Tinted Windows

Personnel: Adam Schlesinger (vocals, guitar, bass instrument); James Iha (vocals, guitar); Taylor Hanson (vocals); Bun E. Carlos (drums).
Audio Mixers: John Holbrook; Tom Lord-Alge.
Recording information: STratosphere Sound, New York, NY.
Photographer: Damien Neva.
Tinted Windows' combined power-pop pedigree guarantees a good time in advance, but the most surprising thing about their debut album is how little it draws on any of the members' previous work. James Iha's sparkling yet restrained lead guitar and Taylor Hansen's impassioned vocals, rounded out by the tight, tasteful rhythm section of Bun E. Carlos and Adam Schlesinger, recall Big Star more than anything else, from the strutting, "Feel"-like "Cha Cha" to the shimmering Chiltonesque ballads "Back with You" and "Dead Serious." The lyrics are light-weight, but the melodic hooks--and there are plenty--provide ballast, making this one of the most consistently fun and rocking albums of the post-millennial New Wave revival.