Saturday Looks Good to Me
One Kiss Ends it All
Reviewed by Stephen Krock
May 21st sees the debut of indie pop group Saturday Looks Good to Me’s One Kiss Ends It All. Gosh, that’s a mouthful. Fitting, however, as SLGTM offers quite an earful in their fifth full length album. With decidedly mixed results. Overall, One Kiss Ends It All lands with perfect timing, coinciding with the crack of summer. Its Beach Boys tinged tracks make you want to drive to the shore with your pals and a few surfboards and have a groovy time. This Michigan-based group stand a few inches above the rest thanks to the throwbacks to Detroit Motown splashing around here and there. Led by the pleasant, echoing vocals of lead singer Carol Gray, the sound mostly works. However, the mixture can get a little muddy and a good half of the album’s tracks are interchangeable.
The opening tracks, ”One Kiss,” “Invisible Friend” and “Empty Beach” are fine listens, but all have the same 60s pop beat and vocals that reverb so much that all the lyrics may as well be the same. Aurally, it’s very She & Him, particularly in one of the more fun tracks, “Polar Bear.” Which is never a bad thing. Gray’s voice, however, lacks the charm and personality of Zooey Deschanel, the eponymous She of the aforementioned. There are several moments of awesome peppered into this handful of songs that leave you anxious for more. The stirring string intro in “Everpresent New Times Condition” or the weird and cool warbling that wraps up the otherwise repetitive “Break In.” It really is the Motown, though, that brings One Kiss Ends It All to life. My ears perked up every time that saxophone horns in. (Horns in! GET IT?!) “Sunglasses” is worth a listen for the sax work alone.
Thankfully, SLGTM offers up a few surprises in between the standard blasé beach party tunes. “Negative Space,” “Are You Kissing Someone” and “Johnny” are rife with clear, crisp, dulcet vocals and minimal production. The feel is more organic here, while still staying true to the band’s nostalgic identity. Each of these tracks could easily find itself blaring triumphantly from the gymnasium speakers of an 80s high school dance, where the emotions are as big as a prom dress’ poofy sleeves. I say this with every ounce of affection.
One song does show off all of SLGTM’s talents flawlessly. “New City” is strong blend of sunny 60s pop, Motown swing, and that killer sax. Its hooks do their job well. The lyrics are sung, not as a breathy sigh, but with the same distinct swagger found in the album’s less produced fare. It’s just a joy to hear. It proves that SLGTM can absolutely find a palatable balance between the pieces of their whole. Now if only they would have done that eleven more times.
Rating: Listenable
