Send "Julian Lynch " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 Julian Lynch popped up last year with a few promising tracks on the first Underwater Peoples compilation, and followed that with his debut LP, Orange You Glad. The record introduced us to his folksy collage-pop aesthetic, but while often beautiful, its low fidelity often felt more like a hindrance than a benefit, and the more traditional song structures could feel slight or meandering. His newest album, Mare, is another story. An earthy, eclectic record that manages to be challenging, but also remarkably patient, it's the sound of the formerly Ridgewood, NJ-based songwriter quietly coming into his own.Lynch once worked for Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, and now studies ethnomusicology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and you can hear those diverse influences at work on Mare: The music is recorded on humble equipment, is rough around the edges, and pulls liberally from lots of different genres. There are traces of drone, noise, and African percussion, for instance, alongside more traditional pop and rock elements. His instrumentation is unusual and eclectic, incorporating clarinet, watery guitar lines, shuffling maracas, and delicate drum work. But where bedroom pop tends to be somber and even unsettling at times, Lynch's music is very much at ease with itself. And it sounds very organic. Tracks are experimental in composition but ultimately echo the mood of folk or country-- music that feels like it should be played outdoors. There's a kicked-back, front-porch quality to the album-- songs are sedate and unfurl slowly. Lynch sings but obscures his vocals until they act as a loose guide rather than a specifc blueprint. So Mare is primarily about atmosphere, and in that sense it's very much like an ambient record. And as with good ambient, it soothes without drifting off into the distance. This balance is key to the record's success, and Lynch acheives it with a smart rhythmic touch. "Interlude" is airy and gentle but it has propulsion and direction. Under its woozy synths and indistinct vocal coos is a funky guitar line that keeps it moving forward....full text |
| Bowlegs |
| ‘Mare’ is Julian Lynch at his best; the New Jersey musician producing a set of what is mainly instrumentals. They all sound hatched between dawn and dusk, oozing personality in their unhindered simplicity. From the production to the music and back again, each track rolls over and over, getting the vibes pitch-perfect – the tracks becoming a snap shot of an easy place in time. However, Lynch never lets the songs stand still for long – they don’t circle aimlessly – instead discreetly inching forward or disappearing while still in full flight. The loose drums and rattling tambourine on ‘A Day At The Racetrack’ gently nudge onwards a falling bass-line, yet leaving space for a host of leads. ‘Stomper’ is not quite what its title implies; in fact the swirling guitar and 70s synth solo, that soundtrack Lynch’s hushed voice, create a hazy meander. The title track digs deeper: hear how it works up a lethargic loop, while slowly filtering a run of melancholic acoustics and gentle, timely vocal lines. Lynch effortlessly masters the atmospherics, while maintaining the album’s signature, almost horizontal stance. Things can get a little upbeat at times: ‘Ears’ includes a full blown rock guitar solo; it screeches above the pounding toms, yet somehow the intimacy is intact however raucous things try to get. The musician clearly has open arms and an open mind to a range of influences. ‘Travellers’, for one, could be deemed as having a more ethnic influence with its overlapping picked guitar strings; ‘Still Racing’ a folk strumming mass; ‘In New Jersey’ a Tabla bending jazz infused daydream. The forever-changing inspiration, however subtle, makes for a more decorative experience, lifting an album of looping passages from the enjoyable to the rather very special. WB...full text |
| Prefixmag |
| Madison by way of New Jersey folk weirdo Julian Lynch's new album Mare is currently streaming on his Bandcamp page. After listing to his track "Just Enough," it's higly suggested you give check out if you're a fan of experimental noise and dense sound injected into catchy pop songs. The album will get an official release on June 28 by Olde English Spelling Bee. Pitchfork has been heavily supporting Lynch, giving "Just Enough" and his other single "In New Jersey" their coveted Best New Music label. Is Julian Lynch actually the next big thing? Well, he's certainly the next prolific thing, with Underwater Peoples releasing a Lynch 7" on June 21 featuring tracks "Droplet on a Hot Stone" (sizzle sound for effect) and "Nen Vole"...full text |
Julian Lynch lyrics Music videoclips
|
| ||||||||||
