The Sun Comes Through is another fine slice of skewed pop from
Kelley Stoltz, but just a small one (it's just an EP taster in advance of a full-length due in early 2006). It's the same modus operandi as
Antique Glow: a man at home with his eight-track Tascam, but this time out piano plays a more prominent role, in some cases driving the tunes. The songs have a loose, ramshackle DIY feel to them, but
Stoltz's sense of production is unerring. Nice double-tracked parts and odd harmonized guitar bits add nice details to a sound pitched somewhere between
the Velvet Underground and
Syd Barrett. "Away with the Swans" gets closest to
Syd territory musically with its acoustic guitar and piano with a vague carnival flavor. "Let's Go Out Tonight" comes off like some kind of
Ray Davies faux-boogie-woogie and "Where You're Going" rolls along on a lazy groove and great melody. This album sounds like it could have been made in the early '70s, but it's as fresh sounding as anything that's come out in the same time frame.
Stoltz not only writes great tunes, but has a talent for building the song from the ground up. Let's hope the association with Sub Pop makes
Kelley Stoltz more of a household name. ~ Sean Westergaard