| 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.)
According to an interview with New York all-news radio station WCBS, the band claimed the title of the album, which was mixed by Michael Brauer and John Holbrook, was inspired by the station's slogan promising "traffic and weather together on the eights".
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]
The song "Traffic & Weather" was used on KYW-TV/WPSG in Philadelphia during its morning traffic and weather segments. Likewise, several of WCBS's sister all-news stations used the song in promotions tongue-in-cheek to promote their own 'traffic and weather together' efforts.
All tracks are written by Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Someone to Love" | 3:53 |
| 2. | "'92 Subaru" | 3:13 |
| 3. | "Yolanda Hayes" | 4:01 |
| 4. | "Traffic and Weather" | 3:37 |
| 5. | "Fire in the Canyon" | 2:47 |
| 6. | "This Better Be Good" | 3:04 |
| 7. | "Revolving Dora" | 2:42 |
| 8. | "Michael and Heather at the Baggage Claim" | 3:42 |
| 9. | "Strapped for Cash" | 3:31 |
| 10. | "I-95" | 3:08 |
| 11. | "Hotel Majestic" | 3:28 |
| 12. | "Planet of Weed" | 2:46 |
| 13. | "New Routine" | 4:14 |
| 14. | "Seatbacks and Traytables" | 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, Illinois. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, the band has undergone several line-up changes since their reunion in 2006, with Corgan being the sole constant member since its inception. The current lineup features Corgan, Chamberlin, Iha and guitarist Jeff Schroeder.
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 initial breakup in 2000. Among his musical projects of recent years, Iha has been a permanent fixture of A Perfect Circle. He was most recently a member of Tinted Windows, a 1960s/1970s inspired group with members of Cheap Trick, Fountains of Wayne, and Hanson. He rejoined the Smashing Pumpkins 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.
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 a key songwriting contributor and producer for Brooklyn-based synth-pop duo 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.
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.
Umbilical is the second studio album by Brazilian singer-songwriter Tiago Iorc, released October 2011.
Good Times! is the twelfth studio album by American pop rock band the Monkees. Produced mainly by Adam Schlesinger, the album was recorded to commemorate the band's 50th anniversary. It is the first Monkees studio album since Justus (1996), marking the longest gap between Monkees albums to date, and the first since the death of founding member Davy Jones. The album features surviving Monkees Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork, as well as a posthumous contribution from Jones. The album received generally positive reviews from music critics and reached number 14 on the Billboard 200, becoming the band's highest-charting album in 48 years.
Christmas Party is the 13th and final album by The Monkees, released on October 12, 2018. 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. It is the final Monkees studio album to be released prior to Tork and Nesmith's deaths in 2019 and 2021, respectively.
