‘Unknown Component’ releases tenth self-produced album

Keith Lynch is an up and coming artist from central Iowa.   Lynch is a self taught musician that can do just about anything.  He writes, plays, sings and produces all of his music--alone.  His musical projects go by the name “Unknown Component.”

Unknown Component released his tenth album, “Blood V. Electricity” on Oct. 14. The album is available for download at Unknowncomponent.com. 

Lynch became interested in music at age 17, when he found an old acoustic guitar in his attic.  He didn’t know anything about music at the time, but after teaching himself a few chords, he knew that music was his calling. 

Eleven years and hundreds of hours of work later, Lynch was able to call himself a professional musician.  

“I started booking as many shows as possible and dedicated all of my time to making it work,” Lynch said. “It feels good to know that I’m supporting myself as a musician. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it in my opinion. I honestly don’t know what else I would do if I wasn’t a musician. I feel that you should try to make a living doing what your best at, and in my opinion this is what I’m best at.”

Unknown Component has achieved a very original, unusual sound. The music is a combination of soft rock and grunge with a very indie feel. 

“Blood V. Electricity” is Unknown Component’s newest work, and possibly his best yet.  Lynch was able to introduce some new recording techniques that he had never used before.  The end result was a much more polished sound than previous albums. 

For “Blood V. Electricity,” Lynch wrote and recorded all of the music and lyrics, including drums, guitars, piano, synth/effects and all vocals.  Lynch also produced the album and designed the album's artwork. Even though he does all of these things on his own, a typical album takes Lynch only about a year to complete.  

Of all of the duties Lynch performs, he says production is the most challenging to master. 

“Learning production is difficult, but it’s also very enjoyable,” Lynch said. “You really have to have an ear for it and it takes a long time to develop that to the point where you can really hear what you’re doing and know what you want and why you want it.”

The result is a sound unlike any other, and that's how Lynch prefers it. 

“It’s surprising some of the comparisons I hear sometimes, ones that I’ve never even considered,” Lynch said. “I’m honestly trying to create original work that can stand on its own. I’d prefer that when people hear my music they associate it with Unknown Component and not another band or musician. I just feel it’s more rewarding that way.”