Saturday Looks Good To Me

There are prolific songwriters and then there’s Fred Thomas. The singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist behind Saturday Looks Good To Me, Thomas has amassed a ridiculous catalogue of songs since he began the project in 2000. So far he’s released three long-playing humdingers, each of which showcased his gift for producing breathtaking ’60s style pop. Often recruiting friends to fill out his needs — an urge that has led to more than 75 musicians joining the SLGTM team at one time or another — Thomas has gathered 30 songs from various EPs, seven-inches and splits for the sticklers out there in need of a complete fix. For the most part, Sound On Sound works as a gratifying run-through of Thomas’s lesser-known material. Most of them, given a little more TLC and a decent studio could even graduate to album cuts. A cover of the Ramones’ "Listen to My Heart” is a real highlight, as are the lo-fi echo-drenched "Your Small Heart” and the danceable frenzy of "Lift Me Up.” He does have his urges to experiment, which is a little offsetting, like with the electronic nonsense of "Nervous” or the tuneless "Own,” meaning newcomers would benefit most from starting with All Your Summer Songs or Every Night. Completists, however, will have a ball with Sound On Sound’s overwhelming song selection.