Not everyone will know the name Chris Collingwood, but aficionados of sun-soaked power pop will certainly be familiar with Fountains of Wayne, the band he’s fronted since 1995. With that group on a protracted - possibly permanent - hiatus, the singer has returned with a very different outfit, eschewing wry character tales and power chords in favour of an enchanting and intimate melancholic pop sound.
If Fountains of Wayne are the feel good bar band entertaining drunken revellers, Look Park are holed up at the classy café around the corner, performing to an attentive audience transfixed by the gorgeous instrumental textures that colour their slow-burning songs.
Shout Part 1 erupts like a carnival as perky basslines, frisky percussion, luscious strings and a jubilant choir of voices underscore Collingwood’s gentle call to arms.
Minor Is The Lonely Key’s high-noon twang, the ghostly waltz of I’m Gonna Haunt This Place and wistful ‘70s pop bijou Stars of New York, meanwhile, beguile thanks to layers of glistening keyboards, harmonies, shimmering plate reverb and plenty of Mellotron.
Collingwood has insisted Look Park are a proper band and the rest of the group flesh out the songs with plenty of empathy for his vision. The fingerprints of Crowded House producer, and key collaborator, Mitchell Froom are definitely evident. The intelligent arrangements knit everything together with grace and subtlety, creating a spatial canvas where each stroke stands out individually while coalescing into a picturesque whole.
But any dismissals of the idea that this is a solo project or singer-songwriter affair are debatable, mainly because Collingwood spent years crafting these tracks and there’s a strong sense of coherence thanks to his personal, almost folky storytelling and confessional vocals. A writer with a strong poetic bent, he employs metaphorical imagery to explore and romanticise the seemingly mundane, escape the daily grind and make the most of this earthly experience.
Any tracks that sounded like Fountains of Wayne were apparently discarded during the writing process, but there are enough traces to keep fans happy as this more subdued, lush style hints at songs like Hackensack and Halley’s Waitress. The slightly sardonic Aeroplane, meanwhile, soars like a string-propelled bird and just lacks the guitar crunch of Collingwood’s former band.
The only flaw here is that, in spite of its pleasant brevity, the record feels too one paced by its latter stages. Occasionally raising the pulse would have added some much-needed variety as Collingwood barely breaks a vocal sweat, sticking to a restrained delivery throughout.
Look Park should appeal to anyone with a love of charming songs, blissful melodies and top notch musical craftsmanship. In fact, the song Breezy is so exquisite and seductive that even Stacey’s Mom might be wooed by its timeless allure.
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