| Traffic and Weather | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 3, 2007 | |||
| Genre | Power pop [1] | |||
| Length | 47:27 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Producer | Adam Schlesinger | |||
| Fountains of Wayne chronology | ||||
| ||||
Traffic and Weather is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Fountains of Wayne. It was released on Virgin Records in April 2007.
While previous Fountains of Wayne albums saw lead singer Chris Collingwood and bassist Adam Schlesinger write songs separately then arrange them with the rest of the band, initial work on their fourth album saw them trying a new approach in which they wanted to get guitarist Jody Porter and drummer Brian Young more involved by jamming together at Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York. While it yielded many ideas, it didn't result in any finished songs. [2] In the end, "Strapped for Cash" was the only song developed from the Bearsville sessions, as the band reverted to their usual methods. [3] However, Collingwood was suffering from depression and alcoholism during the making of the album. As a result, he only penned three songs for it — "Fire in the Canyon", "Hotel Majestic" and "Seatbacks and Traytables" — while Schlesinger wrote the rest. [4] (In a Lennon/McCartney-like arrangement, the writing of each individual song is still credited to both Collingwood and Schlesinger, even though both in fact write separately. However, for this album, the publishing credits tell the story — all songs are published by Schlesinger's company Vaguely Familiar Music, except for Collingwood's contributions, which are published by Collingwood's company Monkey Demon Music.)
Describing their process for the album, Schlesinger said, "We'll bring a song in, then Brian will come up with a feel for it, cut a basic track, then we'll spend a lot of time with Jody experimenting with different guitar parts. On this album more than any, you can really hear Jody's playing and the incredibly wide range that he's capable of." [5]
The song "Someone to Love" includes backing vocals from former Smashing Pumpkins and Hole bassist Melissa Auf der Maur, [6] "Fire in the Canyon" contains backing vocals from the Candy Butchers' Mike Viola, "Seatbacks and Traytables" features former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha, and "Strapped for Cash" features trumpeters Ronnie Buttacavoli and Scott Wendholt; the former trumpeter also plays on "Yolanda Hayes".
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 68/100 [7] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [8] |
| Alternative Addiction | [9] |
| The Austin Chronicle | [10] |
| American Songwriter | [11] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+ [12] |
| MSN Music (Consumer Guide) | A [13] |
| Pitchfork | 3.0/10 [14] |
| PopMatters | 8/10 [15] |
| Rolling Stone | [16] |
| Stylus Magazine | D− [17] |
The album was met with moderate commercial success and generally favorable reviews. It reached #97 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, [18] and the song "I-95" was named #54 in Rolling Stone's 's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. [19] Blender described the album as having "more witty tales of confused young people caught between destinations". [20]
All tracks are credited to Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Someone to Love" | Schlesinger | 3:53 |
| 2. | "'92 Subaru" | Schlesinger | 3:13 |
| 3. | "Yolanda Hayes" | Schlesinger | 4:01 |
| 4. | "Traffic and Weather" | Schlesinger | 3:37 |
| 5. | "Fire in the Canyon" | Collingwood | 2:47 |
| 6. | "This Better Be Good" | Schlesinger | 3:04 |
| 7. | "Revolving Dora" | Schlesinger | 2:42 |
| 8. | "Michael and Heather at the Baggage Claim" | Schlesinger | 3:42 |
| 9. | "Strapped for Cash" | Schlesinger | 3:31 |
| 10. | "I-95" | Schlesinger | 3:08 |
| 11. | "Hotel Majestic" | Collingwood | 3:28 |
| 12. | "Planet of Weed" | Schlesinger | 2:46 |
| 13. | "New Routine" | Schlesinger | 4:14 |
| 14. | "Seatbacks and Traytables" | Collingwood | 3:31 |
| 15. | "Sense Into You" (Japan bonus track) | 3:30 | |
| 16. | "You Gotta Go" (Japan "Tour Edition" bonus track) | 2:06 |
All quotes from Adam Schlesinger.
The Smashing Pumpkins is an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, the band has undergone several line-up changes since their reunion in 2006, with Corgan being the primary songwriter and sole constant member since its inception. The current lineup consists of Corgan, Chamberlin, and Iha. The band has a diverse, densely layered sound, which evolved throughout their career and has contained elements of gothic rock, heavy metal, grunge, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, shoegaze, dream pop, and electronica.
Melissa Gaboriau Auf der Maur is a Canadian musician.
Fountains of Wayne was an American rock band that formed in New York City in 1995. The band included founding members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter, and Brian Young. They released six albums from 1996 to 2011 before effectively disbanding in 2013. They are best known for the Grammy-nominated song "Stacy's Mom".
James Yoshinobu Iha is an American rock musician. He is best known as a guitarist and co-founder of the alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. He was a member until the band's initial breakup in 2000 and rejoined in 2018.
Welcome Interstate Managers is the third studio album by the American rock band Fountains of Wayne. It was released by S-Curve Records on June 10, 2003. The album contains the power pop single "Stacy's Mom," which reached number 21 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's highest-charting hit in the United States.
Utopia Parkway is the second studio album by the American rock band Fountains of Wayne. It was released by Atlantic Records in April 1999.
Fountains of Wayne is the debut studio album by the American rock band Fountains of Wayne. It was released on TAG Recordings, Scratchie Records, and Atlantic Records in 1996. A reissue of the vinyl was released on Yep Roc Records.
Adam Lyons Schlesinger was an American musician, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He was a founding member of the bands Fountains of Wayne, Ivy, and Tinted Windows, and was also a member of the band Fever High. He also wrote songs for television and film, for which he won three Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, and the ASCAP Pop Music Award, and was nominated for Academy, Tony, and Golden Globe Awards. He died at the age of 52.
"Thirty-Three" is a song by American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. It was the fifth and final single from their third album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995), in November 1996. It was the first single released after the firing of Jimmy Chamberlin and death of Jonathan Melvoin. The song peaked at 39 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's fourth and final top-40 hit there, number seven in New Zealand and the top 30 in Canada and the United Kingdom. In Canada, it coincidentally finished at number 33 on the RPM Alternative 30 year-end chart for 1997.
Jody Porter is an American musician. He was the lead guitarist of Grammy Award-nominated power pop band Fountains of Wayne. The band released four major label albums, including Welcome Interstate Managers on Virgin Records in 2003, an RIAA-certified Gold LP. The album spawned the hugely popular U.S. Top 40 hit and number 1 music video "Stacy's Mom".
Out-of-State Plates is a double compilation album by the American rock band Fountains of Wayne. It was released on Virgin Records on June 28, 2005.
Chris Collingwood is an American singer, songwriter, and artist. He is best known as the former lead vocalist and founding member of the power pop band Fountains of Wayne.
Andy Chase is an American musician, record producer, and label owner. He formed the band Ivy with Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne and Dominique Durand, now his wife. Chase owns Unfiltered Records and co-owned Stratosphere Sound studio with Schlesinger and James Iha of the Smashing Pumpkins.
American Gothic is the fourth EP by The Smashing Pumpkins. The EP was announced on the band's website on December 19, 2007 with songwriter Billy Corgan describing it as a continuation of their 2007 album Zeitgeist. It was released digitally on January 2, 2008 and as a CD in the United Kingdom on February 11, 2008.
Sky Full of Holes is the fifth and final studio album by the American rock band Fountains of Wayne. It was released on July 20, 2011, in Japan, on August 1, 2011, in Europe, and on August 2, 2011, in North America. It debuted at number 37 on the US Billboard 200, giving Fountains of Wayne their first Top 40 album on that chart, and debuted at number 16 on the UK independent chart.
"Radiation Vibe" is the debut single by Fountains of Wayne, from their eponymous debut album. It was released in 1996 on Atlantic Records.
"Sink to the Bottom" is the second single by Fountains of Wayne, from their eponymous debut album. It was released in 1997 and charted in the UK at No. 42 on May 10, 1997. It also reached No. 7 in Norway in 1998.
"Survival Car" is the third single by Fountains of Wayne, from their eponymous debut album. It was released in 1997 and charted in the UK at No. 53 on July 26, 1997.
Good Times! is the twelfth studio album by the American pop rock band the Monkees, released in 2016 by Rhino Records. Produced primarily by Adam Schlesinger, the album was recorded to commemorate the band's 50th anniversary. It was the first Monkees studio album since Justus (1996), marking the longest gap between releases to date, and the first since the death of band member Davy Jones. The album features surviving Monkees Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork, as well as a posthumous contribution from Jones.
Christmas Party is the 13th and final studio album by the American pop rock band the Monkees, released on October 12, 2018, by Rhino Records. Produced mainly by Adam Schlesinger, the album is the Monkees' first to focus on Christmas themes. It follows on the success of their 2016 album Good Times!. The two-year gap is the shortest between albums since the 1969/1970 releases of The Monkees Present and Changes. The album features surviving Monkees Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith, and Peter Tork, as well as two posthumous contributions from Davy Jones.
