ALBUM REVIEW: Kelley Stoltz – Ah!(etc)

Agitated Records

Released: 20.11.20

Having tried his hand at pub-rock on July’s Hard Feelings, this quick-fire follow-up sees one-man-band Kelley Stoltz return to the ‘60s and ‘80s informed guitar-pop that’s long shaped his signature. Supposedly, the record’s title stems from an evening in a San Francisco bar, where “Ah!(etc)” appeared as an amusingly aloof subtitle for a group of local opera singers.

Unfortunately, this innate dryness is scarcely reflected in the songs themselves, which serve up amble ammunition for foot-tapping but little by way of genuine entertainment. The likes of Dodged A Bullet and Having Fun may pack hooks aplenty, yet even these standouts – which neither bear fresh ideas nor truly evoke retro touchstones – offer scant insight as to who such inconsequential nuggets are actually for.