Tinted Windows, a “not-a-supergroup supergroup†featuring former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha, Fountains of Wayne songwriter Adam Schlesinger, Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlos, and Hanson front man Taylor Hanson, kicked the promotion of their debut album into high gear last night with a high-profile appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman. Though it’s pretty understandable why the band would get some attention — its members are all known quantities and the novelty value is very high — we have to admit that we’re not quite sold on the band’s music.
The problem largely comes down to the fact that while all of the members are technically impressive musicians and songwriters, all four of them are lacking in terms of style and charisma, making their music sound less like vintage power pop, and more like the sort of faceless good-time party rock that ends up in television and movies with budgets too small to afford the licensing for recognizable hits. Much of the blame for this can likely be placed on Schlesinger, who has been serving up catchy-yet-nondescript tunes as a freelance songwriter for well over a decade. The music isn’t bad by any stretch — everything on Tinted Windows is amiable and pleasant, but even after listening to the band’s single “Kind of a Girl†four times in a row on repeat less than an hour ago, we’re finding it hard to recall its melody. We get the feeling that it won’t take that much longer for us to forget about the band altogether.
Here’s the video for “Kind of a Girl.†Tell us what you think.
Tinted Windows [band site]