Saturday's Secrets

Yesterday I submitted a review for the new album from Saturday Looks Good to Me. On first listen I thought it was a good pop album with lots of hooks, little substance. Once I got into the lyrics, though, I noticed some interesting things going on. Primarily, the use of secret information interested me. "Empty Room" lures you into a conversation -- or it lets you overhear one side of one -- in which you learn that two people who seem to be fighting are actually struggling through a problem together. (Fred Thomas has said that one of these songs is about an unwanted pregnancy, and I suspect this one's it.) The strength of the song lies in the fact that you don't know what the problem is, and your curiosity puts you in the position of voyeur. Their difficulty draws your sympathy, the secret keeps you at a distance, and the whole situations prevents you from looking away. Pretty smart for a little summery tune. Making discoveries like this one is one of the reasons I like to write about pop.