Though the members of Tinted Windows have crossed paths over the
years, it wasn’t until recently that the group — singer Taylor
Hanson (of “Mmm Bop” fame), ex-Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha,
bassist Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne, Ivy) and Cheap Trick
drummer Bun E. Carlos — decided to band together and craft songs
that reflect their mutual love of late-’70s and early-’80s power-pop
and new wave. These guys may have come from different directions, but
as a foursome, they mesh well. Hanson, Iha and Schlesinger all
contribute songs, but rather than having the distinctive stamp of their
individual authors, these songs are the work of a unit.
Tinted Windows’ brand of young-sounding power-pop fits in nicely
with the likes of Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers. Iha’s propulsive
guitar riffs come at you in a rush, and Hanson sings with a boyishly
giddy enthusiasm throughout (Zac Efron-cute, he looks even better now
than he did at the peak of his teen-idol years with Hanson). It helps
that the songs are instantly addictive. Schlesinger wrote the lion’s
share of the tunes, which is just as well — they’re the strongest
songs in the bunch. Lyric-wise, they keep to matters of the heart. The
buzzing power surge of “Kind of a Girl” careens from a dizzy first
encounter to a disillusioned finale; the heavier “Nothing to Me” finds
him standing up to an emotionally abusive girlfriend. From the
hypnotic, repetitive chorus that powers “Doncha Wanna” to the bracing
thrust of “We Got Something,” the high-energy sugar rush of Tinted
Windows is nothing short of, well, bubblicious. — Tierney Smith
This article appears in Apr 29 – May 5, 2009.
