Mighty Clouds - "Spell It Out"

I'm a few months late to this party, but apparently Fred Thomas—the creative mind behind the excellent Saturday Looks Good To Me—released a record with singer Betty Marie Barnes as the Mighty Clouds. The duo's self-titled LP is out now on Polyvinyl and contains Thomas's unabashedly poppy approach to songwriting along with an assortment of 60s-tinged vocal melodies, which Barnes fills out beautifully with her bright tone. If Thomas's songs are the mashed potatoes, Barnes' voice is the gravy on top that enriches everything below. Grab the album digitally via Bandcamp or on vinyl at Polyvinyl.

Mighty Clouds - "Spell It Out" (from Mighty Clouds)

Summer Songs: #7 "Alcohol"

Singing about a boy's inability to confess his love during a New Year's Eve party, Erika Hoffmann shares small hope-filled moments along the way ("Every time the phone rings it sounds like a song") but ultimately declares the opportunity lost ("Every night you fall asleep with your headphones on / Look for me and I'll be gone"). It's a bittersweet love song from Michigan's Saturday Looks Good To Me, but one that's played in celebratory fashion with its loud exclamatory riffs and 60s pop sensibilities.

Saturday Looks Good To Me - "Alcohol" (from All You Summer Songs)