Day 3 in the Alternative Christmas Mixtape house. Can Aidan Coughlan please come to the Diary Room… Fountains of Wayne are at their best when they’re combining humour, poignancy and utter despondency, then bedding it all on top of a tasty melody to make everything seem just fine. And so, this is very much Fountains of Wayne at their best. Like Hackensack and Stacy’s Mom, this number is built around a hopeless, childlike naivety which is endearing upon first listen - but heartbreaking once you consider that, come Christmas morning, this is going to be one disappointed little kid. We’ve all been there. But hey. That tune and those backing vocals would lift anyone’s spirits.   Aidan Coughlan is a music journalist with the Irish Independent. Check out his article on the greatest riffs throughout musical history in this Saturday’s paper. You can find him online at Twitter.com/aidancoughlan. Culch.ie’s Alternative Christmas Mixtape … There’s more →