Mk.gee, A.K.A. Michael Gorden, released his first studio album, Two Star & The Dream Police, on February 9, 2024.
Over the span of 33 minutes with 12 songs, Mk.gee takes his listeners through uniquely innovative instrumental and lyrical masterpieces in an album that can only be described as a dream.
Through the navigation of conflict, emotional complexity and the desire for love and connection, Mk.gee connects one song to the next by using lyrical thematic connections and by curating his very own unique sound through instrumental mastery.
Mk.gee takes guitar to another level. His Fender Jaguar guitar utilizes baritone tuning, not common among guitarists. This gives a lower, richer sound and provides longer scale length and lower pitch range. There are moments where there is hard, brittle distortion as he plays, which comes through when the guitar is hit harder.
This unique fuzzy overdrive sound is because Mk.gee plugs his guitar into the preamp of an 80s cassette recorder called a Tascam Portastudio. These unique ways of not just playing the guitar, but making it his own, are how Mk.gee creates a sound so distinct to him, which he fully displays on the album.
Two Star & The Dream Police is a metaphor for the choice between a “two-star” experience of love and connection, or the authority of the “dream police,” which makes happiness uncertain. The lyrics yearn for love and connection despite knowing the hurt it could cause.
The final song of the album, “Dream Police,” arguably the best song on the album, is an exploration of internal conflict between the struggle of desire for connection and the fear of losing oneself.
Mk.gee sings “oh, my love, oh please, put me out/I believe that you owe me this time/can’t believe how you killed me tonight,” which continues into “I’m takin’ all my love/I’ll bleed tonight/she lit the world on fire.”
This apparent love interest lighting the world on fire could be seen in one of two ways: she stood out and lit up his world, or she left his world in ruins.
Just two songs prior, “Breakthespell” continues the appearance of her fire when he sings “but lately I am caught/right inside of your line of fire,” yet goes on to say “so, why do I wanna taste/her love again?”
These contradictory lines persist throughout the album and leave the listener to decide for themselves what Mk.gee truly wants. Such airy, indecisive language continues this dream-like journey as his decisions do not seem to be entirely his own, much like how one would feel within a dream.
Mk.gee’s Two Star & The Dream Police is an innovative body of work that utilizes the unique operation of a guitar and distinct lyrical connections that take the listener on an interpretive journey of emotional conflict.
This vulnerability is admirable and further supported with Mk.gee’s dream-like instrumentals.
Through the exploration of connection, love and conflict, Mk.gee gifts his listeners with a commendable journey of music.