Songs for the working stiffs

Fountains of Wayne songwriters Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger, the men responsible for the Academy Award-nominated theme to Tom Hanks's "That Thing You Do," have put their pop sensibilities back to good work on Welcome Interstate Managers. The melodies soar, the keyboards bounce, the vocals harmonize and the songs stick on you like that case of foot fungus that has been going around my bathroom. (Nearly every one of the sixteen tracks is a triumph. I am not even going to describe the infectious single "Stacy's Mom." Just download it, or better yet, buy the album and hear for yourself. If you don't like it, just turn around and walk back into the cave from which you came.) Lyrically, the songs center on the work lives and relationship struggles of everyday people. "Bright Future in Sales" is the story of a drunken frustrated office worker, while "Hey Julie" deals with morbid hatred for a boss. This is without a doubt the most feel-good album I have heard this year. There's no need for Zoloft and Prozac anymore, just pop this in and its bound to bring a smile.