs for pure enjoyment. Enter an A&R rep, and this side project becomes a viable entity of its own. That's great for the band. But since Fountains Of Wayne have yet to perform live and, by all accounts, Schlesinger and Collingwood are the only two musicians who performed on the album, building a fan base will be a tall order.

Until then, give Fountains Of Wayne a listen, on the basis of Schlesinger's writing talents and the entertaining song lyrics, but don't expect much more. Doing so won't leave you disappointed. Because after all, this is disposable pop at its finest.

Johnathan Cohen
for Scene magazine