Utopia Parkway

Description

Author: Fountains of Wayne

Format: Import

Release Date: 06-04-1999

Details: Review The CD is a fountain of melody, harmony and hooks. And the lyrics live up to promising titles like « The Valley of Malls. » — People Amazon.ca Loads of New York bands have written songs about their home towns. Few, however, have focused on the suburbs of the City That Never Sleeps: the tree-lined streets populated by commuters and shopping malls that make up much of New Jersey, Connecticut and Long Island. This is the world of disaffected youth, the « gee-whiz » America of Frank Capra films colliding with the suburban nightmare of Amityville (which is, after all, a town on Long Island). Utopia Parkway is, in effect, a concept album about the world that’s just a short train journey from Manhattan yet an eternity away from big city life. Songwriting duo Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger–the creative forces behind the Fountains Of Wayne–treat their subject with humour and dignity, singing about the lives and dreams of the suburbanites who populate their songs against a backdrop of soccer moms and high school proms. Moreover, the songs are flawless gems of guitar-driven pop perfection, like Teenage Fanclub at their best, running the gamut from fine to fantastic: from the rocking single « Denise » to the vintage pop of « Laser Show » and « The Valley Of Malls » to the witticisms of « Red Dragon Tattoo » (« Now I look a little more like that guy from Korn »). Utopia Parkway is a knowing portrait of a neglected aspect of American life and–most importantly–a perfect pop album. –Robert Burrow

UPC: 075678317729

EAN: 0075678317729

Languages: English

Binding: Audio CD

Item Condition: New