{"title":"Fred Thomas Store","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"fred-thomas-sink-like-a-symphony","title":"Fred Thomas - Sink Like a Symphony","description":"\u003cp\u003eFred Thomas (2023):\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBack in print on vinyl for the first time in over a decade, \u003ci\u003eSink Like A Symphony\u003c\/i\u003e was originally recorded in 2005 in a storm of inspiration and personal revelations. These noisy folk songs were originally going to be a stark stylistic about-face for the third Saturday Looks Good To Me album, but quickly felt too intimate and internal for that. Instead, they became my first solo album that wasn't just a nervously thrown-together collection of songs and experiments, but something I took really seriously and worked out the details of for the better part of that year. This also happened when I was touring and playing shows more than at any point before or since, so a lot of the weird feelings and ungrounded ideas of these songs got worked out in front of audiences.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn addition to the album being properly mastered for the first time, there are also a lot of other new changes from the original form. Two songs were dropped completely, while other songs were edited, re-ordered, and sometimes added to. The original version is still up on streaming services, but for the new LPs, the idea was to present a more streamlined listening experience that gets to the point immediately. It still feels like a genuine representation of how 2005 felt for me, with some of the more confusing parts omitted to move things along. It's my hope that anyone who already knows and cares about these songs will feel the intention in changing the way they're organized, and anyone hearing them for the first time will get what I'm trying to communicate as well. Hope you enjoy the music!! :)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e1. I Fell In Love With the World\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e2. I Built A House\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e3. Wet As A Cloud\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e4. Holland Tunnel\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e5. Fire\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e6. Susceptible To Ghosts\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e7. Ethan\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e8. Wingspan\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e9. Apples on the Floor\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e10. The Curse Is Broken! On to New Curses!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e11. O Sweet Undoing\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e12. Wednesday Night\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e------------------------------------\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA step away from the ultra-bubblegum glitter of \u003cstrong\u003eSaturday Looks Good To Me\u003c\/strong\u003e, but still rooted in the magic of the pop song, the music on \u003ci\u003eSink Like a Symphony\u003c\/i\u003e is heartbreakingly serious, ridiculously personal and still stuck in your head all day.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAkin to the hyper-wordy spiritual side of Neutral Milk Hotel or the experimental lo-fidelity alchemy of The Microphones, these songs clatter and shake with hope and pain, always on the virge of falling into themselves, and sometimes do, coming out of a two minute pop song into a fuzz explosion or a five-minute drum circle.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe album is strong and deliberate, honing years of four-track sonnets and bringing this special breed of basement heartstring pop music into a new, bold place. Includes favorites \"Holland Tunnel\" \u0026amp; \"Wet As A Cloud.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Corleone Records","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl (Black)","offer_id":50775245848883,"sku":"NPV","price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0881\/7655\/8387\/files\/sink_like_a_sympony.jpg?v=1771639097"},{"product_id":"fred-thomas-all-are-saved","title":"Fred Thomas - All Are Saved","description":"\u003cp\u003eEven though a small audience of ravenous music fans could cite \u003cstrong\u003eFred Thomas\u003c\/strong\u003e as the brains behind Michigan's \u003cstrong\u003eSaturday Looks Good To Me\u003c\/strong\u003e, even most of those obscurists might have blinked for long enough to miss portions of Thomas' 15 year stretch of constant output with projects as diverse as his aforementioned pop band, experimental noise acts or his own softspoken solo material.\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNever settling down for a second, he's spent the last decade-and-a-half flying just beneath the radar of most listeners, but amassing a dedicated grassroots collection of fans, friends, collaborators, and admirers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThose well acquainted with his anomalous approach to music and anti-networking are never surprised when Fred rolls through town unannounced playing drums in some random touring band or they get an email that says he's just released three new solo records in infinitesimally limited numbers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSo all of this brings us to \u003cem\u003eAll Are Saved\u003c\/em\u003e, technically the eighth \u003cspan style=\"background-color: initial;\"\u003eFred Thomas\u003c\/span\u003e solo album, but the first one many people will get a chance to hear.\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe result of over a year of recording, refinement and long-labored sonic sculpting, these eleven tracks are the culmination of everything he's done before, while being a decidedly bold move into brand new territory.\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHeavy, poetic lyrics are more spoken than sung, recalling the urgency and straightforwardness of cult bands like The Van Pelt or Life Without Buildings, while each song builds on a patchwork of grainy samples, dreamlike guitar figures and deftly produced clashes of organic instrumentation and vintage synth textures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFred's dabblings in melancholic chamber pop (SLGTM), ambient electronics (City Center), jangly but angular guitar playing (Failed Flowers), experimental production and jaw-droppingly confessional lyricism are all distilled into one unflinching statement.\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThese are the raw nerves of the friendliest guy at the party, spilling out shamelessly naked feelings. It's there in full force on the stream of consciousness protest song from a dream \"Cops Don't Care Pt. II,\" in the venomous bile of \"Bad Blood\" and in the heartbreaking grief that triggers a continuum of memories on \"Every Song Sung To A Dog.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo prior knowledge of Fred's vast resume is necessary, and that's kind of the point; \u003cem\u003eAll Are Saved\u003c\/em\u003e is a singular document that requires no explanation and will immerse you in its strange, heavy beauty.\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePainstakingly assembled between Detroit, Michigan and Athens, Georgia, the album features mixing assistance from Drew Vandenburg (of Montreal, Deerhunter) and guest spots from friends in bands like People Get Ready, Radiator Hospital, Known Moons and even a guest backing vocal cameo from Andrew W.K.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Polyvinyl Records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50818981691699,"sku":"PRC-296CD","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":52708199039283,"sku":"PRC-296DIGITAL","price":10.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0881\/7655\/8387\/files\/989652eef28bc49eec908063ba36a854.jpg?v=1735838692"},{"product_id":"fred-thomas-aftering","title":"Fred Thomas - Aftering","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFred Thomas\u003c\/strong\u003e had been making music nonstop for years when a seismic shift in his creative process happened in 2013. Something mystical opened up in the fall of that year and the prolific songwriter moved from his already emotionally open style into an unprecedentedly direct and vulnerable lyrical approach as well as new levels of detail-fixated production. The songs took on a new urgency, inspired by a feeling that life was beginning afresh while at the same time a lifetime of experiences were cementing into worlds of memory. The results of that creatively eruptive time began with 2015's critically hailed album \u003cem\u003eAll Are Saved\u003c\/em\u003e, continued into the turbulent pop of 2017’s\u003cem\u003e Change\u003c\/em\u003er and now float into \u003cem\u003eAftering\u003c\/em\u003e, a record that feels like the final chapter of an unofficial trilogy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Just as the two before it, \u003ci class=\"\"\u003eAftering\u003c\/i\u003e was produced, mixed and assembled on location in a close collaboration between Thomas and Athens, Georgia based engineer Drew Vandenberg. All cut from the same cloth, \u003cem\u003eAftering\u003c\/em\u003e ties the knots that connect all three records. Where both \u003cem\u003eAll Are Saved\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eChanger\u003c\/em\u003e flitted nervously between moments of jangly powerpop, electronic interludes and experimental acoustic weirdness, \u003cem\u003eAftering\u003c\/em\u003e maps out a far more intentional arc, burning through a first act of speedy, hook-heavy guitar rock before taking a sharp, brutal dive into an abyss on the album’s second half.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Modeled loosely after \u003cstrong\u003eNeil Young\u003c\/strong\u003e’s \u003cem\u003eOn The Beach\u003c\/em\u003e, the nine songs here move from jumpy two minute blasts into a suite of four protracted and moody interconnected pieces. At first, Thomas' signature mesh of soaring melodies and experimental pop keeps things upbeat even when burying intense topics on songs like \"Alcohol Poisoning\" or in the post-election unrest of \"Good Times Are Gone Again.\" Beginning with 8-minute fever dream “House Show, Late December,” the ache that sits in the core of the album comes to the surface completely. From here guitars almost vanish from the instrumentation and the focus shifts to tightly arranged strings, ominous synths, ambient waves and spoken lyrics somewhere between poetry and desperate confession. These longer songs drift in and out of each other slowly, drowning into their own lush darkness and heavy observations on anxiety, family and emotional abuse.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Connecting all three albums to an even deeper degree, Aftering finally realizes loose threads that began on earlier records, and calls on special guests from all phases of Thomas' life. \u003cstrong\u003eAnna Burch\u003c\/strong\u003e returns to sing on buoyant single “Altar” and longtime friend and collaborator Elliot Bergman (\u003cstrong\u003eWild Belle\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eSaturday Looks Good To Me\u003c\/strong\u003e) helps sculpt the crystalline vibe of album closer “What The Sermon Said.” Newer friends show up as well, with members of \u003cstrong\u003eBonny Doon\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eCommon Holly\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eDeadbeat Beat\u003c\/strong\u003e and other artists Thomas connected with through years of touring showing up in supporting roles over the course of the record. \u003cstrong\u003eWolf Eyes\u003c\/strong\u003e member and noted memelord John Olson even contributes some fried horns and electronics.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e More than anything, \u003cem\u003eAftering\u003c\/em\u003e calmly sets down the restless questioning and turmoil of the trilogy. Instead of landing on any tidy conclusion or neatly wrapping up a thesis, the album illuminates the themes of observation and acceptance that have run throughout Thomas' work for the last five years. \u003cem\u003eAftering\u003c\/em\u003e reflects on an answerless and uncertain future, trying to make sense of it through scattered memories that flash like mental postcards. A sense of larger, universal dread refracts through these moments of searching. Ultimately, it’s not the dark times or bleakness that lingers, but a sense of connection and hope that comes from trying to communicate them as honestly as possible.\u003cem\u003e Aftering\u003c\/em\u003e, like the chapters that came just before, can feel sometimes painful, but there’s a clarity and beauty that’s always there as well, equally bright in even the darkest moments.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Polyvinyl Records","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl (180-Gram Clear Blue)","offer_id":50775370596659,"sku":"PRC-365LP","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50818996011315,"sku":"PRC-365CD","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital","offer_id":52708196188467,"sku":"PRC-365DIGITAL","price":10.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0881\/7655\/8387\/files\/FT_Aftering_LP_Clear_Blue_2000.jpg?v=1746214638"},{"product_id":"polyvinyl-exquisite-corpse","title":"Various Artists - Exquisite Corpse","description":"\u003cp\u003e Track Credits:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e 1. \"Yer Brothers\" - \u003cstrong\u003eDavid Bazan\u003c\/strong\u003e (Pedro The Lion), \u003cstrong\u003ePhil Dickey\u003c\/strong\u003e (Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin), \u003cstrong\u003eNate Kinsella\u003c\/strong\u003e (American Football\/Birthmark), \u003cstrong\u003eNick Wilkerson\u003c\/strong\u003e (White Reaper)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e 2. \"Somebody Else\" - \u003cstrong\u003eErik Czaja\u003c\/strong\u003e (Pet Symmetry), \u003cstrong\u003eGus Lobban\u003c\/strong\u003e (Kero Kero Bonito), \u003cstrong\u003eChristie Simpson\u003c\/strong\u003e (Yumi Zouma), \u003cstrong\u003eShugo Tokumaru\u003c\/strong\u003e (Shugo Tokumaru)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e 3. \"SLOW DRIVE\" - \u003cstrong\u003eShaun Fleming\u003c\/strong\u003e (Diane Coffee), \u003cstrong\u003eWill Knauer\u003c\/strong\u003e (Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin), \u003cstrong\u003eCale Parks\u003c\/strong\u003e (Aloha\/Cale Parks), \u003cstrong\u003eCharlie Ryder \u003c\/strong\u003e(Yumi Zouma)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e 4. \"To The Beach\" - \u003cstrong\u003eMark Duplass\u003c\/strong\u003e (Volcano, I'm Still Excited!!), \u003cstrong\u003eKaia Fischer\u003c\/strong\u003e (Rainer Maria), \u003cstrong\u003eEllen Kempner\u003c\/strong\u003e (Palehound), \u003cstrong\u003eJeff Rosenstock\u003c\/strong\u003e (Jeff Rosenstock\/Antarctigo Vespucci)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e 5. \"Whole Life Holy Death\" - \u003cstrong\u003eChris Broach\u003c\/strong\u003e (Braid, SNST), \u003cstrong\u003eVice Cooler\u003c\/strong\u003e (xbxrx), \u003cstrong\u003eRocky Tinder\u003c\/strong\u003e (Wampire), \u003cstrong\u003eAry Warnaar\u003c\/strong\u003e (Anamanaguchi)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e 6. \"Do U Remember\" - \u003cstrong\u003eRobert Pope\u003c\/strong\u003e (The Get Up Kids), \u003cstrong\u003eJamie Stewart\u003c\/strong\u003e (Xiu Xiu), \u003cstrong\u003eFred Thomas\u003c\/strong\u003e (Fred Thomas\/Saturday Looks Good To Me), \u003cstrong\u003eElla Williams\u003c\/strong\u003e (Squirrel Flower)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e 7. \"Perfect Vision\" - \u003cstrong\u003eKeil Corcoran\u003c\/strong\u003e (STRFKR), \u003cstrong\u003eKaty Goodman\u003c\/strong\u003e (La Sera\/Vivian Girls), \u003cstrong\u003eChris Hansen\u003c\/strong\u003e (matt pond PA), \u003cstrong\u003eMike Kinsella\u003c\/strong\u003e (American Football\/Owen), \u003cstrong\u003eMatt Pond\u003c\/strong\u003e (matt pond PA)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e 8. \"So Much To See\" - \u003cstrong\u003eJess Abbott\u003c\/strong\u003e (Tancred), \u003cstrong\u003eJames Alex\u003c\/strong\u003e (Beach Slang\/Quiet Slang), \u003cstrong\u003eBob Nanna\u003c\/strong\u003e (Braid), \u003cstrong\u003eLuke Silas\u003c\/strong\u003e (Anamanaguchi)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e 9. \"Some Storms\" - \u003cstrong\u003ePeter Berkman\u003c\/strong\u003e (Anamanaguchi), \u003cstrong\u003eErin Fein\u003c\/strong\u003e (Psychic Twin\/Headlights), \u003cstrong\u003eTJ Lipple\u003c\/strong\u003e (Aloha), \u003cstrong\u003eMatt Pryor\u003c\/strong\u003e (The Get Up Kids), \u003cstrong\u003eNick Thorburn\u003c\/strong\u003e (Mister Heavenly)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e 10. \"Lonely\" -\u003cstrong\u003e Pip Brown\u003c\/strong\u003e (Ladyhawke), \u003cstrong\u003eJosh Burgess\u003c\/strong\u003e (Yumi Zouma), \u003cstrong\u003eChris Farren\u003c\/strong\u003e (Chris Farren\/Antarctigo Vespucci), \u003cstrong\u003eMarcus Nuccio\u003c\/strong\u003e (Pet Symmetry), \u003cstrong\u003eCameron Spies\u003c\/strong\u003e (Radiation City)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e 11. \"Nude Looks\" - \u003cstrong\u003eBrian Borcherdt\u003c\/strong\u003e (Dusted), \u003cstrong\u003eCaithlin De Marrais\u003c\/strong\u003e (Rainer Maria), \u003cstrong\u003eRyan Pope\u003c\/strong\u003e (The Get Up Kids), \u003cstrong\u003ePost Animal\u003c\/strong\u003e (Post Animal)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e 2020 has been an intense year by any standard, with the first weeks of the global pandemic giving most of us feelings unlike anything we’d experienced before. Quarantine lockdowns and hovering dread shifted the fabric of time in a way that’s ongoing, but was at its most vivid in those early days when a new reality was sinking in. Before people eventually adapted and started using the newly mandatory downtime to learn new languages and bake bread, hours lurched by as the world sat restlessly indoors. All the shows were slowly cancelled one by one, the tours and recording sessions were scrapped, hangs and practices just stopped happening. Everything was on hold indefinitely, time lost meaning, every day felt unreal.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eDuring the first days of lockdown, Rainer Maria’s Kaia Fischer came up with the concept of \u003cem\u003eExquisite Corpse\u003c\/em\u003e by meditating on their perspective of the newly unfolding weirdness they and so many of their creative friends were going through. Obviously a deadly pandemic was wrought with negatives, and those in particular to independent music scenes were especially devastating. But could there be another side to what felt so all-consumingly terrible? “We know what the pandemic \u003cem\u003eisn’t \u003c\/em\u003egood for,” Fischer said, “but let’s find out what it\u003cem\u003e is\u003c\/em\u003e good for.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSearching for silver linings in the earliest days of lockdown wasn’t easy, but one idea led to another. It began with the realization that every Polyvinyl artist now had a completely clear schedule at the same time. They were also mostly sitting around waiting for the storm to pass, in different states of boredom, anxiety, worry and malaise. Logistically speaking, there might not be another time when pretty much everyone was available for a collaborative project and needed something to occupy their frazzled minds. A round of emails went out explaining the project and inviting members of the Polyvinyl roster to participate. Eleven teams of four or five musicians were assembled more or less at random, bringing together artists that had in many cases never met, much less worked on music together. Remotely, each team worked from scratch to create an original song, a reworked sonic adaptation of the game where each player adds to a collaborative drawing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe scope alone is exciting, with these 11 songs combining the talents of 47 musicians from all corners of the world and all ends of the Polyvinyl family tree. Even the artwork was assembled through remote collaboration, with visual artists from Chicago, Minneapolis, and Seattle collaborating on the design in true Exquisite Corpse fashion. Musically, the results are every bit as exciting and unpredictable as the concept envisioned. New creative chemistries between the different artists and a complete absence of expectations or precedent sounds made for fearless choices in production, genre experimentation and stylistic curveballs. Artists known for sparkling pop worked with more ragged rockers or folks from acoustic-leaning emo bands, and the end results almost always defied the expected sum of their parts. Even though \u003cem\u003eExquisite Corpse\u003c\/em\u003e is timestamped with traces of the overwhelming uncertainty that colored the pandemic’s onset, the music is by-and-large joyful, daring, and fun. More than reflecting the hanging gloom of the non-stop news cycle and spiking graphs, artists tapped into expressions of hope and exploration. This moment of universal upheaval cast a shadow on the entire world, but also allowed for a meeting of minds that was truly unprecedented.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMost indie labels share some degree of familial connection, but Polyvinyl is built on that feeling of family. The label was born in the late ‘90s out of the closely knit regional diy scenes of the Midwest, and every aspect of growth since has been informed by the earnest connectivity of those early days. Polyvinyl bands go on tour together, collaborate regularly and exist within a framework facilitated by the label that values friendship and the sharing of ideas above all else. These songs zoom in on that spirit of kinship and community. \u003cem\u003eExquisite Corpse \u003c\/em\u003eis a real-time experiment with some incredible outcomes, creating a space for Polyvinyl’s wide-ranging talents to come together and make something beautiful during a dark time.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Polyvinyl Records","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl (Red)","offer_id":52335613378867,"sku":"PRC-419LP","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0881\/7655\/8387\/files\/ExquisiteCorpse_RetailLP_1.jpg?v=1756831987"},{"product_id":"fred-thomas-changer","title":"Fred Thomas - Changer","description":"\u003cp\u003eFollowing the release of his critically-lauded 2015 album \u003ci\u003eAll Are Saved\u003c\/i\u003e, songwriter\/producer \u003cstrong\u003eFred Thomas\u003c\/strong\u003e entered a period of enormous transition. He gave notice at the writing job that had offered stability for years, got married and moved to Canada, all between multiple tours that ran the spectrum from sold out opening slots to sleeping in the car after empty gigs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the end of yet another tour he returned to Athens, Georgia, to again work with producer Drew Vandenberg (of Montreal, Mothers, many more) on an album aiming to encapsulate the nonstop changes that had sprung out of this phase of his life. Naturally, this record is named \u003ci\u003eChanger\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe unflinchingly direct lyrical approach that defined \u003ci\u003eAll Are Saved\u003c\/i\u003e continues here, with themes of uncertainty and struggle coming up over and over. A working title for the record was \"Hope I'm Funny,\" a reference to the opening line of an especially bleak Richard Pryor routine. 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Usually working with a single synth and a few different analog tape delay units, Thomas recorded experiments with loops and minimal composition daily throughout 2021. This resulted in music with a wintery feel,\u003cbr\u003eskeletal and solitary sounds akin to Hans-Joachim Roedelius' reflective sketches or the loneliest passages of Aphex Twin's \u003cem\u003eSelected Ambient Works\u003c\/em\u003e catalog. Instead of polished, straightforward presentation, non-musical elements came into greater focus with these new loop-born songs. Tape hiss, white noise, disruptive distortion, and sounds happening within the environment were all tied into the production almost like additional instruments. On one song, a mic was placed directly on a heating vent as it wheezed in the room.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnly a few moments on \u003cem\u003eThose Days Are Dust\u003c\/em\u003e approach liveliness. One of these, the full-bore \"Unfit\" is throttled forward by live drums from Chicago's Quin Kirchner (known both for work behind the kit for Ryley Walker, Wild Belle, and countless jazz sessions as well stellar records of his own as a leader) and bass from Hydropark's Jason Lymangrover. There are brief moments of activity like the dub vortex of \"Post-Flood Edits\" and the fuzzy sputter of \"Composition of the Whale,\" but the album is largely understated and thoughtful. Rather than regress into nostalgia or seek to mold an ideal picture from half-formed memories, these songs reflect on the decay of time passing and the answerless era they were made in. Every rough edge and uncomfortable sound seeks to remind us to always keep moving forward. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dagoretti Records","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl","offer_id":53151298715955,"sku":"NPV","price":19.55,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0881\/7655\/8387\/files\/i_00c37490-6526-48e5-afb6-27ad6bc93a37.jpg?v=1773965694"},{"product_id":"fred-thomas-critical-violets-dream-erosion-pt-vii","title":"Fred Thomas - Critical Violets, Dream Erosion Pt. VII","description":"\u003cp\u003eMichigan-based musician \u003cstrong\u003eFred Thomas\u003c\/strong\u003e may have reached the most listeners with the melancholic indie pop of his group Saturday Looks Good To Me, but for those that venture deeper into Thomas' body of work than those sunny, lovestruck songs, his ongoing love of electronics will be no surprise. Bred in part by Michigan's noise scene, the experimental undercurrents that have been part of his style since the beginning were bound to find a digital voice at some point, and indeed, his hard-touring duo City Center was defined by their sampler-mangled loops, Hydropark was pure kosmich redux, and Thomas' present role in indie supergroup Winged Wheel (featuring members of Matchess, Spray Paint, Sonic Youth, and more) is that of the band's Eno figure, routing their sounds through live processing and playing damaged sinewave melodies on a barrage of synths.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBuried even further down is \u003cem\u003eDream Erosion\u003c\/em\u003e, a sporadic series of Thomas' synthesizer compositions that's so discrete it feels like a secret. Beginning in 2020 as anxiety therapy, Thomas spent more or less every night recording soft and minimal electronic instrumentals. He quietly released an album under his own name entitled \u003cem\u003eDream Erosion (Synthesizer Songs)\u003c\/em\u003e in 2020, and followed in 2022 with \u003cem\u003eThose Days Are Dust, Dream Erosion Pt. II\u003c\/em\u003e. With literally dozens more unreleased songs in this style, Thomas dropped volumes 3 through 6 on cassette in editions of ten copies each, all of the tapes selling out minutes after they were made available.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis brings us to \u003cem\u003eDream Erosion Pt. VII\u003c\/em\u003e, a collection of ten more of Thomas' placid, intentionally spare electronic compositions. Opening with an avant-drone of driving synthesizers, we move between Ann Arbor experimental roots and Detroit pop know-how. Thomas proves his knack for subtle hooks and unexpected key changes, shaping each track with just the right reverb and arpeggiated phrasing. It’s minimalist, but never static. The album exits in shimmering bells and analog tape warble, evoking a collective dream we each almost remember, but can never quite place. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mystery Circles","offers":[{"title":"Tape (White Ice)","offer_id":53151310676275,"sku":"NPV","price":10.2,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0881\/7655\/8387\/files\/i_6e8d5c19-b111-49d7-80d2-42a9deea3a69.jpg?v=1773965915"},{"product_id":"fred-thomas-aftering-garage-sale-vinyl-minor","title":"Fred Thomas - Aftering (Garage Sale 180-Gram Clear Blue Vinyl - Minor)","description":"","brand":"Polyvinyl Garage Sale","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl (180-Gram Clear Blue) - Minor","offer_id":53464487559475,"sku":"MISC","price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0881\/7655\/8387\/files\/dda8d87065d3a8e68dfd8dc4290e408c_4adedbdc728a6e4ffd22db4ce18f67120234bd82_product_photo_38df71dd-4f79-49c8-abeb-05dcb3def6d2.jpg?v=1755137766"},{"product_id":"fred-thomas-aftering-garage-sale-vinyl-moderate","title":"Fred Thomas - Aftering (Garage Sale 180-Gram Clear Blue Vinyl - Moderate)","description":"","brand":"Polyvinyl Garage Sale","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl (180-Gram Clear Blue) - Moderate","offer_id":53464487723315,"sku":"MISC","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0881\/7655\/8387\/files\/dda8d87065d3a8e68dfd8dc4290e408c_4adedbdc728a6e4ffd22db4ce18f67120234bd82_product_photo_38df71dd-4f79-49c8-abeb-05dcb3def6d2.jpg?v=1755137766"},{"product_id":"fred-thomas-window-in-the-rhythm-garage-sale-vinyl-white-sand-minor","title":"Fred Thomas - Window in the Rhythm (Garage Sale White Sand Vinyl - Minor)","description":"","brand":"Polyvinyl Garage Sale","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl 2xLP (White Sand) - Minor","offer_id":53464487985459,"sku":"MISC","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0881\/7655\/8387\/files\/02d071c8ba45398b2f22d16008c0bccfe961dc3a_b6aee7492aaec84482ebcaac13c9b3f98bd2925c_photo_jpg.jpg?v=1755137688"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0881\/7655\/8387\/collections\/fred_thomas.jpg?v=1736887846","url":"https:\/\/www.polyvinylrecords.com\/collections\/fred-thomas.oembed?page=2","provider":"Polyvinyl Record Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}