Think of New York and rock musicians and you might well think of Lou Reed, whose identification with his home town is so secure that he remains the only rock star with the guts to actually title an album "New York." Even Billy Joel restricted himself to "52nd Street."

But only a fraction of Reed's New York fans probably have any direct experience with the downtown demimonde of hustlers, junkies and sexually ambiguous types that serves as the setting of his better-known songs. Most are suburbanites from the Tri-State region around the city who as kids went to Manhattan to party and as adults now go there to work.

Their imperfect lives of privilege receive closer scrutiny from Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood, the songwriting team behind Fountains of Wayne. Since their eponymous 1996 debut, the pair, with the help of stalwart instrumental partners Jody Porter on guitar and Brian Young on drums, have addressed what they know with just as much insight as Reed has his world. And what they know is growing up in bland suburbs, commuting to office jobs, staving off boredom, and wondering why life isn't as good as their guidance counselors promised it would be.