License plate sightings break up the monotony of any car ride. It's not often that you find an Alaskan plate cruising the southern edge of Florida, or how about the rainbow plate of Hawaii heading west on Interstate 70 in Kansas. Granted, it's a small and somewhat inconsequential note to the ride, and whether we end up pondering where the car is headed or why a state chose a pretty picture or bright color scheme, we almost always take notice because it's something different; the same can be said for Fountains of Wayne latest release.
The aptly named Out Of State Plates, finds this radio rock foursome mixing up a hodge-podge compilation filled with a few new tunes, b-sides, and covers. Over the last ten years, FOW solidified themselves as a power pop collective conjuring up catchy hooked hits with outrageous themes and melodic riffs. And while this latest project highlights hit maker tunes like "Maureen" and "The Girl I Can't Forget," it also shows a more personal and aesthetic infused side to Chris Collinwood and Adam Schlesinger's writing. Tunes like "I Know You Well" and "Killermont Street" tend to show a softer side to the fast paced feel that has defined their sound. They even throw in some of their standard silliness in the form of California Sex Lawyer, I Want An Alien For Christmas, and The Man In The Santa Suit. At times, it's tough to get behind the outrageousness of lyrics, but they still keep a strong song structure, solid harmonies, and all of the necessary stylistic elements found in a well written tune.
The disc also delves into some of their more famous covers including a live version of ELO's "Can't Get It Out of My Head" and the much talked about, but ever so eerie cover of Britney Spear's "…Baby One More Time." However, the best cover comes from the simple acoustic take on Jackson Browne's "These Days," which finds Collinwood struggling to compare with the original on vocals, but he more than makes up for it by speeding up the tempo and finding a new creative center to the tune.
Fountains of Wayne seems to constantly improve on their formula for structured radio music. And while they understand the keys to success, it's obvious from the mock radio intro that starts off the album that the band hopes to spin their style off into different directions and strip off the labels that have defined their sound and made their place within the musical world. Just like seeing an out of state plate on the highway, these tunes were compiled to break-up the band's self-imposed monotony. They wanted to bring some different textures, tones, and songs to their fans, and while it comes across in a subtle and simplistic manner, Fountains of Wayne was fairly successful at breaking the uniformity found in most compilation projects.
