Additional personnel: James Iha, Jen Tryin (guitar); Ronnie Buttacavol (trumpet, flugelhorn).

Producers: Adam Schlesinger, Chris Collingwood, Mike Dennen.

Recorded at Stratosphere Sound, New York, New York; Q Division, Somerville, Massachusetts; The Clubhouse, Rhineback, New York.

Fountains Of Wayne was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best New Artist. "Stacy's Mom" was nominated for Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal.

Personnel: Chris Collingwood, Jody Porter (vocals, guitar); Jennifer Trynin (guitar, background vocals); James Iha (guitar); Ronnie Buttacavoli (trumpet, flugelhorn); Brian Young (drums, percussion).

Audio Mixer: Tom Lord-Alge.

Recording information: Q Division, Somerville, MA; STratosphere Sound, New York, NY; The Clubhouse, Rhinebeck, NY.

Photographer: Joseph Cultice.

Following a four-year hiatus that found Fountains of Wayne going from Atlantic Records to S-Curve Records, New Jersey's favorite power-pop outfit delivers WELCOME INTERSTATE MANAGERS, the band's third opus. FOW does an excellent job of capturing the suburban zeitgeist that dates back to the band's name (derived from a Garden State backyard fixtures emporium) and carrying on from 1999's excellent UTOPIA PARKWAY.

Wielding boatloads of hooks and harmonies, Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood delight with songs about high school sweethearts (the melancholy "Hackensack"), a good woman's love in the face of a crap job (a sweet, semi-acoustic "Hey Julie"), and exploding cell phones (an anthemic "Mexican Wine"). With its handclaps, rad harmonies and perky synths, the irresistible "Stacy's Mom" fantasizes about a best friend's mom, and seems tailor-made for any future American Pie sequels. Other pop manna includes the Beatlesque "Fire Island," the country-fried "Hung Up On You" (featuring guest lap steel player Robert Randolph), and the Brit-pop psychedelia of "No Better Place." WELCOME INTERSTATE MANAGERS easily notches a place on any Best of 2003 list.