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Saturday Looks Good To Me

Every Night (2004)
Polyvinyl Records

Reviewer Rating:

Contributed by: Jesse
(others by this writer | submit your own)

Published on January 7th 2005

Well, this revolving door 60s-pop experiment has released another album. And I don't know how to discuss it, really. For what it is, it's not bad. But it's just not the same. Groups like Franki Valli and the Four Seasons and Tommy James and the Shondells, now they had something. It was something special. Songs like "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Walk Like a Man," "I Think We're Alone Now," and "Crimson And Clover" are all memorable pieces of music that are ingrained in our musical lexicon. It's impossible not to recognize the importance that those pop groups had on music. The sheer impact they had. It was staggering. Now, Saturday Looks Good To Me is just a cheap rip-off of everything those groups did, but they're missing something. That special something.

Let me back up here. Now, if you're unfamiliar with Saturday Looks Good To Me, you'd be glad to know that it's really the brainchild of Fred Thomas, who has enlisted the help of tons of musicians everywhere in hopes to re-create that lo-fi experience, complete with horns and bells. But the problem is is that it re-creates it sloppily. To be honest, it sounds a lot like Belle And Sebastian. Now, I heard a few tracks before this album and they didn't sound like Belle And Sebastian, but now the tempo and guitar rhythms/chords sound exactly like Belle And Sebastian. And B & S have been around a lot longer than Fred & Co.

It's not terrible. It's just overdone. Every one of their songs is a repeat of the last, with the same rhythm and chords and tempo. And every one of those songs is a rip-off of something from the 60s or Belle And Sebastian. I don't find a bit of originality among it. Not to mention that a lot of the time it sounds like your general crappy, cutesy, indie-pop group that has some tiny girl singing high pitched melodies over trite arrangements. Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against female vocals, but you know how many of those bands there are out there. And they're all the same. Just cookie-cutter knock-offs.

So in conclusion, instead of buying this, I highly suggest Tommy James and the Shondells or Franki Valli and the Four Seasons. Now that's 60s pop the way it was meant to be played. In the 60s.

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Anonymous (January 10, 2005)

"belle and sebastian are really good. i'd compare them more to donovan than frankie valli though."

belle and sebastian are more of a combination of the zombies and the television personalities than donovan. check out the TV personalities ...and don't the kids just love it, joe strummer said in an interview that they were one of the best punk bands ever. also, the zombies odessey and oracle kicks ass to for great 60s psychedelic pop.

aaron
www.spillage.org

Anonymous (January 10, 2005)

"their last album was good, but this is crap. they get a three becuase they're from detroit and the new girl in the band, though less talented, is quite a looker."

But when the light's out, its all in the scream.

Anonymous (January 10, 2005)

their last album was good, but this is crap. they get a three becuase they're from detroit and the new girl in the band, though less talented, is quite a looker.

Anonymous (January 10, 2005)

Saturday Nights All Right For Fighting Is A Good Song. Go Elton

Anonymous (January 9, 2005)

"Score is for the band not being A Thorn For Every Heart."

Nice.

Score is for this guy being so appalled at the shittiness of A Thorn For Every Heart that other average bands automatically seem much better.

ElVaquero (January 9, 2005)

Frankie Valli's voice is king. How is DEP pretentious? They seem like really down to earth guys from the interviews, the music is just really technical and forward-looking. Now, The Mars Volta is fucking undeniably pretentious, in and out of the music. Too bad, ATDI was so good...

sk8punx4evr (January 8, 2005)

'until the world stops turning' definitely has a twee charm to it, it sounds a lot like camera obscura on first listen. but yeah, all your summer songs is TOTALLY a notch above this.

krankykirk (January 8, 2005)

i thought his list was pretty good. its not pretentious in the least, you just wanted to impress all of us by using a word that sounds intelligent

Jesse (January 8, 2005)

Did you mean pretension? Is that the word you were looking for?

Anonymous (January 8, 2005)

Epitome of pretention= Jesse's Best of 2004 list.

Anonymous (January 8, 2005)

This record rocks, even if the quotient of rockage is slightly lower than it was for All Your Summer Songs.

Score is for the band not being A Thorn For Every Heart.

Jesse (January 8, 2005)

Belle and Sebastian are a basic pop group. The band was started as a project for some college kids for class. How is that pretentious? Now, Dillinger Escape Plan, The Mars Volta, THOSE bands have a pretentious air about them.

sethcohen (January 8, 2005)

Meet Me By the Water off their last record was an awesome song. I'm not feeling this album as much, but it's still god nonetheless

Anonymous (January 8, 2005)

just say ostentatious

Anonymous (January 8, 2005)

"fuck belle and sebastion...pretentious bullshit."

i think anyone on this site that uses the word "pretentious" should be immediately banned. just because something is different, and dare i say, slightly intelligent does not make it pretentious.