Review of Supercute! from The Northeast Performer by Carson Arnold
Picture your stuffed animal collection at a late-night rave in an enchanted forest — Twink is the music they are dancing to. The brainchild of toy piano enthusiast Mike Langlie, this endearing and engaging creation — it's both a picture book and a compact disc — transcends the novelty item that it is. Inventive, infectious and inspiring, Twink is a mini-masterpiece — a tiny triumph of art and imagination.
The book (just large enough to hold a compact disc) follows, in thirty-two pages, one red-eyed, cotton-tailed bunny and his toy piano on an adventure through a pink forest inhabited by musically-inclined insects, nefarious trees, and a benevolent star. Much like those you'd find in a children's book (though Twink is not necessarily intended as such) Langlie's story and his drawings are poignant in their simplicity.
The accompanying "musical program" loosely traces the narrative across 25 songs, each employing an ensemble of (mainly) toy instruments. Though skillfully composed, the songs are simple and wordless, and like the score to a film they complement the book through tone and mood. The music itself is at once childlike and elfin — though these instruments may have been intended to be played by children, it is difficult to imagine anything but a sprite composing such music on them. While toy piano leads most every song, one can hear a multitude of unusual instruments: xylophones, giggle sticks, finger cymbals, bird whistles, water glasses. Much of this is set against dance beats which, by virtue of their incongruity to the instrumentation, add to the music's otherworldly character.
Without a target audience to speak of, this is a most admirable piece of art — a package of pure imagination and desire; much of what makes Twink so infectious is the love and enthusiasm of its creator that is apparent throughout. And thanks to technology, this project is DIY in the fullest sense: recorded, produced, illustrated and designed all by Mr. Langlie. Given its peculiar nature, Twink may not be something to listen to regularly, but — creative, smart, and complete — it is one of the most well-rendered concept albums.