Now, THIS is a Super Group! The debut from TINTED WINDOWS who are Adam Schlesinger (Fountains Of Wayne), and Bun E. Carlos(Cheap Trick),Taylor Hanson (Hanson) and James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins). And the music is PURE Power Poppin` greatness! They fuse the sounds of power-pop, rock and New Wave of the late 70`s and early 80`s with the more modern rock and pop sounds of their own groups. The result is a fun,stripped-down, high energy record. It`s just an out-right treasure for Not Lamers! "I am going to lay my cards on the table right up front, so if you want to be one of the snarky majority you can click away now. Because I am here to tell you that Tinted Windows - the self-titled album from Bun E. Carlos, Adam Schlesinger, Taylor Hanson and James Iha - is the best pop record anyone has released to date in 2009. This album rockets right out of the box with "Kind of a Girl"and does not let up, which is no surprise considering Fountain of Wayne`s Adam Schlesinger wrote the first four tracks (and seven of the eleven songs overall - eight if you count the co-write with Hanson). "Kind of a Girl"is jukebox glory; it has the big hooks, the octave choruses, the machine gun drums and Hanson`s best Robin Zander impression. Like a few songs on the album, it is reminiscent of Cheap Trick`s landmark In Color album-whoever cobbled this foursome together hit the bullseye - a great songwriter, a classic pop drummer, a chunking power chord guitarist and a cherubic vocalist. They sound like they are having a blast and most importantly they play to their strengths. They released a great album. Hopefully the lads will look in the tinted mirror and tell themselves "We Got Something" Dr. Bristol`s Prescription Blog.
"Tough to tell if their debut will appeal more to Knack nostalgists or kids curious about who that new Jonas Brothers soundalike act is. Tinted Windows singer Taylor Hanson has aged dramatically since you last paid attention 12 years ago - which is to say, he now looks and sounds plausibly post-jailbait and the kid`s a smooth foil for longer-in-the-tooth Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlos, FoW bassist-singer Adam Schlesinger, and recovering Pumpkins guitarist James Iha. Their Beatlesque qualities extend to the way some of the best cuts are saved for Tinted Windows` end stretch, like ``Nothing to Me,`` a blissfully superficial-sounding plea for emotional honesty. It`s all hook-riddled, fast, and ephemeral, and if you don`t love it, your tie`s too wide. "- Entertainment Weekly.
