Thanks For Always Waving is Mike Gales 20th album In as many years and his 12th solo album having previously released music as part of Co-Pilgrim and Black Neilson.
The album opens with Yipee a slow strummed acoustic folk song, for those worrying how to pay the bills as the homestyle percussion and other effects weave around the central guitar line before it goes a bit weird folk.
Old Man In The Universe was one of the singles from the album and has a nice sparse feel, as the questions come at you, while Mike dreams of a better world while being grateful for the love he has, while dreaming of jumping on a train bound for Mexico.
Summer Be Gone sounds inspired by Everybody's Talking, but without the sleazy associations that song ended up having. This is reflective, restrained laid back folk music, with a video shot in the magical Chinese city of Suzhou one of the centers of the silk trade, often referred to as the Venice of China that may not be reflected in the video.
I Enjoy My Existence as he strums at an electro acoustic, the tambourine taps out the beat, Mike Tells us about the terrible pain he feels for one mistake, but despite that he's looking on the brighter side of life, as he marvels at how your smile makes him feel, he'll grovel for all time if you smile at him like that again, while almost feeling like Temptation Inside Your Heart the early Lou Reed composition.
Grumble Pie re-works an old Peruvian folk song into a hymnal for those of you who never stop Grumbling away, while dreaming of sleeping as soundly as a big cat.
Bees Knees almost feels like he's singing you to sleep as you dream of being in the clover once more.
I Know Her gently makes clear how you have to realize that your time is never your own while working for the man, you may need to re-evaluate your life and work out how to live at a slower more enjoyable pace.
Set It On Fire is super sparse, as they strike those matches to burn down everything before the rains arrive, like a farmer burning his fields before re-planting, as he hopes the fire will lead to a sense of renewal, a new dawn.
They're Closing The Marina which might be a major concern if you live in a port city like Southampton, if it's the marina I'm thinking of it seemed deserted during the weekend I spent in Southampton a few years ago, unlike the main cruise ship harbor, but you may have wanted some of the things the marina provided you with if you were local, as the bongos signal the sadness at the loss of another local facility.
Michael 6 is an ambient intro, as the guitar gets oddly strummed on this short instrumental that leads into the album closing When Here Comes The Morning, as the ambient noises give way to crystalline acoustic guitar and clear concise vocals laying out what sort of evening will lead to that new morning.
Find out more at https://mikegale.bandcamp.com/album/thanks-for-always-waving https://www.facebook.com/mikegalemusic
