Midlake
The Trials of Van Occupanther (2006)
"I want to sound more like Jethro Tull, but I can't."
These are the words of former Midlake singer/primary songsmith Tim Smith. Dropping reverential words about Tull and Radiohead, as Smith has done in interviews, is more than enough to ensure I'm interested in your band of former jazz musicians who don't want to play jazz and are multi-instrumentalists.
Yet while I'm sure I've heard plenty of Midlake songs, I can't tell you whether that's true or not. I suspect from hearing about them from friends and reading about them that I'll quite like what they do, or I do like what they do, I'm just not aware of it.
With that in mind I decided to tackle a Midlake album so that I can become consciously aware of their work. I've chosen 2006's The Trials of Van Occupanther because according to critics, it seems to be where the band really established themselves in the indie scene.
So.....here we go.
The Album
Throughout The Trials of Van Occupanther, many comparisons can be made to other preeminent musicians; there are moments where the band seem to be channeling the Steve Hackett acoustic sound popularised during his time in Genesis, moments where Tim Smith is like a modern-day second coming of Ray Davies, and moments where the comparisons with AOR of the 70s, like non-blues Fleetwood Mac and even the essence of Steely Dan, are obvious.
To that I would add a couple of other sonic reminders; the harmonious vocal work and folk (yes, I can definitely see where it comes from) sensitivities of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, as well as The Byrds.
I realise that makes Midlake sound like a bunch of ripoff merchants. The truth is, they're not. Far from it. There's a difference between ripping off bands and making music that is merely evocative of others' styles and sounds. Midlake here are doing the latter in my view, weaving together music that fits the occasionally soothing, usually emotional and always picturesque lyrics. It's just that the lyrics bear all the hallmarks of some of those folk-style storytellers, and you're not going to set those lyrics to Bloc Party's thumping modern rhythms, are you?
The first half of the album is all killer. Roscoe provides those Steely Dan/Fleetwood Mac comparisons in spades, although the abrasive guitar is far more contrasting than anything either of those bands produced. Lots of varied drumwork too, as well as providing the first glimpse at the quite stunning harmony vocal layers that frame the rest of the songs on the album. Bandits draws on CSNY and Hackett in its acoustic guitar intro, although it duels with a piano giving it more of a Genesis feel, and the flute is Smith playing Ian Anderson to a T. It's very laidback in sound and feel, but is simply a great listen. Head Home is a gorgeous ditty, mainly keys although there's a sweet guitar lead break in the last minute or so. Its only crime is the tiresome repetition of the 'head home' refrain.
Van Occupanther is a great folk song that should serve as a notice to the Mumford and Sons of this world that this is how you do folk; a great set of lyrics (another common theme) about personal withdrawal and voluntary isolationism, it's got The Byrds written all over it. Young Bride is fine, though the weakest of the first six tracks; mournful violin sets the mood, while I dug the dry drum sound. Branches was close to my favourite track - beautifully poetic yet downcast and moody, the piano and acoustic guitar sounds are married in perfect unison while there's some nice touches of French horn to add to the song's general feeling of ennui. The whole thing just sounds so quintessentially English folk/baroque in style...I loved it.
From there though, the album starts to run out of steam. While In This Camp is not too bad, with its distorted guitar and sudden pickup of tempo in the midsection providing a welcome change of pace, the last four tunes are nice but ultimately indifferent. Yes, Chasing After Deer sounds like a late 60s/early 70s lost Kinks ballad, and again Smith's lyrics are gently poetic yet paint vivid pictures in the mind, but they end up being just songs, lacking a certain...vitality that is present in the opening half-dozen tracks. By no means are they bad, but they don't measure up to the rest of the album.
The Verdict
The Trials of Van Occupanther is certainly a good album. Perfect for either a chilled-out summer's day when you want to kick back and relax with a few beverages, or for a cold winter's night when you want to feel better about not living in a place where the winters are snowy and harsh, and you don't have to hunt your own food (because Smith for all his talents seems obsessed with travelling, boats and winter.....I'm thinking this was a concept album and I've missed the concept.)
What I didn't miss though was Midlake's undeniable talent for creating beautiful music. It may not always seize your attention, and there's times when it's merely pleasant background noise, but it still possesses beauty. And when it's good, it's very, very good.
My rating: *** and a half
Standout Tracks
Branches
Van Occupanther
Bandits
I'm still rebuilding my February schedule before doing my March one, so tomorrow's album is unknown at this stage, but I'm thinking it may be the LOAD Project's first trip into the 1950s...so stay tuned!
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