When supergroups aren't so super

Tinted Windows

On paper, this supergroup makes no sense at all: lead singer Taylor Hanson of, well, Hanson; guitarist James Iha of Smashing Pumpkins fame; bassist (and primary songwriter) Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne; and Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick. Throw them all together, however, and the common denominator emerges: anthemic power-pop with crunchy guitars and big, sing-along choruses.

In addition to his Fountains of Wayne work, Schlesinger has also become Hollywood’s go-to guy for slick, catchy-yet-superficial songs for films about fictional pop stars; he’s written tunes for “That Thing You Do,” “Music and Lyrics” and many more. Unfortunately, he seems to have treated Tinted Windows as a similar project, and the band’s hyper-polished tracks are far less interesting than that wacky, multi-generational lineup.