Not too busy for another splash with Fountains of Wayne

Adam Schlesinger doesn't try to impress you.

He humbly claims he's "never been a front man." But look at his work in the music industry over the last 15 years, and it's easy to see that Schlesinger has been busy, writing songs for a slew of projects - film, TV, Broadway - while producing a handful of bands and playing in three of his own.

Now he's returning to perhaps his busiest endeavor - Fountains of Wayne, the power-pop band for which Schlesinger has been co-songwriter, bassist, guitarist, and keyboardist since its first album in 1996.

The band returns with Sky Full of Holes, its sixth album, to be released Aug. 2. Its tour hits Sellersville tonight and World Cafe Live on Aug. 9.

Music critics and fans have recognized Fountains of Wayne as a band whose sugary melodies and clever rhymes about the everyday offer a blend of quirkiness and sincerity.

Yet it's been a hard journey since the last album four years ago, said Schlesinger, 43. "Every time is a rough time. Every time we make a record I'm never sure it'll come out."

So why keep going?

"Sometimes I wonder that," he admitted. Ultimately, "we really appreciate just having this good band. . . . It just really is that intangible chemistry" with the other members: Chris Collingwood, who grew up in Sellersville; Jody Porter; and Brian Young.

Past tunes range from silly portraits ("Joe Rey," "Maureen") to melancholy reflections ("Halley's Waitress"). Subjects include suburbia and love, themes often united ("I-95") by a band that takes its name from a now defunct garden store in Wayne, N.J.

Though inspired by bands like Cheap Trick, Fountains of Wayne sometimes feels boxed in by the label power pop, Schlesinger said.

"Our band never really fit in with what was going on musically. . . . We were always kind of off in our own little world, writing about these little things we thought were interesting or funny. And I think we're still doing that," Schlesinger said from his home in the Bronx.

On the newest album, many signature themes return. "Workingman's Hands" depicts the craftsmanship of manual labor; two disorderly men fail at starting a business in "Richie and Ruben"; a middle-aged man relies on childhood whimsy as he's hospitalized ("Action Hero"); a wistful boyfriend longs for a cabana with an ocean view ("A Dip in the Ocean"); and a military funeral blares ("Cemetery Guns") in the 13-track set.

It's easier to compose music than to write lyrics, said Schlesinger, who shares credit with Collingwood even though they write separately. Usually, Schlesinger starts with a title or a couplet and writes from there, as with "All Kinds of Time" - a serene depiction of a young quarterback "under attack." (Sports Illustrated named it the third-best sports song of all time.)

Schlesinger disagreed with a Rolling Stone story that said the new album has an "ominous vibe" and "a feeling of middle-aged letdown." Sky Full of Holes echoes past albums' upbeat style but has a more "open and relaxed sound," Schlesinger said. Ditto for live shows, which have been featuring acoustic instruments rather than just "a wall of guitars."

The band may be best known for 2003's "Stacy's Mom," its only hit, which scored two Grammy nominations. The song, 17 weeks on the Billboard charts, hit No. 21 on the Hot 100, and No. 3 on the pop chart. The teenage tribute to one hot mom became an anthem to cougars everywhere - thanks in part to a scantily clad Rachel Hunter in the band's notorious video. The song's popularity "was a fluke," Schlesinger said.

But he is no stranger to making waves in the music industry. He's written songs for a handful of films, including the Oscar-nominated title tune for That Thing You Do! He composed the score for the Tony-nominated Broadway musical Cry-Baby and Stephen Colbert's Emmy-nominated, Grammy-winning Christmas special. Schlesinger also cofounded Scratchie Records, an independent record label, and plays in two other bands: Tinted Windows and Ivy.

But even with all this work, Schlesinger still feels grounded with Fountains of Wayne. "At our age," he said, "I don't think we want to walk away."