05-02-2010, 23:52
released Feb 2nd, 2010
![[Image: 200px-Midlake_newcover-0x495.jpg]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/00/Midlake_newcover-0x495.jpg/200px-Midlake_newcover-0x495.jpg)
from the album - Small Mountain
YouTube - MIDLAKE-SMALL MOUNTAIN (2010).wmv
from all music
The lo-fi rock quintet Midlake was formed in Denton, TX, in 2000 by a group of musicians who had attended the North Texas School of Music together: Paul Alexander (bass, keyboards), Eric Nichelson (keyboards, guitar), Eric Pulido (guitar, keyboards, background vocals), Tim Smith (vocals, keyboards, guitar), and Mckenzie Smith (drums). They issued their own EP, Milkmaid Grand Army, in 2001, and sold 1,000 copies at their Texas gigs. They attracted the attention of Simon Raymonde, who signed them to his Bella Union label in the U.K., leading to European concerts and the recording of their first full-length album, Bamnan and Slivercork, which was released in July 2004. For their next album, the band changes gears and moved away from the psychedelic leanings of their debut toward a more '70s-influenced sound. 2006's The Trials of Van Occupanther featured the same lineup and a sound reminiscent of harmony-rich soft rock bands like America and Laurel Canyon troubadours like Neil Young and Gene Clark. The band stopped touring the following year to begin work on a new album. The resulting Courage of Others arrived in February 2010.
album review
Midlakeâs third album, The Courage of Others, resides in the same woody, bearded Laurel Canyon neighborhood as their previous release The Trials of Van Occupanther. Tim Smith and his crew of laid-back balladeers have created another mesmerizing, smoke-filled work of quiet beauty that may not exactly improve on Trials, but does refine and focus their sound. Smithâs tender vocals, the bandâs sympathetically hushed backing, and the strong melodies of the songs combine to cast a spell of hushed melancholy thatâs only occasionally broken up by drums or volume. Indeed, the one song that rises above the no-tempo to midtempo mark, "Children of the Grounds," sounds a bit out of place before the web of vocal harmonies pulls the song back into the lovely gloom. The slightly mystical, always deeply felt lyrics that fill the rest of the album also serve to unify and narrow the focus of the album. Smith never comes close to writing a love song, instead focusing on the human condition, death, courage (as per the albumâs title), and nature. The thoughtfulness and heaviness of the words can be a bit much at times, but the vocal harmonies and layers of guitars smooth over any concerns before they really take hold. Sadly, this time out, the band have put aside the wonderfully corny synthesizers they used on the last record in favor of a 100-percent organic approach that fits their bearded poets of the mountain image. Sad, because the one thing the album is missing is some kind of surprise or unexpected musical choice to shake the record loose from the strict generic bounds it adheres to from start to finish. Itâs almost like the group set out to make exactly the record a lover of this kind of honest, moody, and unfailingly real music, where even the girls in the band have beards, would want to hear. That they succeeded in doing just that is impressive, but for anyone who wants a little more, they may need to go back to Trials.
Track Listing
1."Acts of Man"
2."Winter Dies"
3."Small Mountain"
4."Core of Nature"
5."Fortune"
6."Rulers, Ruling All Things"
7."Children of the Grounds"
8."Bring Down"
9."The Horn"
10."The Courage of Others"
11."In the Ground"
from the album - Small Mountain
YouTube - MIDLAKE-SMALL MOUNTAIN (2010).wmv
from all music
The lo-fi rock quintet Midlake was formed in Denton, TX, in 2000 by a group of musicians who had attended the North Texas School of Music together: Paul Alexander (bass, keyboards), Eric Nichelson (keyboards, guitar), Eric Pulido (guitar, keyboards, background vocals), Tim Smith (vocals, keyboards, guitar), and Mckenzie Smith (drums). They issued their own EP, Milkmaid Grand Army, in 2001, and sold 1,000 copies at their Texas gigs. They attracted the attention of Simon Raymonde, who signed them to his Bella Union label in the U.K., leading to European concerts and the recording of their first full-length album, Bamnan and Slivercork, which was released in July 2004. For their next album, the band changes gears and moved away from the psychedelic leanings of their debut toward a more '70s-influenced sound. 2006's The Trials of Van Occupanther featured the same lineup and a sound reminiscent of harmony-rich soft rock bands like America and Laurel Canyon troubadours like Neil Young and Gene Clark. The band stopped touring the following year to begin work on a new album. The resulting Courage of Others arrived in February 2010.
album review
Midlakeâs third album, The Courage of Others, resides in the same woody, bearded Laurel Canyon neighborhood as their previous release The Trials of Van Occupanther. Tim Smith and his crew of laid-back balladeers have created another mesmerizing, smoke-filled work of quiet beauty that may not exactly improve on Trials, but does refine and focus their sound. Smithâs tender vocals, the bandâs sympathetically hushed backing, and the strong melodies of the songs combine to cast a spell of hushed melancholy thatâs only occasionally broken up by drums or volume. Indeed, the one song that rises above the no-tempo to midtempo mark, "Children of the Grounds," sounds a bit out of place before the web of vocal harmonies pulls the song back into the lovely gloom. The slightly mystical, always deeply felt lyrics that fill the rest of the album also serve to unify and narrow the focus of the album. Smith never comes close to writing a love song, instead focusing on the human condition, death, courage (as per the albumâs title), and nature. The thoughtfulness and heaviness of the words can be a bit much at times, but the vocal harmonies and layers of guitars smooth over any concerns before they really take hold. Sadly, this time out, the band have put aside the wonderfully corny synthesizers they used on the last record in favor of a 100-percent organic approach that fits their bearded poets of the mountain image. Sad, because the one thing the album is missing is some kind of surprise or unexpected musical choice to shake the record loose from the strict generic bounds it adheres to from start to finish. Itâs almost like the group set out to make exactly the record a lover of this kind of honest, moody, and unfailingly real music, where even the girls in the band have beards, would want to hear. That they succeeded in doing just that is impressive, but for anyone who wants a little more, they may need to go back to Trials.
Track Listing
1."Acts of Man"
2."Winter Dies"
3."Small Mountain"
4."Core of Nature"
5."Fortune"
6."Rulers, Ruling All Things"
7."Children of the Grounds"
8."Bring Down"
9."The Horn"
10."The Courage of Others"
11."In the Ground"
