Photo by Hannah Klein
Stephen Steinbrink’s music focuses on small moments. Even his song titles tell little stories: “It’s So Pretty (What You Did For Me),” “Jpeg of a Friend,” “Staring At A Rothko.” Collected on his Bandcamp page, the artist’s six albums add up to something big, full of folk music that can take the messy outside world and put it cleanly in your hand.
“Absent Mind” leads off his seventh album, Anagrams. The song has the kind of quiet openness that punctuates Wilco or Yo La Tengo’s best work, maybe even a hint of Alex Chilton’s pop-laced darkness. But those are just signposts; Steinbrink ambles past in his own unhurried way.
“Absent Mind” appears on Anagrams, out July 1 via Melodic Records and Bandcamp.
–Art Levy
