As I sit here at 6:30 in the morning, I realize that the room is silent. Nothing but the sound of my fan running and the silent chirping of crickets outside. Something is missing in this morning. Next up on my queue is the debut album by Mk Gee, and as I decide to hit play to fill the void of my silent awakening, I am yet to realize where I am about to be taken to.
This is my first time hearing any music by Mike Gordon, and coming in with a clean slate can sometimes be helpful. As I listen to the opening track New Low, I’m immediately taken to a strangely familiar place as my head bobs to the intricate percussion and atmospheric instrumentation.
As I begin to listen to the meat of the record, I hear influences such as Prince, Bon Iver, The Police, and Michael Jackson, but executed in a completely different manner entirely. The instruments are sharp, distorted, sometimes muffled; and yet, that’s unapologetically what they are. Gordon uses these tones to not only set the mood and tone of the record, but also conveys the emotion with the playing of the instruments themselves. This is not a robot at work, this is a human man who understands what they are feeling, and knows how to track it down musically in a way others wouldn’t be bold enough to attempt.
In track 3, “Are You Looking Up”, the guitar work is noticeably interesting, with a type of twang you’d hear in a country tune but with the reverb and performance style of an atmospheric record. The guitar here is used as a melodic device, while also setting the rhythm and cadence of the simple yet effective vocal performance.
As I start running through the tracks, I start to realize that this albums tone is specific, direct, and in place. To it’s determent, it seems to me like Gordon found his sound and stuck to it almost religiously. It’s hard to argue that not enough risks were taken, since the album is such a deviation from what you hear commercially these days, and yet; I find myself feeling a bit bored after tracks 4 and 5. It’s clear to me that these songs on this record are generally quite short, coming up with new melodies, new lyrics, and very rarely coming back to an idea that has already been performed. As I’m sure there’s nuance there that would be to the benefit of repeated listening sessions, the the middle chunk of the album for me felt like a chore to get through.
Let’s be clear, the instrumentation is complex. The vocals are solid. The themes of love and anguish are elevated by the unique diversity of the soundscape. This music makes you feel something, and that’s the point of art, right? As a music enthusiast, I always find myself asking the same questions to myself time after time. “Where’s the fucking hook?”, while also asking “Does this song need a hook to be interesting?” For many people who enjoy this album, I expect a response along the lines of “doesn’t need a hook” and “of course not, the instrumentation alone sets this record apart and makes it more interesting that what everyone else is doing”. But as I reach the conclusion of this record, I can’t help but realize that every time something interesting happens, it’s already gone. It already happened, and before I can skip back and listen to that part again, the song is already over.
The subjectivity of my thoughts on this record are becoming quite clear as I write this. As much as I love the places this music takes me, I can’t help but notice the lack of song structure, the shortness of the tracks, the absence of a clean guitar tone, and the pacing of the record that doesn’t relent until you make a choice to take a break from it all.
I have mad respect for the work that must have gone into making this piece of art. The talent shines, the emotion is there clearly on display, and it’s just got good vibes, man. But for me, I don’t think I’ll be coming back to Mk Gee until the next record. This one just wasn’t for me, and that’s okay.
Good, not for me