P.S. New Fountains Of Wayne Album Out Aug. 2

Not so long ago, I bemoaned in loud tones the fact that Fountains Of Wayne, reigning monarchs of thinking-man's power-pop, had completed a new record but were still between labels, having parted ways with Virgin after 2007's Traffic And Weather.  The welcome news came a few days back that FOW's new disc Sky Full Of Holes will be issued August 2 on Yep Roc, home these days to many notable acts of a certain age (think Nick Lowe, Madness, Loudon Wainwright).  Such musical brilliance cannot be contained for long...

Tinted Windows prepare to conquer the power-pop universe

It's not exactly news by now, but what better excuse could there be to dive back into the blog pond than the unveiling of a genuine power-pop supergroup? Tinted Windows is the mind-boggling musical milkshake consisting of James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins), Adam Schlesinger (Fountains Of Wayne), Bun E. Carlos (Cheap Trick) and Taylor Hanson (yes, THAT Taylor Hanson). Appearances are set for South by Southwest on March 20 and The Bamboozle Festival on May 3. A bare-bones MySpace site with a single tantalizing streaming track from the forthcoming album is also live, and damned if "Kind Of A Girl" doesn't sound just like it ought to, except even better.