There certainly wasn't anything wrong with the vintage-pop-with-a-low-fi-twist that
Saturday Looks Good to Me perfected over the course of five albums and many, many singles. However, it's also understandable why
Fred Thomas would be ready for a change, especially after switching labels and recording studios for
Fill Up the Room, and change abounds on the album. The most obvious difference between
Saturday's earlier work and
Fill Up the Room is that
Thomas sings lead on nearly all of the album, and it takes some getting used to hearing his endearingly strained voice on rangy melodies like "(Even If You Die on The) Ocean." But
Fill Up the Room doesn't just have a sound that's different from the previous
Saturday albums' charmingly lo-fi updates of '50s and '60s pop. This album is, well, filled with different approaches that might not have fit in the past, but make perfect, and perfectly whimsical, sense here. The opening track, "Apple," announces the kinds of changes to follow: a winding, doo wop-influenced interlude, it sounds little like where
Saturday Looks Good to Me -- or any of
Fred Thomas' other projects -- have been before. He sounds liberated by the opportunity for change, and some of
Fill Up the Room's most exciting moments are the most different. "When I Lose My Eyes"' epic swell and brass flourishes recall
the Microphones' homespun-sounding symphonic indie pop drama (which underscores why K Records is such a good fit for
Saturday Looks Good to Me). "Make a Plan" struts along on Latin-inspired guitars, telling stories about life's unpredictability, while "Money in the Afterlife"'s streamlined rhythms and skipping, Afro-pop guitar melodies make it a standout. As the album unfolds,
Fill Up the Room gets closer to
Saturday Looks Good to Me's previous territory, particularly on the sunny pop of "The Americans" and "Hands in the Snow," a bewitching kiss-off song that features
Betty Marie Barnes' gorgeous voice caressing clever lyrics like "And I watch you drink invisible ink/So I won't know when you swallow your words."
Thomas' ways with melodies and words are still the main attractions on
Fill Up the Room, and songs spanning "Edison Girls"' cheery indie pop to the vulnerable, unsettling lullaby "Come with Your Arms" prove that those are constants in
Thomas' music, no matter what else changes.
Saturday Looks Good to Me fans who appreciated the spirit behind the music as much as its sound will enjoy all the curves
Thomas throws on this album. Sweetly willful, cheerfully creative,
Fill Up the Room truly is independent pop.