I turned sixty-five this last week, and once again this year (for the ninth time, no less), I'll be featuring one of my favorite albums of all-time in lieu of our weekly song. This year it will be...Fountains of Wayne's Sky Full of Holes. And I can honestly say (though noting that it would be neck and neck with Hozier's debut album, Hozier) that it is the best album I've heard this century....
I wrote about Fountains of Wayne in Jukebox, Vol. CCI, and as the band is still disbanded, and this is usually a lengthy post to boot, I'll leave my brief bio right where it was in that earlier post. I would like to add though, unfortunately, that since I wrote that post founding member Adam Schlesinger passed away from complications from COVID-19. Another good one gone too soon....
And away we go...
The Summer Place--I'll probably mention this a time or two before I'm done with this post, but this is what Fountains of Wayne always did so well--taking slice of life vignettes, throwing in a few killer hooks, and writing a poignant song. This one's about a woman looking back at her troubled past from the vantage point of her family's summer place--a little bittersweet, a lot of east coast vibe. Favorite Line: "Those good old days don't seem so far away (seem so far away)/Was it just yesterday?"
Richie and Ruben--This was actually the song that made me keep listening (for whatever reason, my first several listens of the album did not leave me impressed), though now it would not be one of my faves. Another slice of life--friends Richie and Ruben constantly have ideas that they think will lead to riches, and each and every one fails. Even worse? The narrator of the song is a friend who gets suckered out of his money each and every time--and still hasn't seen a dime. Favorite Line: "Richie and Ruben/Are both a little out of their minds/Don't give 'em a dime/They'll blow through your dough/Just like they blew through mine..."
Acela--For those not familiar (like moi), Acela is an Amtrak train that runs from (roughly) Boston to D.C. with several notable city stops along the way. This one features another poor bastard, only this time he was supposed to catch the Acela out of town with a lady friend, but she never showed (echoes of Casablanca?) at the station. Now he's thinking about heading back to find her--oh, the vagaries of love. Favorite Line: "Now the world is a blur/And the engine starts to purr/And we're flying through Rhode Island..."
Someone's Gonna Break Your Heart--Not one hundred percent sure about this one--seems like it's telling you that wherever you are in life, no matter how good cocksure you're feeling, eventually someone's gonna break your heart. Or not. Gotta love the chorus, though, which is basically three sets of oh-oh-oh-ohs, followed by a couple of whoa's. Favorite Line: "And the spirit she hides/On a damp path of moss and stone/From a fear we are born with and never outgrow..."
Action Hero--Picture one, a man in a restaurant looking for his keys while his somewhat dysfunctional family looks on. Picture two, same man is in a hospital for some tests and it's not looking too good. But not to worry, he's an action hero, at least in his mind, and it's all going to work out fine. A tale of a good man trying to keep his head above water as he's trying to make the world a better place and all the while he's fighting Father Time. One of the best cuts on the album. Favorite Line: "But the action hero/Swears he feels just fine/He's got to finish saving/The world for all mankind..."
A Dip in the Ocean--I wrote about this one for a regular post (see link above). A few years down the road and it's still a tribute to life being a beach...trip up the coast. Absolutely killer song, hearing it never ceases to bring me immeasurable joy. Favorite Line: "Give us a room with a mountain view/A tiny cabana by the water/Yeah, by the water/Got a rental for an hour or two/For a ride up the coast and a dip in the ocean..."
Cold Comfort Flowers--An allegory, telling of people stumbling then growing, but in the end, like cold comfort flowers, we only bloom to eventually decay. It sounds a bit on the depressing side, but it's really just life--fighting to make what's right as much as we can before time and tide take over. Another great cut on a great album. Favorite Line: "An unwelcome fate/May ferry all away/But cold comfort flowers/Will bloom and decay..."
A Road Song--This one is as advertised. Covers the tediousness of touring, name checks Will Ferrell and Steve Perry, and is, in the end, a love song for the lover left behind while on the road. It's got a nice country and western vibe and checks all the boxes between humorous and bittersweet. Favorite Line: "Some kid threw a bottle on stage/He had an arm like a pro..."
Workingman's Hands--This one is...a eulogy. It's the funeral for a workingman, one part working class hero, one part rotten bastard. And everything was plum, level, and square (to steal a phrase) in the end. Favorite Line: "Oh, you save your money for a hole in the ground/A long black car and a wall of roses..."
Hate to See You Like This--And with this one we've got a man trying to convince (perhaps fruitlessly?) his woefully depressed girlfriend that it's time to get her life back on track. Some see his encouragement as an honest entreaty, but I was left wondering if perhaps he was the reason for her funk? We'll never know, but it made for a great track. Favorite Line: "Let's get your phone reconnected/Let's get this room disinfected..."
Radio Bar--A song about good times listening to music at a bar, though the end leads me to believe this one may be somewhat autobiographical (he sings of their song getting played on the jukebox at the Radio Bar--and thoroughly enjoyed by the patrons--and I really couldn't help but wonder if it's not a reference to their hit "Stacy's Mom?") A fine, rollicking tune. Favorite Line: "They put our song in the jukebox/It was a hit with the drunk jocks/Even the guy with the dreadlocks/Sang along at the Radio Bar..."
Firelight Waltz--Won't swear to it, but I think this one takes place in England in the aftermath of World War II, wherein people are wandering their way back into pubs and back into their clumsy lives, but the this night is just right for dancing. Beautiful lyrically, beautiful musically, beautiful vocally. A stellar effort. Favorite Line: "It's a tune from your childhood and a soft yellow moon/And the firelight is just right for dancing..."
Cemetery Guns--And the album ends with a man reflecting to a woman on the history of his home, his nation, while a young widow stands in the rain as her soldier husband is buried, and the all too sad fact that too many of our sons and daughters have died on foreign soils and sleep evermore in a broken heap. A wondrous closing, full of military pomp, its inherent sadness, and its checkered history. Favorite Line: "Cemetery guns go bang bang bang/Shooting all the sky full of holes/Twenty-one times in a row/For the blue war widow in the grey raincoat/On the green grass down below..."
While I won't say this album is for everyone, if you like your pop smart, humorous, and with impeccable taste, this one's for you. And I can honestly say, after taking a deep dive into Sky Full of Holes, that I'm even more impressed with the work. It's their magnum opus, a beautifully crafted love song to life and its many joys and sorrows.
Enjoy:
Republicans = Nazis
Peace,
emaycee
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