Normally going under the moniker of French Quarter, 20 year old singer/songwriter Stephen Steinbrink recently released the first album under his own name, entitled Ugly Unknowns. The album is full of dark bedroom pop that at first may seem completely harmless. However, upon repeated listens Steinbrink’s songs reveal a much deeper depth and a greater purpose.
Steinbrink’s vocals are reminiscent to Doug Martsch of Built To Spill and that is as good a starting point as anything…minus the guitar histrionics of course. The Shins also come to mind and I keep half-expecting to see “produced by Phil Ek” somewhere in the liner notes. Granted Ugly Unknowns is more lo-fi and lacks those certain production qualities. Though, that is actually beneficial to Steinbrink’s songs for they need no real studio embellishments to flourish and touch the listener at their very core. Steinbrink’s lyrics don’t deal in the abstract as they favor a literal “realness” instead. That directness brings to mind early Mountain Goats and The Microphones. The bold honesty that Steinbrink offers on Ugly Unknowns is infectious and hard to ignore.
Steinbrink’s songs, while entirely subtle, are rich with cunning melodies. Ugly Unknowns is heartbreaking in its delivery and startling in its confrontational nature. All the while, Steinbrink writes within the rickety, imperfect framework of a lo-fi pop song. Therein lies the simple brilliance and beauty of Ugly Unknowns.
Genre: Indie/Singer/Songwriter
RIYL: Elliott Smith, The Mountain Goats, The Microphones
Label: Gilgongo
Breath Of Fire
Overpassing
