#mighty clouds

[bandcampsnoop]

6/23/25.

I'm not sure why this didn't get a post when it came out. I certainly remember listening to it, and frankly, ANY Fred Thomas project is likely to get a post on the weight of that fact alone.

Idle Ray (Michigan) definitely sounds like Fred Thomas. It's not the 60s/fuzzy/pop of Saturday Looks Good To Me or Mighty Clouds. But it's much more traditionally pop than some of his solo efforts (Fred Thomas, City Center) - in fact, one Bandcamp user said, "Like a classic FT record ran through a Guided By Voices filter".

The band put up a third pressing of the LP (released via Life Like, which is Fred Thomas' label). Originally released in 2021, the Bandcamp page states that this is probably the last pressing of the LP.

[birdsoldier]

[bandcampsnoop]

9/11/25.

I'm actually a bit surprised I didn't hear about Fascinations Grand Chorus when it first came out nearly 6 years ago. It has a 1960s/Detroit/Motown soul crossed with indie pop sound that I've really enjoyed for the last 15 years or so. The most obvious comparison I can think of is a few Fred Thomas projects - Saturday Looks Good To Me and Mighty Clouds.

Fascinations Grand Chorus is Stephanie Cupo and Andrew Pierce. They're based in Jersey City, New Jersey and the few interviews/articles I've found on the internet have mentioned The Beach Boys/Brian Wilson, The Ronnettes, Diana Ross, and ABBA.

The band has a ton of digital music and a few physical releases (head over to Discogs for a couple more). This was released by Silent Stereo Records.

[bandcampsnoop]

12/3/25.

It was less than 6 months ago that Michigan's Idle Ray received their first post here. Idle Ray is one of the many projects featuring Fred Thomas (Saturday Looks Good To Me, Mighty Clouds).

This 7" features some leftovers from the recording session that produced their most recent LP, "Even in the Spring". I'm not sure who wrote the liner notes for this 7", but Dinosaur Jr and Pavement (specifically Slanted and Enchanted and Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain era) are mentioned as touchstones.

While each song is great, "Airport" is the winner here. This is released by Salinas Records and is still available at their website.

[bandcampsnoop]

8/12/24.

I'm not sure why Monorail Music (Glasgow) always gets cool extras to sell with their LPs. Maybe they just ask. But, they do have an autographed/tote offer with their version of the new LP from Baltimore, Maryland band The Smashing Times. This LP sounds less like the Television Personalities, Pale Lights and The Pastels (previous releases brought these bands to mind), and more like Saturday Looks Good To Me or Mighty Clouds.

Of course, all this could be wrong as there is only currently one song available. This new LP is set for release in November and will be handled by K Records/Perennial.

[bandcampsnoop]

5/11/24.

I know we've all made concert mistakes we regret. I'll give you two. First, I was record shopping so long I missed over half of Eleventh Dream Day's set when opening for The Chills at the I-Beam in San Francisco. Second, I didn't see The Aislers Set EITHER night I saw Yo La Tengo and The Clean split the bill at The Fillmore (also in San Francisco).

The Aislers Set are just a fantastic band and Precious Recordings has released their John Peel session from 2001 on 10". Remember, buying this on Bandcamp doesn't incur high shipping rates because of a shipping arrangement with Jigsaw Records.

The recent post of Mighty Clouds (and by extension Saturday Looks Good To Me) sits nicely next to The Aislers Set. If you want some of The Aislers Set released work check Slumberland Records who reissued their catalogue on vinyl some years back.

[bandcampsnoop]

5/9/24.

I used to listen non-stop to Saturday Looks Good To Me. Honestly, one of the negatives of doing this blog is that while chasing a new band, I often don't listen as much to music in my stacks.

Mighty Clouds came a long and allowed me to achieve both a blog post and a SLGTM listening party. Mighty Clouds is Fred Thomas and Betty Marie Barnes from SLGTM. The 1960s Motown feel is still here, as are the amazing melodies that were the hallmark of the best work from SLGTM.

Antiquated Fixtures now makes Mighty Clouds part of their "Selected Songs" series. The cassette is a compilation (and in fact does include live songs from Saturday Looks Good To Me), but there is an accompanying 7" of new songs from Fred and Betty.

[stayallnite]

#NowPlaying: 'Past Lives' by 'Mighty Clouds' out of 'Mighty Clouds'.