Traffic and Weather

Fountains of Wayne. <i>Virgin</i>. They’re not quite John Cheever or Alice Munro, but Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood are the closest thing in rock and roll to great short-story writers.

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They’re not quite John Cheever or Alice Munro, but Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood are the closest thing in rock and roll to great short-story writers. Throwing Beatles-esque rock, synth-pop, country, and you-name-it into the stylistic blender, the irresistible Traffic and Weather captures the quiet desperation and occasional triumphs of ordinary people, including the lonely guy hitting on a clerk at the dmv, the Long Island waitress who flees to Europe on a whim, and the cheerful pothead subsisting on Doritos and Oliver Stone movies. Schlesinger and Collingwood prefer dry, understated vocals that wisely shrug off melodrama, realizing that their indelible character studies don’t need a hard sell.

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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