Before indie pop and beachy lo-fi songs became entrenched as a major facet of independent music, before Vivian Girls, Dum Dum Girls, Best Coast, of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart captured the ears of audiences by harnessing the fun of summer in a song, Saturday Looks Good to Me was constructing infectious like-minded tunes. Of course, the project fronted by Fred Thomas followed in the footsteps of a genre-pioneers like Belle and Sebastian, Field Mice, the Lucksmiths, and even further back to the Smiths.
Saturday Looks Good To Me’s new album One Kiss Ends It All explores the same saccharine, lo-fi arrangements as previous efforts, blending upbeat drums and dreamy melodies with softly buzzing guitars and wavering analog experimentation. Thomas had stepped back into the forefront of the band on 2007’s Fill Up The Room, but this incarnation relies on vocals from new members Carol Catherine and Amber Fellows as well as former lead singer Betty Barnes. Thomas does sing lead on the downtrodden, string-centered lament “Johnny,” which follows the under-watery guitar tones of sixties slow dance number “Are You Kissing Anyone?”
After a wonky, ultra-compressed introductory song of blurry experimentation, most of the first half of the album follows a straightforward pop format of guitars, occasional keys, and upbeat drums. However, later tracks wander into divergent territory, such as the two aforementioned tracks as well as “Polar Bear,” which is built on organs and relies heavily on the band’s trademark use of saxophone. Skittering electronic loops provide the percussion for “Sunglasses,” a track that also utilizes saxophone and surfy guitar strums. The brassy, wavering “Space Children” closes the record with off-kilter pop and vocals by a blend of Thomas and others.
Few artists have been as faithful to indie-pop over the years as Saturday Looks Good To Me, and on One Kiss Ends It All, Fred Thomas and co prove they’ve still got the skills. The band has been absent from the scene since 2007, a period during which indie-pop has seen a distinct increase in activity. It feels good to have the band back again. For all you lovers of breezy, sugary indie-pop here’s a perfect summer soundtrack from a band that’s been creating pop gems since the turn of the century.
