MIKE GALE - "LET IT RIDE"

Creating lo-fi pop with infinite appeal, Mike Gale’s hyper-prolific streak continues with a collection of non-album odds and ends that showcase his tuneful songcraft called “B, C, D Vol. 1”. Think of a Nuggets type collection of slacker pop jams with light flourishes of psychedelia and Pet Sounds-era melodic sensibilities. The former Co-pilgrim frontman has created a bedroom communique that feels industrious instead of solipsistic. All parts played by Gale out of a necessity to get these melodies out of his head and into the world instead of an ego-maniacal grip on the product. “Let it Ride” is the first single from these vaults, it possesses a sweetness that extends beyond Gale’s rich mid-range and the jangly power chords and droning keyboard.

“Let it Ride” features smart choral flourishes where a choir of Mike Gales sing / chant the melody on the chorus. This smart power pop trick recalls the best of Matthew Sweet, Superdrag and Mikal Cronin while hearkening back to George Harrison’s placid, centering pop on albums like Dark Horse. In fact its impossible not hear “My Sweet Lord” in the chorus. Far from a placeholder, these collection of songs are important editions to the growing Gale canon, paving a way for his full-length “The Star Spread Indefinite” out in September. Look for more volumes to come as the release date gets closer.