Fred Thomas, the Michigan DIY-music lifer and Saturday Looks Good To Me founder, has been awfully busy lately. About nine months ago, Thomas released the impressive solo album Window In The Rhythm. Last month, his trio Idle Ray released a new LP called Even In The Spring. Now, Thomas is getting ready to release a new solo record, and it'll take a very different form than his last one.
On the forthcoming Critical Violets, Dream Erosion Pt. VII, Fred Thomas delves into the experimental synth-drone that's long been a part of his oeuvre. In 2020, while going through therapy for anxiety, Thomas released Dream Erosion (Synthesizer Songs) an album of soft and minimal instrumental electronic music. He followed it with 2021's Those Days Are Dust, Dream Erosion Pt. II, and he's apparently been making a whole series of records like that but only making them available as physical cassettes, with only 10 copies available for each volume. Later this month, he'll release the seventh entry in the series, and it'll be available to everyone.
The opening track from Critical Violets, Dream Erosion Pt. VII has the long, unwieldy title "They Were Leaning Against The Clocktower, It Was Early, Maybe In March Or April," but don't let that scare you off. The music is a quiet, reassuring ambient drone, and you can hear it below.
Critical Violets, Dream Erosion Pt. VII is out 7/22.
