UnknownComponent

Unknown Component’s Keith Lynch, with his mild-mannered high register vocals that so often rise to a hoarse, rather fragile tone, sounds so much like early lo-fi Elliott Smith, that it’s actually a little bit freaky. However on closer inspection, the Smith similarities start to wear off a little, and although singer/songwriter Lynch’s voice shares Smith’s natural timber and overt integrity, and - again like Smith – Beatles-esque melodies delivered subtly, there is a sheen of optimistic energy throughout this release that Smith wore much less easily.

There are also more keyboard landscapes, and U2/Radiohead-esque electronica touches here than you would find on an Elliott Smith album. But what works best is the lo-fi, drowned-in-reverb sound, which recalls Ryan Adams’ unreleased gem ‘The Suicide Handbook’, and which disguises Lynch’s limited vocal ability without ruining the melodies. In fact, the murky production here adds a melancholy atmosphere that suits the songs, and brings the strong melodies to the forefront. Due to the high level of reverb at times, the lyrics are often indistinct, but the wordplay I managed to catch was colourful and evocative, and perhaps best discovered on your own.

Though this was my introduction to Lynch, he has now released five albums in about as many years independently – all of them worth checking out for Lynch’s overt knack for raw melody and musical poetry.