Midlake Albums (2)
'The Trials of Van Occupanther'
Release Date 6/5/2006
Tracks 11
Label Bella Union
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Midlake's second album is a departure from their lo-fi, psychedelic pop-influenced debut. The Trials of Van Occupanther jumps with both feet into the '70s of Laurel Canyon troubadours and soft rock balladeers. It jumps like Bob Beamon right past any other current bands treading similar ground and jumps back into time, becoming one of the best examples of the sound and style you'll ever hear, date of release notwithstanding. The first thing you notice on the album is the stunning vocal harmonies; you might think you dropped in an America disc by mistake. (The best record America ever did, that is.) Tim Smith has the kind of voice you know could be a glass-shattering instrument on par with that of Buckley or Wainwright, but he keeps it dialed down to an intimate scale, which is a wise decision. His vocals bleed melancholy honesty, and the way it combines with Eric Pulido's voice will raise goose bumps. The arrangements provide a perfect bed for the vocals, with cottony layers of acoustic guitars and strings, gentle horns, restrained drums, and lyrical piano combining beautifully. The occasional surprises are effective, especially when they use some of the corniest synth sounds heard since Jan Hammer unstrapped his keytar for the last time, on "We Gathered in Spring" and "It Covers the Hillside." All of which is nice but isn't worth much without songs. Fortunately, Midlake writes unerringly tuneful melodies and thoughtful lyrics about topics other than love and introspection, and lays down plenty of gentle hooks. Nothing that you'll be singing in the shower for days at a time, but each song goes down smoothly and they add up to make The Trials of Van Occupanther a very pleasant, maybe even exciting in a restrained way, listening experience. You'll certainly find yourself reaching for it more often than you might expect; indeed, it has lasting power that many records that sound so good on first listen lack. Midlake might be stuck in the '70s, but they make it sound like the best place on earth. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
'Bamnan and Slivercork'
Release Date 1/1/2004
Tracks 12
Label Bella Union
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The tricky thing about lo-fi music is that if you don't know in advance that it's a style that has deliberately been adopted, you may mistakenly suppose that it's just, well, bad. The final song on Bamnan and Slivercork, Midlake's debut album, is called "Mr. Amateur," with lead singer Tim Smith, whose nasal voice recalls Rufus Wainwright's, declaring, "I'm Mr. Amateur on the freeway/I'm Mr. Amateur with a cupcake," and the uninitiated, having listened to the disc's previous 43 or so minutes, might be inclined to agree. The sound quality is primitive and it's a match for the playing, which sounds like the first rehearsal by a bunch of musicians who just started learning to play last week. Ah, but that's the point! In fact, the five members of Midlake all attended the North Texas School of Music before forming the band, which has been playing out for several years. Their influences are clear; like so many others, they are obsessed by the early psychedelic pop days of 1966-1967. Bamnan and Slivercork sounds like a group of musicians trying to remake Pet Sounds and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band with toy instruments on a portable cassette recorder, that is, with even more impressionistic lyrics. It's a pose that requires the listener to be in on the joke. And now that you've been forewarned, you can go ahead and appreciate it for its offbeat charm. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
