KELLEY STOLTZ

CIRCULAR SOUNDS

By Martin Pavilinic

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GENRE | SUBPOP GOLD

VERDICT | WINTER WARMTH

RELEASE | 2.05.08

LABEL | SUBPOP RECORDS

SUBPOP.COM

There's plenty of nostalgia coursing through the 14 songs of Circular Sounds, but at no point do we ever get the idea that Stoltz has any pose he's striking—he's just this guy in San Francisco making hooky, intricate pop records under his own name. His songs have been soaked in a rich brine of The Beach Boys, early Grateful Dead, Love, John Cale, and Moby Grape, among many other vintage delights, but never so strong that they drown out his own essence. With his somewhat shaky voice, Stoltz creates his own world of mainly piano-driven songs with a sense of pop purpose that eludes so many. He deeply understands dynamics and throws down songs like the weird soul velvet of "The Birmingham Eccentric" and the shy-guy California blooze of "To Speak To The Girl." Both sound like they've been lying around for decades just waiting for someone to get them out there. He has loosened up a great deal since 2006's Below The Branches—and swaggers like the leader of a scrappy little band of weirdos, even if for the most part he does play just about every instrument again. Stoltz brings an airy transparency to this sweet low-key record—a great start to the year.