Let's give Tinted Windows a fair shake, shall we?

If you have access to the internet (and by reading this, I can logically conclude that you do), then you probably heard the news last week about Tinted Windows, a new band.

That's right, just a new band.

Sure, I could mention that members of said new band include James Iha (from the Smashing Pumpkins), Ben E. Carlos (from Cheap Trick), Adam Schlesinger (from Fountains of Wayne) and Taylor Hanson (from, um, Hanson), but to do so would mean that if you decide to listen to said new band, you won't hear said new band, you'll hear (or attempt to hear) Smashing Pumpkins, Cheap Trick, Fountains of Wayne and Hanson.

You see, by knowing who the members of Tinted Windows are, it is goddamn impossible to view the band as the sum of its parts. The band's parts are simply too iconic in themselves to meld into the singular entity of a band. By doing that, we are robbed of ever even having the chance to like Tinted Windows, or, hell, even love Tinted Windows. And, as Taylor Hanson would say, where's the love? If you don't forget about the Windows' past, well then damn it, it's not enough.

So, though I realize that if you've read this far, I've already ruined your chances to hear Tinted Windows as Tinted Windows (blogs are so self-defeating), do me a favor and give the track "Kind of a Girl" a try right here:


Now let's compare notes.

None of the band member's original bands were exactly known for cutting edge or heady rock'n'roll, so I didn't expect to hear any in this clip. And I sure didn't.

But that ain't so bad. The song's catchy. Really, really catchy. It's sugar-sweet pop-rock with a killer chorus, a lot like - who woulda guessed! - a harder-edged Hanson or an exactly-the-same Cheap Trick.

And though I may be crucified by the indie police for ever saying this, I. Like. It.

I wouldn't pop it on a mix of the most meaningful songs I've ever heard ("She's a kind of a girl you can't get enough of" doesn't quite capture my heart), but it'll be great for parties full of drunken kids looking for something to pogo around a basement to.

So do me a favor, try to forget that the dudes in this band are also responsible for "MMMBop," "Bullet with Butterfly Wings," "Stacey's Mom" and "I Want You to Want Me." Give it a shot. Yes, you'll be embarrassed when you like it too, but it can be our little secret.

Does make you wonder, though. What do the other, less talented and less attractive Hanson brothers think of Taylor's new digs? That's gotta be awkward at the dinner table.

Shit, the indie police are banging in my front door. Gotta go.