Kelley Stoltz - Below TheBranches

Wed 1st Mar, 2006 in Music Reviews

To describe the new Kelley Stoltz record, Below The Branches, in real terms and not too shy away from the obvious infatuation that the man has with the Beach Boys maestro of pop/surf rock Brian Wilson – let me just say that Kelley Stoltz’s musical arrangements will see him be remembered for a long time after he’s left the world of song. Stoltz is truly an enigma. The man who hails from San Francisco and grew up tinkering away on home recordings, which spawned lo-fi hits and misses/experiments such as 1999’s The Past Was Faster and 2001’s Antique Glow, has produced the best album of the year thus far, and is the closest to tapping into the genius of the Wilson Beach Boys sound than I’ve ever heard before – Stoltz moves Below The Branches into a terrain and mood that is exquisitely brilliant and masterful.

Below The Branches is an album which I’ve anticipated for ages and one which after seeing Stoltz play live, has more than satisfied the early excitement that I had felt about the man’s potential for cracking into the much abused areas of Beach Boys wannabes and completely dominating the sound. I say this because almost every second biography of a new band that comes this way has some blurb or even worse ‘great detail’ about the band tapping into the aforementioned Beach Boys/Flaming Lips aesthetic and when you listen to the album there are only the odd falsettos and harmonies coming through the vocal, on top of the reverb – they tap into something, yeah for sure … but not the true ideology and innate feel of the masters of 1950s and ‘60s pop.

It’s a massive call to compare yourself to any big name in music, but I really feel that in terms of the full package, the structure of the tune, the arrangement, and the ridiculously strong song-writing, Kelley Stoltz has made one of the most special and heart warming, good time, moody and affecting pop albums that I’ve heard in a long, long time.

Stoltz sings in a disfigured angelic voice throughout and dictates the mood and pace of the cheeky and irreverent numbers with piano playing which resonates throughout, leading his merry band into exciting and sometimes absurd musical territory, but always coming out on the other side with pure joy and frolicking good fun which will have you dancing like a madman, or swooning with a loved one. The thing about Stoltz’s music is that you just seem to naturally fall in love with it – and the best indicator of this is the fact that the tunes make you move in many different ways, a tap of the foot will slide into a nod of the head and before you know it you’re into a full body heave and shakin’ booty like nobody’s business. Below The Branches is just so refreshing and funny – to the point that you will have a new favourite song after every track, such are the power of the songs.

Stoltz kicks off Below the Branches with the ultimate optimism of Wave Goodbye, as he launches into,

“Find a thing that makes you happy
Find a thing that gets you high
Pack your worries in a suitcase
Send them off and wave goodbye,”

which proves to be the definitive pre-cursor to the rest of the album. Below The Branches is brilliant in many different ways and is an obvious culmination or reflection on the moments of Stoltz’s career which have seen him rub shoulders with musical gods such as the late Jeff Buckley (Stoltz worked as an intern/fan mailer) and was privy to seeing the work of the icon behind the scenes and away from the limelight. And recently after chatting with Stoltz I was intrigued by the spiritual moment that he shared with Brian Wilson, when the pair exchanged vocals and guitar over the phone, working through Meant For You off the 1968 Beach Boys album Friends, after Stoltz donated $100 to the Hurricane Katrina appeal last year, giving him the opportunity to speak to the maestro of pop and embrace the moment.

Back to the songs, Ever Thought Of Coming Back with its hammering piano parts and distorted guitars, are ably backed by prolific harmonies and pounding drums. Stoltz questions his faith, Jesus Christ what have you been doing all this time? /The clouds are nice you know I enjoy them on my mind/But if you ever thought of coming back well now is the time?” We find Stoltz caressing his way through the tender feelings and emotional catharsis of Words, which builds pre-chorus with its use of surf tinged, blues-driven guitars, Stoltz’s piano again dictating terms to construct yet another special type of tune for all to hear.

Summer’s Easy Feeling is the most direct homage to The Beach Boys with its gorgeous use of wind swept drums which combine with perfectly placed falsetto and keyboards to once again just blow the listener away with the beauty of the arrangement. Summer’s Easy Feeling is to be found in some psychedelic space between El Mariachi and The Beach Boys – words cannot truly describe the impact and effectiveness of the tune enough, to give it the full justice it deserves!

I’d truly be writing about this record all day if I could, but let me just end with … there is not a filler to be found anywhere on Below The Branches – it’s that damn perfect that it makes me sick that I didn’t write and produce the bloody thing! Other highlights to listen out for are the booty shakin’ grooves of Memory Collector, Birdies Singing complete with a long procession of la la la la’s to have the song stay in you head for days on end, due to the hypnotic nature of the track. From the aching beauty of Winter Girl to the supercharged The Sun Comes Through, to the frivolity and cheek of Prank Calls, we come to a close with No World Like The World and then we just want to get up and do it all over again. Timeless stuff here people, get your copy of Below The Branches today, and let the good times roll…