There are times when Kelley Stoltz evokes his heroes just a little too well, and this is maybe one of those; there’s an undeniably overwhelming Paul McCartney/Elvis Costello vibe to this song, but I love it despite the sense of deja vu and artifice (The line “Dinner’s ready/I hear mother call” strikes me as particularly fake, for some reason). It’s an amusingly precious thing, very short – which is nice; it doesn’t outstay its welcome – and with the integrity of something off the White Album, however you want to take that. It’s something that’ll stick in your head for awhile, and you won’t be entirely sure why.
366 Songs 185: Your Reverie
I suspect that the phrase “lo fi” would/should be used in connection with Kelley Stoltz’ music; there’s something charmingly simple and shambolic about it, retro – that riff, for some reason, feels like it could be something from a Beatles song before the days of Rubber Soul – but there’s also a touch of early Elvis Costello in there, especially with the organ in the mix. Originality isn’t the buzzword here; that seems to be “earworm,” like so many of Stoltz’ songs. He’s more of a magpie than a creator, but his thievery is done in such a way that it feels disarming and worthy, in some way.