The most rambunctiously infectious song on Kelley Stoltz's recent Circular Sounds, "Tintinnabulation" functions as a sort of aural funhouse, where bells and whistles and reverberations transform a first-rate pop song into a dizzying, whimsical ride through time and space. The thirtysomething San Francisco troubadour might share a slacker vibe with his pals in Pavement — he's in an Echo and the Bunnymen cover band with guitarist Spiral Stairs — but precise craftsmanship underpins this ode to joyful noise.
Stoltz somehow comes off as unapologetically dorky and effortlessly cool at the same time, and that balance is in full effect on "Tintinnabulation." When the singer invites listeners to "say hello to fellow travelers as you sail on past," Stoltz conjures visions of the Muppets' version of space: a parallel dimension where all manner of friendly and nonsensical creatures join together in a lighthearted musical parade.
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