Stephen Steinbrink's most recent album, Arranged Waves, was released through Melodic Records, based in Manchester, England. Judging by Steinbrink's music, Manchester has changed a lot since the raucous and experimental days of the '80s. A record label called Melodic is the perfect avenue to find Steinbrink, whose music is pristinely recorded, gorgeously melancholy folk-pop. Immaculate harmonies and chiming guitars bridge the gaps between Beatles-esque pop, CSNY's tuneful folk and the Shins' serenely modern drift. Steinbrink has been at it for a while and, while his experience as a studio engineer certainly comes across on his album, his abilities as a singer and performer shine through in equal measure. There's a stately reserve to the music of Stephen Steinbrink that lends it a classic feeling, and the feeling of an instant classic.
STEPHEN STEINBRINK, w/ Whales Wailing, Johanna Warren, 8 p.m., Northern, 414 ½ E. Fourth Ave., Olympia, $5, olympiaallages.org