Fill Up the Room

Saturday Looks Good To Me | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 23, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: K. Records
• ASIN: B000VDDBHK
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #367,886 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.co.uk

The ever-prolific Saturday Looks Good to Me return, and it appears that leader and mainstay Fred Thomas is a step closer to perfecting his giddy, infectious pop formula. Fill up the Room's sonic template sees a conscious shift away from the previous "bedroom Phil Spector" tag, and into straightforward American indie; guitars chime, the drums punch, and when a saxophone or string quartet shows up, it seems tasteful, not excessive. Likewise, Thomas’s growing confidence in his own voice means that he takes nearly all the lead vocals. Still, when Betty Marie-Barnes does get a chance to sing, she comes away with what’s possibly the album highlight, the melancholy "Hands in the Snow". The songs are uniformly outstanding and hook-filled, ranging in style from the bouncy Beatlesque "(Even If You Die on the) Ocean" to the more sturdy single "Money in the Afterlife" or the UK bonus tracks "No Reaction" and "No Reception". However, they’re still shot through with a melancholic lyrical undercurrent that defines the classic SLGTM moments. In short, this late contender for album of 2007 serves as further notice of Fred Thomas's talents. Anyone interested in pure pop music needs to listen to this album and see how it should be done. --Thomas Allott

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Great, December 6, 2007

By 

Max Robillard "max_man89" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fill Up the Room (Audio CD)

I would say that I was skeptical at first. Someone recommended it to me and I thought "Oh Boy I hope they don't sound like Carbon Leaf." And they don't, at all, which is great. When I started listening to the first song I loved how the guitars sounded, I love how everything sounds, the production isn't the most incredible since Brian Eno maybe, but it is fantastic and sounds just the way I like it to. The first song is also so very 50's and T. Rex that I couldn't say no, and then the next song is my favorite. It is like a polished and more friendly Strokes song, reminds me of "Last Nite" with the punchy guitar. But it probably really isn't like that song. You can dance to it all the same so that is a plus. There are only two songs I don't really care for, otherwise the rest are wondeful. Some also flow very well together, like they are in the same key so you hear a guitar end it's chord, then it picks up again and goes into another song. Not so much like they are movements in a classical piece, but it is all a very smooth transition. If you are vaguely curious about this album, just get it, you won't be disappointed.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Impressive Effort from Thomas and SLGTM, December 28, 2007

By 

Daniel Benson "it's physics, alright?" (Memphis, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fill Up the Room (Audio CD)

I've been listening to Saturday Looks Good To Me for quite some time now, and I've always been captivated by their blend of intelligent/romantically aware lyricism with Phil Spector-ish machinations and Motown revivalism. The release of the EP's Green Mansions and Cold Colors were considerably different from their trademark sound, and while both very good, left me nervous for this album - I didn't know if I'd be able to accept it after releases like "All Your Summer Songs" and "Every Night". When I finally bought and played the CD, what I found was an album that made the transition an easy one, less drastic than the EP's and aware of the fact that old fans might be reluctant to accept experimentation, without being as reserved as this sentence might imply. Everything about this album is worthwhile, from beginning to end (In fact, the first and last tracks are probably my favorites).