What the Beach Boys were to Southern California, these four dudes from Wayne, New Jersey are to Long Island, Coney Island, and the Jersey Shore. This is a great summertime, cruise-around, and crank-it-up record. Like the Beach Boys, the music is up-beat sunny pop magic, and the lyrics are extremely clever snapshots that capture the sublime banalities of adolescent existence in the Garden State. There's a good bit of tongue-in-cheek irony, but Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger go easy on the angst and concentrate on the fun, freedom, lack of responsibility, and resultant boredom. Interestingly, Chris and Adam wrote the great signature song for Tom Hanks' That Thing You Do--their song was chosen from over one thousand entrees.

Reference coordinates would be something like Matthew Sweet meets Teenage Fanclub. The first three songs have some obvious Cars-isms, to the point that I wondered if F.O.W. weren't Jersey kids in a Candy-O store. After a few listens, however, you catch on to where Utopia Parkway is taking you--the whole album is like a joy ride toward adulthood in a bitch'n Camaro. Along the way, they parodize Oasis with a dead-on send-up called "Big Hippy," and are joined by staff-favorite Ron Sexsmith on "Fine Day For A Parade." The album's best ride comes in the form of "Amity Gardens," a song so perfectly gorgeous that I can't bring myself to describe it with another stupid automotive metaphor. Any time 15 bucks can buy you a world of happiness, part with the cash.