Buy Now
| Buy on |
|
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
Aug 19, 2011Lulled into a formalistic revery by their catchy choruses, you assume their content is as null as their groove. But in fact they're so girl-shy it's thematic, and refreshingly empathetic about women with problems.
-
Jul 28, 2011The beloved power-pop veterans dial down the big guitars and slick synths of yore on Sky Full of Holes, a relatively rootsy effort.
-
Aug 2, 2011Fountains Of Wayne dutifully settles into adulthood on Sky Full Of Holes.
-
Alternative PressAug 18, 2011Musically, Sky Full Of Holes is simply gorgeous. [Sep 2011, p.112]
-
Aug 9, 2011Sky Full of Holes finds Fountains of Wayne back at the top of their game.
-
Aug 1, 2011Fountains of Wayne's music has its heart in the 1970's of the Eagles, Bruce Springsteen, Stealers Wheel and Nick Lowe, full of strummed acoustic and electric guitars, repeated octaves on the piano and wordless vocal-harmony choruses.
-
Jul 29, 2011Gone are the massive arena rock choruses that were the sugar on their tart character sketches; this time the New York powerpop band have eschewed the power in favour of a more sedate sound, the dominant texture being acoustic guitar overlaid with muted electrics.
-
Aug 3, 2011Even when Fountains of Wayne are phoning it in, they're never less than professional. Think of this as a thoughtfully-written greeting card of an album.
-
Aug 2, 2011It's a remarkably consistent album, full of snappy arrangements, surprising chord changes and tasteful instrumentation, but Collingwood's voice embodies its true appeal.
-
Aug 11, 2011Sky Full of Holes is the perfect sound of a band staying within their comfort zone while not forgetting the power of the almighty hook.
-
Aug 1, 2011Sky Full of Holes, the band's fifth release, doesn't stray from their foundation of fitting rhymed schemes amidst archetypical power pop chords.
-
Jul 26, 2011The songs are filled with jokes - but the punch lines often turn into epiphanies.
-
Jul 19, 2011Sky eschews the occasional decade-hopscotching of 2007's Traffic and Weather, reaching a new, raw sincerity and cohesiveness.
-
Aug 19, 2011No doubt they know to bury weaker material; the last few songs are less memorable.
-
UncutAug 18, 2011FoW's impeccably assembled works rarely stir little more than fond memories of their obvious influences. This is largely true of Sky Full Of Holes, though there are moments of irresistible sticky sweetness. [Sep 2011, p.84]
-
Aug 9, 2011Collingwood's nasal vocals–part charming limitation, part annoying affectation–can wear thin, even when sweetened by pristine guitar arrangements and perfect backing harmonies.
-
Aug 8, 2011'Someone's Gonna Break Your Heart' goes some way to harking back to their former glories but moments like these are in all too short supply.
-
Aug 3, 2011Yet, something's missing. An emotional engagement, perhaps, because they sometimes seem positively embarrassed to play from the heart.
-
Aug 3, 2011Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger's specialty as songwriters has always been turning a trope inside out, finding ways to freshen or invert convention, and while they haven't lost that knack, the directness of Sky Full of Holes turns their tunes into something approaching standard-issue.
-
Aug 2, 2011Right on cue comes Sky Full of Holes, which continues the identity crisis that began on the flailing "Traffic and Weather.''
-
Aug 1, 2011The juvenile wordplays, ironic pop-culture references, and narratives about sad-sack folks undone by mundane, everyday minutia that are among the band's trademarks remain fully intact: The content of the songs on Sky Full of Holes is, by and large, as wry and idiosyncratic as their songs have ever been.
-
Aug 16, 2011FOW just seem go through the motions. No sweat. No tongue in cheek either.
-
Aug 2, 2011On Sky Full of Holes, Fountains of Wayne is what we thought they were: some of the best songwriters this side of Big Star, who occasionally indulge their less populist impulses.
-
Aug 2, 2011Perhaps Sky Full of Holes will be that album to some impressionable youth whose idea of power pop revolves around Justin Bieber ballads, but for longtime fans it just sounds tired and dusty. Fountains of Wayne are still doing what they've always done, but I think I've finally grown up.
-
Aug 2, 2011Unless you have a natural predisposition towards the enjoyment of self-consciously nerdy vocals and jangling harmonic songs taking a 'sideways looks' at life, Sky Full Of Holes will leave you completely unmoved.
-
Jul 29, 2011They know what they do well and they accentuate that time and time again. While the stories can get drawn out at times, there is still enough here to sustain a solid listen.
-
Q MagazineSep 21, 2011Quality control lets down power-poppers' fifth effort. [Oct 2011, p.117]
-
Sep 15, 2011Unlike the trio's livelier breakthrough, 1997's Apartment Life, the rest of All Hours is functionally pleasant but largely unmemorable background music for restaurants with exposed ceiling beams.
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 10 out of 11
-
Mixed: 0 out of 11
-
Negative: 1 out of 11
-
Aug 12, 2011
-
Jun 9, 2012