Cedar Rapids Gazette Review of ‘Unreleased Songs Vol. II’
Headline: 1-man band mirrors many faces
Byline: By Diana Nollen
Source: The Gazette
Body:
Keith Lynch of Iowa City is a one-man band of many layers.
He writes, records, sings and plays guitar and keyboards, creating an indie pop-rock sound that changes color throughout his lasted release, “Unreleased Songs Volume II.”
He wraps poetic social commentary around washes of sound with peppy beats carried sometimes by drums, other times by plucky keyboard lines.
His voice isn’t great, but it’s interesting. It’s sort of a strained, folky sound with a gritty edge that’s raw but not unpleasant.
“Won’t be Forgotten” opens the disc with a techno-pop sound fueled by a pretty instrumental intro that kicks into a high gear. The keyboards are then laced with reverb, creating an otherworldly sound.
By “Unimpressed with Coincidence,” I’d decided his voice is an acquired taste. Others have likened it to Bob Dylan. While that’s clearly a stretch, at least you can understand Lynch’s thought-provoking lyrics.
The album takes a sharp turn at “The Mandatory Choreography of a 4 Way Intersection.” What had been a peppy/happy tone in his previous songs gives way to a minor key, creating a mysterious sound.
On “The Customer is Quite Often Wrong,” Lynch overlaps his own vocal lines in ways that are quite often right. He truly sounds like a band of many performers.
“Patience is a Virtue Worth Waiting For” sports a nice, driving force, with keyboard washes pouring over a marching beat.
Continuing to mix it up, “Meek” begins with a Spanish guitar flair, with fingerpicking echoed in the keyboards, before mellowing out. And “Infinity Makes Anything Possible” takes us back to ’50s and ’60s beach-blanket ballad days.
Lynch has been playing in the area this week and has several more Corridor gigs slated in August in September. He’ll be at Starbucks in southwest Cedar Rapids on Friday night. Check out his Web site — www.unknowncomponent.com — for other dates and places.