Mk.gee gets experimental in debut album, ‘Two Stars & The Dream Police’
Two Stars & The Dream Police cover art.
Mk.gee has been somewhat of a hidden gem in the music industry, sneaking his way on to the credits of Dijon’s Absolutely and Omar Apollo’s Apolonio, and making his mark behind the scenes. But his latest release Two Stars & The Dream Police makes it that much harder to keep him a secret and proves to the world that he is as talented of a solo artist as a producer. Finding Mk.gee’s music is like finding gold. Decked out in innovative DIY-style architecture, Mike Gordon gets explicitly personal and merges synth anthems with unconventional production and layered textures to form a magnificent 12-track record.
He has a knack for hiding raging emotions behind distorted pop and unstructured vocals and that’s exactly what takes place in the album’s opener, “New Low.” The juxtaposition between the music and the lyrics creates an intriguing dissonance that invites questioning and introspection. The warm and sharp guitar tones, familiar to Gordon's sound, provide a backdrop for the chaotic vocals highlighting the raw and vulnerable nature of the lyrics. Featuring a flashing sound that’s a persistent concept on this album and weaves the songs together even when there is no overarching narrative that links them.
Moments of self-recognition and attempting to grasp at the fleeing bits of personality are found in “How many miles.” “After all this time, I still couldn’t remember me,” he says as a continuation of a question. The lyrics quantify the struggle of breaking free from the constraints of one's past, particularly the emotional weight of leaving a familiar but limiting environment behind, serving as a powerful reflection on the complexities of finding your identity in some place or someone miles away. He manages to take those same emotional struggles (and honestly even more) and emphasizes it again later on the track list in “Alesis,” and the lyrics are just as intense.
To judge and to be judged; those are the thresholds that Gordon explores on “Candy,” saying, “I cut you slack you cut me mine.” He takes a stride in modern experimental pop on with impressively textured production while simultaneously being meticulously raw, giving it that much more nuance. Drawing in the listener with its palpable energy and intricate downbeats, his delivery tends to a deeply personal experience and stands as a prime example of his boundary-pushing approach.
Not to mention his incredible use of a non-traditional guitar solo in “Are You Looking Up,” where every murmured line starts a new uptempo twang but then holds back to give more of a focus on his questioning vocals. The inventive approach to instrumentation is a hallmark of Mk.gee's artistry. The live music video is profound as well. Hanging out of the side of a van, Gordon plucks his guitar with the wind shaping his hair, making it a cinematic masterpiece. His unedited singing adds to the exposure, and really brings the listener into the originality of the song. However, it's in the tracks “DNM”and '“You got it” that Gordon's ability to shape a coherent narrative truly shines.
It’s in those moments when he forges new paths by blurring the lines between tracks. Despite their sonic differences, each song contributes to a narrative of working overtime to keep a relationship afloat. In 'DNM,' an electrifying Prince-style R&B track, Gordon contemplates swallowing his pride, while 'You got it' presents a heartbroken, sorrow ridden tune that diverges from the sound of the preceding track. Both songs carry the weight of navigating ego and conflict showcasing Gordon's ability to evoke complex emotions through his music. Diversity in tone yet standing ten toes down in your sound is hard to come across in contemporary music, and how he’s managed to do it with these two songs is remarkable and is something that many artists haven’t pinpointed yet.
“Rylee & I” has a compelling scratchy formation that gains a lot from Gordon’s intense vocal range and repetitive nature. “I believe I can’t let go/ Just when you think you can cut everybody you know,” Gordon says about the aforementioned Rylee. Contributing to its profound emotions, Gordon’s theme of solitude and unwavering companionship serves as a reflection on the solace of having one steadfast connection during life’s most shaken moments.
Funk has been pushed in and out of the songs on this record but it truly takes charge in “Dream Police.” Dreamy does not even begin to describe the flow and instrumentality interlaced between his voice and the bass of the track. The ethereal negative space on this allows the listener to fully appreciate the carefully crafted soundscape and is used as a perfect closure of the record, showing the intentionality behind the placement on the tracklist.
Every track tells stories that demand listening and while one interpretation is not enough to do the Two Star universe justice, it’s one that’s worth trying. The cohesion achieved in the album indicates an artist who understands the power of variation, offering a comprehensive listening experience that delves into the intricacies of human connections. Gordon has locked down his place as an Album Of The Year contender on everyone’s radar, and only two months into the year he’s got a great standing.
You can catch him on his North American tour here.