To Dreamers

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To Dreamers album cover
Album Information

Total Tracks: 13   Total Length: 40:23

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Wow. I'm loving this a lot.

thomaus

It's been a while since an album just jumped out and got me all worked up. There is a smorgasbord of influences in this, and a bunch of killer hooks. Kelley was in fine form when I saw him open for Echo & the Bunnymen earlier this year. He played some of these tracks then, and i thought they were good hearing them for the first time. On the album, the multi-layered production make them even better. This is a whole lot of fun. Play it loud. I'm hearing Kinks, Beatles, Flaming Groovies, Everly Brothers, Rockpile, Brendon Benson, and more in this.

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They Say All Music Guide

Kelley Stoltz is in a ‘60s state of mind on his fourth Sub Pop record. Like his past albums, To Dreamers mixes endearing retro-pop pastiche with homemade production, a move that pays homage to Stoltz’s influences — Ray Davies, Brian Wilson, Gene Clark, and other heavyweights from yesteryear — without directly aping their sound. The guitar riffs are appropriately fuzzy but a tad messy; the harmonies are well-placed but imperfect. Stoltz is a vintage enthusiast, but he’s no copycat, and To Dreamers’ best quality is his ability to reinterpret those sounds for an audience weaned on lo-fi albums. “Pinecone,” with its woodwinds and jangled guitar chords, is the sort of British pop song that’s tailor-made for the lazy dog days of summer, while “Little Girl” bears the markings of a Nuggets inclusion. It’s far too easy to trace Stoltz’s songs back to the artists who inspired them — there’s a Byrds tune here, a Paul McCartney song there — but that seems to be the point, with Stoltz presenting himself as the ultimate pop music fan instead of the ultimate pop songwriter. Bonus: he covers Big Boy Pete’s “Baby I Got News for You,” with Pete Miller himself lending plenty of fuzz guitar to the version. – Andrew Leahey

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