New album releases are rather few and far between in these summer months, so now it is a good opportunity to look into the dusty record crates to check out some quality releases that have completely slipped past my musical radar of late. One of these findings is the third full-length, “Galactic Acid,” released in August 2024 on the Qten record label by English fingerstyle guitarist Mike Dawes. His name might not instantly ring a bell if you’re not an avid reader of those international guitar magazines. Total Guitar Magazine has nominated him the Best Acoustic Guitarist in the World – twice! Then, YouTube music theory wizard Rick Beato has named Dawes “One of the finest acoustic guitar players in the world.” Over the years, he has collaborated with all sorts of artists, ranging from the prog-metal luminaries, such as PERIPHERY and PLINI, to Finnish guitar virtuoso Petteri Sariola and prog legend Justin Hayward of THE MOODY BLUES. His virtuosic arrangement of Gotye‘s blockbuster hit “Somebody That I Used to Know” from 2012 might be more familiar to those not keen on what happens in the guitar scene. I can vaguely recall hearing that cover version back in the day, but his music did not catch my unbridled attention until now.
It was the track, “Goliath,” from this 2024 album that stopped me in my tracks when I chanced to hear it on Spotify. The song is a textbook example of how to evoke big emotions with some nonchalant fingerstyle guitar playing. There is only the guitar and some atmospheric synth textures (unless Dawes is using some state-of-the-art boutique reverb to create these ethereal soundscapes) – no gimmicks, just the music. The song hit so hard that I had to check out the whole album – a good thing that I did, too! While there is nothing short of an impressive range of techniques employed throughout the album, “Galactic Acid” is by no means your typical selection of guitar gimmicks of that “Look, mom! No hands!” variety. Featuring both original compositions and covers of FOO FIGHTERS, VAN HALEN, and Bob Dylan, the album is a music-first endeavor altogether.
The album kicks off with a tranquil Sunday-morning instrumental entitled “Cloud Catcher.” Yeah, I could envision myself lounging in the park on a sunny day, watching the clouds, while this sort of music reverberated from someone’s portable ghetto blaster. It’s pretty amazing what you can do with a steel-stringed acoustic guitar when you have the skills. With headphones, the music sounds huge, immersive even. Yeah, this is headphones music, no doubt. The song arrangement nods nicely toward the mid-1990s alternative-rock aesthetic, so I reckon it would work just as brilliantly with a full-on rock-band instrumentation.
The first cover is of that beloved 1997 FOO FIGHTERS hit, “Everlong.” To be honest, when I first glanced at the tracklist, I thought, “Not again. Not this one.” This must be one of the most frequently covered FOO FIGHTERS songs of all time, and I’ve heard way too many sub-par versions of the song to get thrilled when I notice yet another go at the song. Well, I guess Dawes must have realized there was a rather substantial risk involved, or something – his rendition blew me away! Even without vocals, his instrumental talent brings out the very soul of the song. This cover version of “Everlong” is one of the best I’ve heard. Then, while the cover version of Bob Dylan‘s monolithic classic “All Along the Watchtower” is pretty nice in its atmospheric approach, what with all the pinched harmonics and percussive slaps reverberating in the widescreen sonic landscape. That said, this version is by far nowhere near the genius of Jimi Hendrix, whose vision of this song was and is the definitive version, and a gazillion times better than the original. Mike Dawes‘ go at VAN HALEN‘s “Jump,” in turn, brings out an entirely new facet of the song. Without David Lee Roth‘s showman antics, the acoustic rendition of the song sounds very different, but in a good way. I’m not the biggest fan of covers, although when executed like this, by bringing something entirely new to the song, I’m all in.
The album is not entirely acoustic. “Push” features fusion guitarist Jack Gardiner and prog shredder Plini, and by introducing more electrifying legatos as well as electric guitar timbres into the acoustic soundscape, the song stands out rather nicely, while keeping the album’s flow smoothly intact. This electric fusion piece fits right in with all the atmospheric, acoustic stuff. The thing is, most of the original compositions lean toward tranquil and atmospheric soundscapes, albeit “The Wood Room” comes off almost like acoustic trance music with its steady four-to-the-floor rhythm, and the title track features nice uptempo-ish chicken-picking. “By My Mistake” is a pretty traditional ballad (I read somewhere that this song is also a cover, but I’m not familiar with the original), and the closer, “Night After Sidewalk,” is a haunting, ambient excursion into pure emotion. Whereas the opener conveys the laid-back feel of a Sunday morning, the closer comes off with a tad more nocturnal aura. Things come full circle, so to speak. Considering the prominence of atmospheric and tranquil tracks, I wouldn’t put this record on, say, when cruising down the highway, but, like the magnificent 2020 album, “Late Night Laments,” by Tim Bowness, this whole selection begs to be enjoyed after dark. The new album by Mike Dawes is absolutely one of the best random finds of 2025 so far. Yeah, I’m almost a year late, but better that than never.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Cloud Catcher
- Everlong
- Segera
- Goliath
- Galactic Acid
- All Along the Watchtower
- The Wood Room
- PUSH
- Jump
- Be My Mistake
- Night After Sidewalk
Lineup
Mike Dawes – acoustic guitars, piano on track 11
Special guests:
Jenee Fleenor – violins (track 3)
Jack Gardiner – electric guitar solo (track 8)
Plini – electric guitar solo (track 8)
Casey Sabol – synths (on tracks 2, 4 & 8)
Label
Qten
