The Observer, September 26, 2008
Volume XLI, Issue 5
Independent artist quietly releases fifth album
The singing/songwriting genius of Keith Lynch produced an interestingly melancholy, 40-minute adventure into gentle, progressive rock with Unknown Component's In Direct Communication.
With the band's fifth independently released album in as many years, Unknown Component attempts to redefine an overused coffee-shop resonance with ambient acoustic guitar and surprisingly profound lyrics. Hailing from Iowa City, Iowa, the brainchild of this overlooked one-man effort combines the worn approach of pop music with a fresh technical elegance of songwriting.
Lynch fulfills every role demanded by this inventive arrangement of any standard soft rock group. No single instrument takes the limelight, backing a balanced rhythm under the nasally, drawn out, and melodic vocals. This style of airy and intriguing acoustic rock is reminiscent of Elliot Smith, Loudon Wainwright III, or Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst, without their overshadowing vocal talent, of course.
When it comes down to it, the music heard on this album seems to belong atop a stool in a small, college-town venue. The lyrics have substance, but seem to be lacking the drive of bigger, better, studio cut albums from respectable labels. Not dismissing any independent artists in the indie rock world, the sound quality of the album suggests a shoddy, third party recording of a live show played in a studio apartment. This, in essence, may be the weight of the rationale that after five albums, Lynch hasn't received quite the response from the indie scene as he expected, much less been signed by a major label along his emergent career.
It appears that some in the music industry have ignored and disregarded the potential in Lynch and his adequate songwriting abilities that might be amplified by a strong supporting band and decent studio time.
His budget-constrained claustrophobia seems to be plaguing his product with the tension of an underdeveloped indie rock star with so much talent and so little professional production. In short, this space rocket may lift off some time in the near future, but for now the only thing grounding Unknown Component is Keith Lynch.
