VINYL OF THE MONTH
Twink
Dust Bunny
Boston, MA
(Disques de Lapin)
“One-man toy piano band melts wax with unique melodic whimsy…”
Dust Bunny is the latest in a long line of whimsical releases from Boston’s one-man toy piano band, Twink (aka Mike Langlie). Right off the bat, it’s well worth seeking out the vinyl over the digital version; the splatter-colored platter features an amazing cover design – big props to artist Kate O’Hara on the artwork.
Now for the music. Inspired by New England’s hellish winter last year, Dust Bunny is an oddly endearing instrumental mix of plinky-plunky toy pianos, electronica and wonderfully magical vines of melody.
Here’s the thing about all Twink releases: you get past the “gimmick” (we hesitate to call it that) in about 30 seconds because the music is actually good and worth listening to. In lesser hands, the idea of ping-ponging away on toy instruments and rudimentary electronics would lose its luster pretty quickly. But Dust Bunny is not ephemeral nonsense – it has a real purpose, a real story to tell, and as clichéd as it is to say, it takes the listener on a journey.
We’re always happy to see a new Twink record show up on our doorstep, and if this winter is anything like last year’s, you might want to take shelter with Dust Bunny and a cup of hot cocoa. Enjoy.
Follow Twink on Twitter @toypianoband