Album Review: Saturday Looks Good to Me - Fill Up the Room

Originally published Jan. 30, 2008 in The Orion

Saturday Looks Good To Me
Fill Up the Room
K Records, 2007
4/5 stars

You never know what to expect on an album from a band with an ever-changing list of contributors. Saturday Looks Good To Me is a the electic project created nine years ago by songwriter/producer Fred Thomas.

"Fill Up The room" is a collection of well-crafted indie-pop songs with a surprising strenuous attitude. The album begins with guitars reminiscent of '50s and '60s pop, creating images of jukeboxes and teenagers sipping on milkshakes.

The album's unexpected change is largely due to Thomas taking over the vocals; past releases had female band members doing most of the singing.

The overall cheerful manner of the band is not lost. Swaying rhythms flow from song to song, violins add sweet sophistication and hand clapping creates a youthful, romantic sound.

The track "When I Lose My Eyes" builds up early, but the song hits a pleasant plateau that abruptly resumes, culminating to the climax during the last minutes of the song.

"Fill Up the Room" is a precious winter album that keeps you on your toes.

Downtown restaurant brings big-city feel

Originally published Jan. 30, 2008 in The Orion.
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Small college towns are known for fraternity parties, hipster coffee shops and modest eateries, but a new dining option downtown is bringing the excitement of city life.

Located above Jamba Juice in the former Chevy's location on the corner of Broadway and Second streets, Crush 201 made its debut in late December, said owner Gino Fiori. Along with a handful of other business partners, the restaurant is co-owned by Celestino Gencarelli, of Celestino's Pizza.

The restaurant specializes in Italian food, but the owners do not want the restaurant to be classified as "just another Italian place," Fiori said. The food is based on traditional Italian recipes, but chefs experiment with ingredients to add a modern twist.

One of the most novel dishes on the menu is the grilled lamb "lollipops," he said. Priced at $15, the lamb is seasoned with rosemary, balsamic and tomato confit.

Even people who are not money-deprived students may find it hard to splurge on the full dining experience.

"It was a treat for me," said first-time customer Karen Mullner. Prices were reasonable, but she can only afford the outing about three times a year, she said.

Dining with Mullner was Cori Ong, who said she enjoyed one of the pork dishes and agreed the prices were high.

"It was a little pricey, but it was a lot of food," she said.

On the occasions when people cannot afford to have dinner at Crush 201, customers can mingle in the restaurant's lounge.

Besides a menu with appetizers, salads, brick oven pizzas, pastas and seafood, Crush 201 has a full bar and a long list of fine wines.

"Restaurants are about elements," Fiori said.

Most drinks are $7.75 and include such popular options as mojitos, cosmopolitans, Manhattans and martinis. In addition, Crush 201 has homemade tonics used in a variety of crush drinks. The "tonic crush" is mixed with Belvedere vodka or Tanqueray Ten gin.

Additional elements that make Crush 201 stand apart from other Chico restaurants are the location and aesthetics. Light coming out of the second-floor location immediately attracts the eye when walking downtown.

"We knew this building was a critical point for success," Fiori said.

The entrance is near the building's small parking lot and upon entering, bright lights and gold stairs lead to the second floor.

Once in the restaurant, the lighting becomes low and chattering voices of excited customers overwhelm the room. The bar is located on the left, the cozy L-shaped lounge is in the middle and tables are positioned on the outskirts, overlooking the street.

Another impressive aspect is the waterfall maintained between glass panes in the right corner of the room. The display is surrounded by rock-filled adornments that dispense light currents of smoky air.

Crush 201 is quite different from the humble Celestino's pizzeria, Fiori said. The upscale restaurant focuses more on the dining experience and serves about 1,000 meals per week. Everything works on a bigger scale with 50 employees.

"Economically this is a big machine," he said.

However, the commitment to the community is no different, Fiori said. Knowing Chico has an environmentally-conscious population, the owners make vegetarian food options available. In addition, much of the produce and meat is organically grown and purchased in Chico.

The business partners of Crush 201 are in tune with the people of Chico and have a lot of experience and pride in the outcome of the restaurant and bar, Fiori said. They also understand the importance of hospitality.

"No is not in the equation."

Siblings are busy bees on latest, Widow City

Originally published Jan. 17, 2008 in Chico News & Review.
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The Fiery Furnaces
Widow City
Thrill Jockey

Listening to The Fiery Furnaces’ "Widow City" is like glimpsing the inner workings of a beehive. Worker bees buzz around, crossing paths. Some days are calm while disaster strikes on others. The queen bee is Eleanor Friedberger, making all the calls along with her brother Matthew. The tempo of Eleanor’s voice alters between spoken word and short melodic stanzas. At times, the band’s interpretation of indie rock sounds mechanical yet remains charming. Each of the 16 songs on the band’s fifth full-length is a tumultuous story, linking to the next track. The instrumentation is stunning. Grinding and ghostly guitars intertwine with angelic harps, flutes and pianos. Moods change as fast as bees change their flight. Songs like “Navy Nurse”—at 6 1/2 minutes long—sound schizophrenic, and reflect society’s habit of multitasking. Listeners may be turned off by the band’s stop-and-go tempos, but this is a great album for those who like to wander off into the world of experimental art. “Widow City” leaves the lasting sting of a bee, but it is a sweet sting.

Relatively unknown Band of Horses follows up debut with the short-but-sweet Cease to Begin

Originally published Jan. 10, 2008 in Chico News & Review.
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Band of Horses
Cease to Begin
Sub Pop

The cover art of Band of Horses’ Cease to Begin says a lot about how the music on the album will sound. A cloudy night sky with a crescent moon over a rippled body of water reflects the band’s lovely and serene melodies. Comparisons to My Morning Jacket are more evident on this sophomore follow-up to 2006’s classic Everything All the Time. The band formed in Seattle, but band members have roots in the South, and BOH leans more heavily on its country influences here. However, the opening track and first single “Is There a Ghost” is too plain for it to be a single. It does not represent the rest of the album, which is a much more interesting mix of foot-tapping rhythms and soft, intricate patterns. If the band had more mainstream popularity, “No One’s Gonna Love You” could easily have been the wedding song of 2007. Guitar strings are plucked delicately as they accompany Ben Bridwell’s endearing voice proclaiming the song’s title. Clocking in at a little longer than half an hour, the album feels like it should go on for at least 10 more minutes and lacks closure as a result. Regardless, it’s a beautiful collection of songs, perfect for late-night drives by the lake.

Sweden's Shout Out Louds channel the spirit of The Cure

Originally published Jan. 03, 2008 in Chico News & Review.
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Shout Out Louds
Our Ill Wills
Merge

In 2005, Sweden’s Shout Out Louds released an album called Howl Howl Gaff Gaff that showed great potential with catchy lyrics and hip-shaking rhythms. The band’s latest release hits a level of sophistication that confirms the group’s ability to write meaningful pop songs. With uncanny vocals that resemble The Cure’s Robert Smith, the band’s ’80s influence is made evident as soon as the first track begins. The Shout Out Louds successfully manage to hold their own with simple melodies that evoke the deepest of emotions. “Tonight I Have to Leave It” is a bold statement about love—don’t bother with anything but real love. The album continues with a sense of vulnerability, but the dynamics are never lost. Songs that go over the five-minute mark work hard to leave a lasting impression and they succeed by stringing the heart along with airy synthesizers and cascading drums. “Impossible” and the title track have the feel and charm of an antique music box. The final track, “Hard Rain,” is in the same vein and closes the album with a feeling of satisfaction. Our Ill Wills is an album that deserves to be listened to from start to finish.