Redeemer

Fred Thomas—once of Saturday Looks Good to Me and Lovesick, among other groups—made numerous solo records after those bands' breakups. With City Center, he continues showing his extraordinary skills in all things pop. He’s a rather undercelebrated artist, which may be partially due to his chameleon-like penchant for change. With collaborator Ryan Howard, Thomas has moved into the bedroom-pop realm, creating lo-fi collages of psychedelic washes, harsh bursts of noise, and soft-focus pop. Even in their wispiest moments, the songs here gel; they're held together by solid song structures, strong melodies, or at least one effective grounding element (a drumbeat, a guitar riff, a noisy loop). Redeemer is a rewarding sophomore release, made clear immediately. “Puppers” slowly unravels its sonic story, pulling in listeners with a buildup so gradual and shy it almost goes unnoticed; the tune manipulates the ancient verse/bridge/chorus structure into something that feels like something else. There are also stellar moment of unabashed pop goodness, like the dreamy “After Hours” and the ‘90s indie–inflected “Modern Love.”