After 15 years it would be too much of a call to expect Fountains of Wayne to be producing the same kind of music that they were making back then, and it would be fair to say that artistic types need to evolve and change in order to find enough interest in what they’re doing. Most of us would remember this band for their songs “Radiation Vibe” and “Stacy’s Mom”; the up tempo, positive numbers that threw the band firmly into the power pop genre, but this new addition to the album stable Sky Full of Holes, is certainly different to their previous works.

This album has been in the pipeline since 2009, and was released first in Japan where the band has quite a following. The Japanese and Aussie albums have 13 songs with two bonus tracks, so we can assume that the U.S. release doesn’t include the extras. Maybe those with insider knowledge understand the reasons behind the staggered release dates and the slightly different album formats? This album is one for the connoisseur. It doesn’t have instantly catchy tunes with choruses that hook in the listener immediately, so if you’re looking for another “Radiation Vibe” on here, you won’t find it. If you want the Blink 182 sound of "Stacy’s Mom", you won’t find that either. What you will find is that Fountains of Wayne have lived up to one reputation at least, and that’s their fine ability as lyrical poets.

The album won’t burn up any dance floors. The closest song to a single on this work is “Someone’s Gonna Break Your Heart”, which has been released as just that, along with the amusing “Richie and Ruben”. The majority of the songs on the album seem to have drawn inspiration from the Beatles or Oasis. For a U.S. group, the sound is mostly retro British. In “A Road Song” and “Workingman’s Hands” there is a definite country influence, which is not so surprising when you consider that Chris Collingwood (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) was involved in a country music side project.

The title of the album comes from a line in the song “Cemetery Guns”, which in parts sounds like the instrumentals are being played by a military band. It certainly has a clever layered effect, with the lyrics and music working together to make the emotions stir. In fact all of the songs contain clever lines. “Action Hero” is about a bloke who lives a mundane life, but believes himself to be an action hero in his mind. Other songs on the album are also about the everyday, which means that almost everyone can identify with the sentiments to some degree.

Though the songs are different to those released by this band in the past, and the lyrics are brilliant and there are a number of different music effects used, the tempo on all but two of the songs is much the same. This may mean that Fountains Of Wayne will not draw a larger fan base with this effort unless there are people out there who are patient enough to listen to the whole album many times. It’s one of those albums that would ‘grow on you’ and is worth a listen, but don’t expect the WOW factor to kick in straight up. It’s definitely one for the cerebrally unchallenged.

Review Score: 7/10