Saturday Looks Good to Me

With Home, Mystery of Two, and Canada. Wednesday, June 14, at the Beachland Tavern.

By Chris Parker on Wed, Jun 7, 2006 at 4:00 am

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There's something sumptuous about great pop, like a close-up of a dewy strawberry. Ripe with sunny warmth and sprinkled with sugar, the music of Detroit's Saturday Looks Good to Me blends the melodic splendor of the Beach Boys with the homespun innocence of lo-fi indie pop. Singer-guitarist Fred Thomas cobbled the group from a revolving crew of indie rockers back in 1999. Their latest, Sound on Sound, collects 30 tracks from their five albums and pair of EPs, making a convincing case for them as the preeminent purveyors of latter-day twee. But while it's easy to note similarities to Belle & Sebastian, Thomas and company lack the Scots' arch distance and rarefied elegance. Instead, they boast a homey, understated charm (not unlike progenitor Small Factory) and a pithy lyricism that outstrips their wistful, lovelorn peers.