I just finished my third music theory class. My professor praised my
work on my final project, asking if was my first composition. I
explained that I had only composed for assignments in my music theory
classes. I've been aware that I'm perfectly capable of writing
something that meets the criteria for an assignment but have absolutely
no idea about its aesthetic values: it's correct, but is it any good? I
have my doubts.
Then I came home and listened again to Sky Full of Holes,
the new album by Fountains of Wayne. My rudimentary composition skills
will never match their ability to craft hooks. The new album isn't
quite as heavy on them as some of their previous releases, but the
band's
entire body of work is overrun with them. They will showing off their
hooks in a pair of Boston shows, one electric, one acoustic, this
weekend. They will also be showing off their other skills: the
specificity of their lyrics, Jody Porter as their secret weapon adding
muscle on guitar,
and a general sense of playfulness with their
presentation.
I'm not fretting over not matching their compositional skills since I
can compensate with other expertise. I've reviewed the new album for
CDHotlist:
New Releases for Libraries. I'm
surprised that other
reviewers have failed to comment on the change in perspective, that
they are now writing about people well into adulthood, which I
particularly appreciate as someone who is well into adulthood myself.
Fountains
of Wayne play the Brighton
Music Hall, 158 Brighton Avenue,
Allston, MA, 617-779-0140, with Nicole Atkins at 9:00 p.m. on Friday,
August 12 (electric) and Saturday, August 13 (acoustic).
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