Another gem from one of the most underrated artists of the last 20 years.
Kelley Stoltz is an unsung pop genius, having quietly made great record after great record for such labels as Sub Pop, Third Man, and Castle Face, all created mostly on his own at his home Electric Duck Studios. My Regime is Kelley's 10th studio album and, like on last year's Natural Causes, he's bringing all of his disparate influences together. You can hear his love of The Kinks, Bowie, Nick Drake and The Velvet Underground alongside teenage post-punk obsessions like the Bunnymen (who he would end up joining as a member this decade), XTC and other mutant pop. There are even some yacht rock proclivities this time around. Stoltz doesn't compartmentalize it though; these sounds commingle with different sonic elements popping to the surface where needed.
"Sister" opens the record with a Stonesy riff played in an un-Stonesy way, clear and liquid and drenched in reverb, with synths providing subtle lift while Stoltz quietly coos "I need a sister...someone to watch over...someone to watch over me." It's a little like early House of Love, and the last minute of the song is pure instrumental bliss with E-bow'd guitars snaking amongst sultry sax and acoustic guitars. It's one of Stoltz's most sublime creations, but there are many more gems on My Regime. "Zonked" cribs it's riff from Bunnymen song "Silver" but uses it in the context of garage-rock-disco, while "Baby Be Good To Me" is equal parts Leonard Cohen and Steppenwolf. "Good To See You" mixes Merseybeat, a funky clavinet breakdown and a little harp, and "Fire on Fire" could be Nick Lowe or The dB's in 1979. I could go on. Nearly every song is a master class in production and arrangement, making the most of Stoltz's eight-track recording setup and filling his songs with amazing little sonic touches. His records may get ignored by Spotify algorithms and larger music sites, but it's never too late to play catch-up.
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