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Avg: 4.0 (40 ratings)
- Date Released: September 14, 2004
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Indie Rock
- Label: Polyvinyl Record Co
Living in a past of decadent reverb, shaking tambourines and ingeniously constructed songs.
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We Say...
Saturday Looks Good to Me are a band focused around frontman Fred Thomas' love of those two grandmasters of pop orchestration and studio wizardry: Phil Spector and Brian Wilson. This time around, the production isn't as studiously faux-vintage as before, but Every Night still lives in the past, a past of decadent reverb, shaking tambourines, ooh-ooh-oohing choruses, frequent trumpet solos and ingeniously constructed pop songs. As usual, Thomas relies heavily on other (usually female) vocalists to perform his songs, and he seems to prefer a casual, amateurish sound. That sound is embodied on this record by Betty Marie Barnes, who particularly shines on "Until the World Stops Spinning," giving a deadpan, almost Nico-like performance of one of Thomas' most delightful pop melodies. But the band's best vocalist is Thomas himself. His fragile but increasingly suave singing is smooth and assured on "If You Ask," achingly sincere on "When You Got to New York," and simply spectacular on "Every Night," which sounds like a lost Motown hit.
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They Say...
Over the course of its career, Saturday Looks Good to Me hasn't tampered much with its mix of artful lo-fi haze, winsome melodies, and pithy lyrics. Change comes with Every Night, but fortunately the band doesn't try to fix what wasn't broken in the first place. Most immediately different is the album's sound: although head Saturday honcho Fred Thomas and Warn Defever reteamed on Every Night's production, this time they use a polished approach that sounds as if it's already been remastered. Paradoxically, jettisoning the faux-vintage patina only makes Saturday Looks Good to Me sound more traditional, as if Every Night was culled from pristine acetates of lost '60s pop. However, the album's performances and songwriting fit well with the clearer production, and though more work might have gone into Every Night than SLGTM's earlier albums, the music is still effortlessly breezy. All of this applies to the charming opening track, "Since You Stole My Heart," which also introduces the band's other major change, new vocalist Betty Marie Barnes. Barnes' voice is just as guileless as those of Erika Hoffmann, Kelly Caldwell, and Ko Melina (who also make appearances on Every Night), but has a richness that matches the album's full-fledged sound. "All Over Town"'s swooping, heartbroken melody showcases her expressiveness, as does the witty ode to missed connections, "The Girl's Distracted." A duet between Barnes and Thomas, the contrast between her lively voice and his softer one plays to both of their strengths. Likewise, Thomas' vocals sound more self-assured throughout Every Night, particularly on "If You Ask," a fantastic song that may be the best thing that Saturday Looks Good to Me has yet produced. Based around a tight organ and guitar groove and vibes that would do the Zombies proud, it expands into swooning choruses with glorious harmonies. It's spooky, restrained, and a real breakthrough for the band: not only does it evoke a classic atmosphere, it owns it completely. Thomas' other moments bridge the gap between singer/songwriter fare and the rest of the album's bright, knowing pop: "When the Party Ends"' A-A-A-A rhyme scheme is alternately funny, infuriating, and impressive; "Dialtone" fuses some of his most intimate lyrics ("I smelled summer in those letters") with a full-band rave-up; and "When You Get to New York" ends the album with a question dressed up in Left Banke-esque chamber pop. This song and "We Can't Work It Out" are the closest Every Night gets to the bittersweet, half-remembered mood that defined the band's previous work (especially All Your Summer Songs), but Every Night is probably Saturday Looks Good to Me's most consistent album, and it manages to make being (mostly) happy sound as compelling as being lovelorn -- no small feat.
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| 01. |  |
Since You Stole My Heart |
3:13 |
|
| 02. | |
Until the World Stops Spinning |
2:55 |
|
| 03. | |
Keep Walking |
2:37 |
|
| 04. | |
All Over Town |
2:56 |
|
| 05. | |
The Girl's Distracted |
1:59 |
|
| 06. | |
If You Ask |
4:49 |
|
| 07. | |
Empty Room |
2:15 |
|
| 08. | |
When the Party Ends |
4:01 |
|
| 09. | |
Dialtone |
3:31 |
|
| 10. | |
We Can't Work It Out |
3:37 |
|
| 11. | |
Lift Me Up |
2:44 |
|
| 12. | |
When You Got to New York |
3:35 |
|
12 Total Tracks, 38:12 Total Length
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Credits
- John Golden - Mastering // Eric Hoffman - Vocals // Doug Coombe - Photography // Saturday Looks Good to Me - Main Performer // Fred Thomas - Organ // Fred Thomas - Harmonica // Fred Thomas - Percussion // Fred Thomas - Bass (Electric) // Fred Thomas - Drums // Fred Thomas - Glockenspiel // Fred Thomas - Guitar (Electric) // Fred Thomas - Tambourine // Fred Thomas - Vocals // Fred Thomas - Guitar (12 String) // Fred Thomas - Producer // Fred Thomas - Horn Arrangements // Fred Thomas - String Arrangements // Nate Cavalieri - Organ // Nate Cavalieri - Piano // Nate Cavalieri - Vibraphone // Charles Koltak - Percussion // Charles Koltak - Drums // Warn Defever - Slide Guitar // Ko Shih - Vocals // Juan Bautista Sánchez García - Vocals // Juan Bautista Sánchez García - Lap Steel Guitar // Michael Herbst - Sax (Baritone) // Elliot Bergman - Clarinet // Elliot Bergman - Accordion // Elliot Bergman - Saxophone // Elliot Bergman - Tambourine // Elliot Bergman - Vocals // Elliot Bergman - Horn Arrangements // Elliot Bergman - String Arrangements // Chilali Hugo - Harp // Scott Sellwood - Organ // Scott Sellwood - Piano (Electric) // Scott DeRoche - Bass (Electric) // Scott DeRoche - Double Bass // Betty Marie Barnes - Vocals // Kelly Jean Caldwell - Vocals // Jane Elizabeth Fletcher - Violin // Faith Gazic - Accordion // Joseph Hintz - Violin // Esme McClear - Engineer // Esme McClear - Photography // Anna Steinhoff - Cello // Justin Walter - Trumpet
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