Review of the Twink CD & picture-bookfrom Good Times by Andy Stevens

Entirely instrumental, Twink consists of 25 songs composed primarily for toy piano but filled out with all manner of deliciously dark, fanciful and occasionally weird embellishments. The roster of instruments Mike Langlie uses is as long as your arm and includes those as conventional as cello (played, I'm guessing, by his lovely wife, Karen Langlie) and as randomly odd as theremin, squeaky toys, See 'n' Say, and hurdy-gurdy.

Now, I know what you're thinking: kitsch (you were thinking that, trust me). But no. While Langlie's compositions are certainly filled with whimsy and wonder, they avoid becoming campy or kitschy due to their depth and density. Past toy-instrument bands (Pianosaurus leaps to mind) relied on the instruments as gimmicks, embellishments to cutesy pop songs, which worked to varying degrees of success. Langlie, however, has looked into these instruments, heard their true voices and here treats them seriously, as adults, thereby drawing from them lovely melodies and lush arrangements.

Langlie's strength — in this as well as his artwork — has long been his painstaking attention to detail, which pays off here. There are many layers to these tunes, some of which have been used on animated shorts on MTV, and a wide variety of moods are created. Neither Langlie's illustrations nor his songs have words (barring one small, creepy bit of found-sound narration), primarily because they do not need them. The book clearly tells its story solely through Langlie's crisp and delightful illustrations; the songs convey their moods strictly through the instruments, perfectly complementing the long hard day that the story's main character goes through.

From sweet to malevolent, from quiet to joyous, from gentle to cacaphonous, Twink's music and story capture the imagination and keep you wanting more.