UnknownComponent

Is something missing from your musical life, but you just can’t put your finger on it? Hmmm, how best to describe it… Maybe it’s an “Unknown Component”? Yeah, that’s it: the self-titled new album by Keith Lynch. The Iowa City musician’s latest creation — from the album’s artwork to the instrumentation, singing and songwriting — is worth adding to your collection if only for the reason that you’ll have to listen to it a few times to pick up its nuances you’re bound to miss the first time you listen to it. “Why bother,” you say? Because Lynch’s sparse instrumentation, mid-tempo grooves and poetry-like lyrics pass by so effortlessly you sometimes think you’re listening to the musical offspring of Elliott Smith and Radiohead. — Michael Swanger
(Unknown Component plays Friday at 7 p.m. at Ritual Café and Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. at Mars Café.)