Dull power-pop.
Thankfully much of this fourth album by the American power-pop four piece Fountains of Wayne is mercifully unlike that assault on the ears that was their 2003 single 'Stacey's Mom' which is, for some strange reason, what they're probably best known for. Unfortunately though being less irritating, doesn't mean it's any better.
"Traffic and Weather" is a mixed bag of an album overall; there are plenty of dodgy pop tunes that never really get going like you think they're going to, some of them sound like OMD and a lot of them have a jangly 60s feel, all winsome vocals and tambourine. Occasionally the record drags itself out of less than mediocre to pull off a track like: 'Fire In the Canyon' which is actually almost good - a full on country track through and through with a really decent tune and some nice acoustic guitar and keyboard, probably a hangover from vocalist Chris Collingwood's side country project, it makes you wish they'd concentrate on more songs like this one, rather than endless middle of the road nonsense like '1-95' which is so dull that it's really hard to stay awake through it.
The majority of the album is made up of tunes like 'Hotel Majestic' which all seem to consist of the same riffs and chords in the same order, it can get a bit tiring and frustrating waiting for something different to happen, or in fact anything at all, but to be honest, you'll be waiting in vain because every track meanders along at a snail's pace, content to be nothing other than inoffensive. Then there are a couple of slightly more upbeat numbers that are like a watered down version of Nada Surf with all the good bits removed and slowed down x 10. It's a wholly unsatisfying and unrewarding listening experience, with only the one or two country tinged tracks that have anything remotely interesting to offer. Very hard to recommend for any reason other than a game of Frisbee.