New Music Monday: Mike Gale’s TWIN SPIRIT Set to Drop Next Week
Influenced by the likes of the Beach Boys and GBV, but with a modern modern feel and an uber-eccentric flair, Mike Gale’s upcoming album, Twin Spirit, is a delightful and enjoyable listen. With an opening track that sound kinda like Tiny Tim as interpreted by Jack White after a month of obsessing over Daniel Johnston (“Don’t Mind the Weather”), tracks that make even the most sober men feel like they are on LSD (“Betterriver”), new wave influences (“Another Trick of the Light”), lounge music with a modern twist (“Welcome to Amsterdam”, understated and stripped down lo-fi (“Twin Spirit”), and lead single that sounds a bit like David Byrne meeting Paul Simon at beach party (“Awake Awake”), it’s hard to peg exactly what Mike Gale is all about, other than the fact that he’s here to make fun music that flirts with pop sensibilities while never turning full pop. Familiar melodies from influential acts are flirted with at times, sometimes tunes even emulate popular video games background music (“The Lanes of San Luis”). An ambient closing track seems to wrap the album up in a perfect bow, allowing a great culmination of everything you’ve heard before it – a cohesive presentation that one could never describe with mere genre labels or simple musical terms.
On the 18th, Twin Spirit officially is unleashed on the world. Embodying the type of spirit that Brian Wilson, Daniel Johnston, Isaac Brock, and many other unique voices in music would be proud of, this is a really interesting album that is pleasant to listen to, while never compromising what it wants to be. As noted above, there is a cohesive, unifying style that flows from opening track through closing note on Twin Spirit, but to peg down exactly what that unifying element is would be a fool’s errand. The album retains an indie feel, while always wearing its broad array of influences on its sleeves… it’s an uncompromising vision from an artist that is willing to meld ideas and styles that others wouldn’t likely touch.
Listen to the first single below and pre-save the album to your Spotify by clicking here:
