Fountains of Wayne’s power-pop songwriting tandem of Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood crafts smart, guitar-based, effortlessly catchy music that marries rich melodies, spot-on harmonies and relentless hooks to sly, wry, observational lyrics that detail everyday events in the lives of ordinary people, striking a fine balance between humor and pathos. Despite an up-and-down career—they’ve recorded for three labels, been dropped by one, split up for a couple of years, then reunited and received two 2003 Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist (for their third album!)—they’ve maintained a consistently high level of quality through four studio releases over the past 13 years. They’ll be previewing songs off their new album, which should come out this spring. It’ll be interesting to see how the percussive, precise, synth- and effects-heavy pop of their most recent effort, 2007’s Traffic and Weather, translates to the acoustic format. Opening is Jon Auer, another gifted songwriter whose power-pop credentials are unquestioned—he’s been the heart and soul of the Posies for more than two decades and helped Alex Chilton resurrect Big Star. Thu., Jan. 15, 7:30 p.m., 2009