A R Lynch

by David Greening (photo by Sterling Andrews) Former lead of The Poor Excuses and frequent Earlimart collaborator, Andrew Lynch is a talented man. And while anyone who knows him would point to his ability to play multiple instruments, or his song-writing skills, or success as a record producer and agree, these are not the talent I refer to. No, what Lynch possesses is a keen grasp of language and its complexities that’s allowed him to create a layered yet ambiguous new album, Sun Incisions ...

by David Greening (photo by Sterling Andrews) Former lead of The Poor Excuses and frequent Earlimart collaborator, Andrew Lynch is a talented man. And while anyone who knows him would point to his ability to play multiple instruments, or his song-writing skills, or success as a record producer and agree, these are not the talent I refer to. No, what Lynch possesses is a keen grasp of language and its complexities that’s allowed him to create a layered yet ambiguous new album, Sun Incisions – a far greater talent then playing both the flugelhorn and trumpet. Wonderfully produced and filled with luscious strings, delicate piano work, and jazzy guitars and horns, Sun Incisions is an amalgamation of various styles. While this detracts a bit from the album’s cohesiveness, the solid lyrical work full of sardonic wit and varied, deep compositions earn the record repeated listens. Crafting mordant pop songs in the vein of Randy Newman, Josh Ritter or Jeff Tweedy, Lynch consistently hides fractured characters, twisted narratives, and bittersweet love stories beneath cryptic metaphors and shimmering production. “My Head Around”, an orchestral, mid-tempo rocker moves along so smoothly that it takes the whole song to realize the narrator is not smitten by love but beaten down and blind sided, his head turned backwards to the mistake he is about to make. “This Bird” layers a tale of a man imprisoned who can’t fight his murderous tendencies over catchy, jangly, piano and staccato strings. “The Thrill Is Gone” paints a portrait of a relationship gone sour and the vices we use to hide the truth from ourselves and fool ourselves into staying against a bombastic musical backdrop featuring downbeat guitar and grandiloquent horns and bells. Sun Incisions is a wonderful album that will reveal more and more upon every listen. Lynch uses unique perspectives and unreliable narrators to create a bittersweet world of insecurities and foibles that seems sentimental, comical, twisted and relatable at the same time. He's a capable songwriter in a world where that doesn’t seem to mean as much. - David Greening, Radio Free Silverlake