Review of the Twink CD & picture-book from Cool and Strange Music Magazine by Otis Fodder

Man finds children's music toys and releases compact disc. News at 11!

Mike Langlie, with the help of many friends, collected toy instruments (everything from an accordion to a xylophone) and he plays them on this 25-track disc. Mike started by playing keyboards in Gothic Industrial bands. He became inspired by a thrift store piano when his sequencers went on the fritz. After that, Mike was hooked — he started collecting toy instruments with a passion.

The music is all instrumental, but not for kids per se (although if I had rug rats running around the ol' Fodder Ponderosa, they would have a copy without a doubt). For the most part, the music is happy-go-lucky but with a dark underbelly. Toys are played over drones and beats, in a genre of its own, really.

This CD has many guest appearances by Mike's friends. It also includes a 32-page picture storybook with artwork by Steven Cerio who has illustrated for the Residents (correction: Steve does play on the album, but the artwork is all by Mike!). The package is designed like the little 45 record storybooks we had in the '60s and '70s as kids — it's so damn precious!