In case you were planning a power-pop road trip out east that included a stop at Fountains Of Wayne, the Wayne, N.J., outdoor shop that inspired the name of Adam Schlesinger’s beloved band, you may want to reroute: Thanks to a difficult Christmas season last year, the store—which had been run by the same family for more than 40 years—closed in March and was subsequently liquidated. [Roadside America via Timely Demise] More »
Nominees for the 61st annual Emmy Awards were announced this morning, and while 30 Rock came away with the highest number of overall mentions, we should probably extend a bit of congratulations to the increasingly multitalented Justin Timberlake, who walked away with three nominations—two songs he contributed lyrics to received Outstanding Original Music honors, and he was also tabbed for a Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series nod in honor of his stint guest-hosting Saturday Night Live. The two songs that Timberlake had a hand in, and some of their competition, after the jump. More »
Last night in Oakland, Tori Amos covered Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time,” prefacing her version of the gigantic pop hit with an explanation that a fairy had told her to take on the track during that night’s show. (Perhaps the fairy was really excited by the news that Spears was in the studio with “…Baby” scribe Max Martin earlier this week?) Amos is just one of many musicians who’ve been compelled to put their own spin on “…Baby” in the decade since its release, probably because the one-two-three punch of the song’s minor-key pathos, Spears’ trapped-canary narrative, and the track’s pop perfection is too much to resist. Amos’ cover, the original, and a few other versions considered after the jump. More »
Kris Allen is in! Adam Lambert is in! And Danny Gokey is out! And now… American Idol is actually a race? More »
Disclosures up front: I proposed to my future ex-wife at a Cheap Trick show, so I guess you could call me a fan. I think that Bun E. Carlos is a great drummer, undersung because he’s not flashy in a band with a lot of flash. This is particularly true given that the band came of age in an era where drummers were adding toms and bass drums; I’ve always found him tasteful, a nice contrast to the antics of Rick Nielsen. So you can imagine that the sortasupergroup Tinted Windows—which counts as its members Carlos, James Iha, Adam Schlesinger, and Taylor Hanson—has me excited.
Welcome to “On The Flippity-Flop,” where your Idolators spotlight unjustly ignored B-sides, bonus tracks, compilation contributions, and EP cuts. Send your suggestions to tips@idolator.com. More »
Thanks to the tipster who pointed us to this USA Today blurb on power-pop masters Fountains Of Wayne, which pegs the band for slots at the Coachella and Bonnaroo festivals this summer. (At least we’ll be able to hear catchy songs during our inevitable attack of desert-induced heatstroke.) More »
Welcome to a special edition of the Coulda-Shoulda-Woulda Files, which normally looks at a song that was left by the airwaves’ wayside–today, we’re going to look at an album that didn’t quite hit the world’s pop-music sweet spot. More »
