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CD
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AGIT 061CD
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"The Stylist, Kelley Stoltz's seventeenth album finds him following up the Third Man Records reissue of his 2001 Antique Glow with a collection of ten new songs. The album was recorded early in 2021, and has been languishing in the vinyl pressing log jam ever since -- luckily Stoltz writes timeless songs, the kind that might've appeared on the fringes of the late '60s or mid-80s. Acoustic guitars, synthesizers, drum machines and strong melodies abound. As with his other classic records Below The Branches, Double Exposure and Ah! (etc), Stoltz plays most of the instruments himself and records in his home studio in San Francisco. Kelley says, 'I chose the title The Stylist because musically I guess that's what I am... because of the way I write, at my leisure over a period of months at home, I kinda flit around between styles. It's all in the pop-rock vein, but there's usually a wide range of sounds and inspiration from song to song. It sort of fits together in a mix tape kind of way, rather than an exploration of one particular mood. That's always been the case with my albums.' Thankfully, after twenty-three years the beat goes on... and no matter what style Stoltz chooses, The Stylist is another platter of tuneful delight in the impressive catalog of one of the great songwriters of the time."
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LP
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AGIT 061LP
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LP version. "The Stylist, Kelley Stoltz's seventeenth album finds him following up the Third Man Records reissue of his 2001 Antique Glow with a collection of ten new songs. The album was recorded early in 2021, and has been languishing in the vinyl pressing log jam ever since -- luckily Stoltz writes timeless songs, the kind that might've appeared on the fringes of the late '60s or mid-80s. Acoustic guitars, synthesizers, drum machines and strong melodies abound. As with his other classic records Below The Branches, Double Exposure and Ah! (etc), Stoltz plays most of the instruments himself and records in his home studio in San Francisco. Kelley says, 'I chose the title The Stylist because musically I guess that's what I am... because of the way I write, at my leisure over a period of months at home, I kinda flit around between styles. It's all in the pop-rock vein, but there's usually a wide range of sounds and inspiration from song to song. It sort of fits together in a mix tape kind of way, rather than an exploration of one particular mood. That's always been the case with my albums.' Thankfully, after twenty-three years the beat goes on... and no matter what style Stoltz chooses, The Stylist is another platter of tuneful delight in the impressive catalog of one of the great songwriters of the time."
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TMR 219LP
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2013 release. "While many rocking bands in San Francisco and beyond claim to be 'garage' bands' - Kelley Stoltz has actually recorded his new LP Double Exposure in the garage behind his house. And while the car oil stained floors are covered by oriental rugs and there are no snow shovels laying around - there is a collection of vintage synths, 17 guitars, tape echos, mellotrons, a '50s jukebox, a Teardrop Explodes poster, a tape machine used by The Residents, an amp used by Stooge James Williamson, and a myriad other noise making devices which rear their heads on his new record. All told the place is called Electric Duck Studio and it's become a muse capturing zone for Stoltz, as well as Sonny & the Sunsets, The Mantles, Tim Cohen, Life Stinks, The Sandwitches and many other tuneweavers big and small. Double Exposure is Kelley's first album in a while -- near on 3 years since his last one, To Dreamers came out on Sub Pop. What the heck has he been doing since, you ask? Well renovating the garage for one, and using said garage studio to engineer, produce or encourage the above named bands... You see time flies when you're having fun. Add in some love, a little heartbreak, turning 40, deciding to jog everyday, staring at the wall, singing hundreds of songs into the phone, sleeping, recording an album of cover songs with his family, making a couple 45 singles, catching white wine buzzes, getting dropped by Sub Pop, playing keyboards on tour with Rodriguez, and signing on with old supporters at Third Man Records... really it's as good old Sandy Denny sang, who knows where the time goes. Anyway, if you stir up all that stuff and a few other things we won't mention here, you have the makings of a fantastic and heartfelt record, Double Exposure has 10 new jams that Thee Oh Sees main man, John Dwyer, describes thusly, 'A piece of gold in your ear, A lovely thought in your mind, A breeze in the sun, This record is perfect...' Nicely put there Johnny! And you too will thrill to the sound of delay pedals twisting the keys on 'Inside My Head', crane your neck to the backwards guitars of 'Are You My Love', ramble and gamble to the clanging cymbals on the title track, question the sanity of a song called 'Kim Chee Taco Man', and finally, fall down and weep at the sweet fluted sentiments of 'It's Summertime Again'. For all of you Aussie rules fans, the album was mixed and mastered by Mikey Young of Eddy Current Suppression Ring/Total Control and features Stoltz playing most of the instruments himself and overdubbing parts through his trusty 8 track tape machine."
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CD
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AGIT 057CD
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"'I was guzzling wine at my favorite bar in San Francisco, the Rite Spot, and the entertainment that night was some local opera singers singing along with a big video screen showing a collage of various operatic moments with subtitles. One particular subtitle, 'Ah! (etc)' made me laugh, I thought it was a perfect description of life -- the joy of existence against the etcetera of it all, the struggle. With a heavy head of rosé it seemed like ecstatic poetry! I scribbled it on a napkin and thought it might make a good title for something" And so the mystery behind the title of Kelley Stoltz's new record is solved. Less of a mystery is the quality contained therein: after twelve releases and a several more under pseudonyms, Stoltz is the word for "one-man-band-home-recording-pop-songs of idiosyncratic character.' A quick follow up to his more power pop and pub rock LP only Hard Feelings offering in the summer, Ah! (etc) finds Stoltz returning to his sweet spot, writing songs that never were, but should have been in the '60s and '80s. As with other releases, Stoltz makes virtually every noise on the album which was written and recorded in 2019 at his Electric Duck Studio in San Francisco. A few friends popped in to play along: Stoltz former bandmate, Echo & the Bunnymen's Will Sergeant adds electric guitar to 'The Quiet Ones' a sort of Scott Walker lyrical take on strangers and neighbors. Karina Denike formerly of Dance Hall Crashers adds gorgeous vocals on the bossanova groover 'Moon Shy', where Sergeant pops up again in a spoken word role on the outro. Allyson Baker of SF's Dirty Ghosts sings on 'She Likes Noise', a song Stoltz wrote for her in celebration of her love of seeing live bands."
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LP
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AGIT 057LP
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2021 repress on clear vinyl; LP version. "'I was guzzling wine at my favorite bar in San Francisco, the Rite Spot, and the entertainment that night was some local opera singers singing along with a big video screen showing a collage of various operatic moments with subtitles. One particular subtitle, 'Ah! (etc)' made me laugh, I thought it was a perfect description of life -- the joy of existence against the etcetera of it all, the struggle. With a heavy head of rosé it seemed like ecstatic poetry! I scribbled it on a napkin and thought it might make a good title for something" And so the mystery behind the title of Kelley Stoltz's new record is solved. Less of a mystery is the quality contained therein: after twelve releases and a several more under pseudonyms, Stoltz is the word for "one-man-band-home-recording-pop-songs of idiosyncratic character.' A quick follow up to his more power pop and pub rock LP only Hard Feelings offering in the summer, Ah! (etc) finds Stoltz returning to his sweet spot, writing songs that never were, but should have been in the '60s and '80s. As with other releases, Stoltz makes virtually every noise on the album which was written and recorded in 2019 at his Electric Duck Studio in San Francisco. A few friends popped in to play along: Stoltz former bandmate, Echo & the Bunnymen's Will Sergeant adds electric guitar to 'The Quiet Ones' a sort of Scott Walker lyrical take on strangers and neighbors. Karina Denike formerly of Dance Hall Crashers adds gorgeous vocals on the bossanova groover 'Moon Shy', where Sergeant pops up again in a spoken word role on the outro. Allyson Baker of SF's Dirty Ghosts sings on 'She Likes Noise', a song Stoltz wrote for her in celebration of her love of seeing live bands."
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CD
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BL 004CD
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Kelley Stoltz enters his 20th year in the record business with the release of his tenth full-length album, My Regime. This will be his second release for the Spanish label Banana & Louie after prior albums on Castleface, Third Man Records, and Sub Pop. A long-time DIY, home recording multi-instrumentalist, Stoltz again engineers, mixes, and plays all the instruments on the album and his unique brand of '60s/'80s pop, garage-rock, and folk sounds seem to have gotten better with age. My Regime was recorded during an emotional year that saw him get engaged to marry, his father pass away, and his tenure as rhythm guitarist with longtime heroes Echo & the Bunnymen come to an end. Jovial and reflective moods ensued and were put to tape by Stoltz in his Electric Duck Studios at home in San Francisco. The first single "Turning Into You" ponders the delight and soul connections of love, while "2020" asks "have you got what you need to ride it out... I wish I could see peace in 2020", in reference to the chaotic politics at home. "Fire On Fire" was written with his Dad on his mind, and is a big beat slow burner reminiscent of The Church's Starfish years (1988).
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LP
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BL 004LP
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LP version. Kelley Stoltz enters his 20th year in the record business with the release of his tenth full-length album, My Regime. This will be his second release for the Spanish label Banana & Louie after prior albums on Castleface, Third Man Records, and Sub Pop. A long-time DIY, home recording multi-instrumentalist, Stoltz again engineers, mixes, and plays all the instruments on the album and his unique brand of '60s/'80s pop, garage-rock, and folk sounds seem to have gotten better with age. My Regime was recorded during an emotional year that saw him get engaged to marry, his father pass away, and his tenure as rhythm guitarist with longtime heroes Echo & the Bunnymen come to an end. Jovial and reflective moods ensued and were put to tape by Stoltz in his Electric Duck Studios at home in San Francisco. The first single "Turning Into You" ponders the delight and soul connections of love, while "2020" asks "have you got what you need to ride it out... I wish I could see peace in 2020", in reference to the chaotic politics at home. "Fire On Fire" was written with his Dad on his mind, and is a big beat slow burner reminiscent of The Church's Starfish years (1988).
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