I was a little embarrassed to review this record a little late in the game (by music blog terms). Fred Thomas’ solo project City Center has been long-championed by music blogs I trust, such as Raven Sings the Blues and Forest Gospel. Shit, I even like his other band, the retro kitsch Saturday Looks Good to Me. So I have no excuse, other than being a mediocre blogger. My life is average.

City Center is a sample-based, blissed-out psychedelic entity – much like, well, Panda Bear and Lotus Plaza. While the aforementioned solo outings from Animal Collective and Deerhunter make sense in relation to those groups’ ethos of general weirdness, I didn’t expect this sort of album from the chief His Name is Alive/SLGTM songwriter. Maybe I should’ve, considering that Thomas’ other projects do dabble in lots of left of center sounds. Regardless, good surprises can be exciting. City Center is fantastic.

City Center was probably recorded underwater. I’m not sure how Thomas did this without shorting out his gear, but this record’s precise aquatic timbre and dark reverb could’ve only been achieve submerged, I believe. Czech opener “Killer Whale” with its intensely fluid exposition that would make Growing melt and drifting-at-sea folk acoustics and you’ll see what I mean. City Center begins a little slower and bland, but wait four songs in.

The record sprouts its wings with “Gladest,” which is everything correct about lush, soaring psychedelic pop. City Center keeps getting better from there with the three movement “Bleed Blood,” beginning as a heady electric folk magical mystery tour and ending in a wash of broadcast static and a penetrating sonic pastiche. “Summer School” brings in that breezy, lighthearted and fun in the sun psychedelia that High Places also masters and Animal Collective sometimes fails at (this is how “Brothersport” should’ve been done).

While Panda Bear and Atlas Sound and similar psychbros may have been on this tip previously and owned this sort of approach to sample-based music wholly, Fred Thomas’ surprising well-crafty entry to the field is anything but second-rate. City Center represents everything I like in modern music – melodic, vaguely accessible but sometimes challenging, and all kinds of trippy.

City Center is available now and you can grip it here.

For fans of:  High Places, Panda Bear, Lotus Plaza

Fagen-Becker Quality Rating

MP3 :::
City Center – Summer School
City Center – Bleed Blood