dilluns, de març 26, 2007
Mucho Music Machete- Midlake
It’s Monday so I’ll review another album. On the plate for today- “The Trials of Van Occupanther” by Midlake
Who is Midlake? That is a question I asked myself sometime back
after listening to their song “Roscoe.” I still don’t have an answer, but I do have their whole album now so I will elaborate on that.
Almost the entire album is understated, soft, and swooning. There is no climax. There is no ‘pump up the jam’ moment. The most up-tempo you are going to get is the song “Young Bride.” That is not to say that the whole album is not upbeat. While some songs deal with a tragic topic, there is a positive outlook intertwined in the lyrics. Well, at least there is a matter-of-fact attitude when things turn for the worse.
To put Midlake’s musical contribution in context for you I’ll do the ubiquitous comparisons. There are some songs that resemble Radiohead when they are doing songs like “Motion Picture Soundtrack.” The singer actually pulls off an American Thom Yorke post-falsetto removal.
By the way what happened to Radiohead’s new album? I saw them perform a few new songs almost a year ago.
The piano, backing vocals and drums are more like Fleetwood Mac at times, but there is no delving into the ultra melancholic here. I would venture to say that Steely Dan is oft-channeled but if only to avoid driving into alt-country territory.
The songs seem to be written by some long gone relative that enjoyed the challenges of living on the frontier. That might seem weird, but the opener “Roscoe” does more than just epitomize this idea, it sets the tone for the entire album. Songs about bandits, farmers, leaky roofs, and carrying buckets take you to a different time. Plain and simple the lyrics are do a great job of creating a world that is separate from the one listening to it.
Many of the songs stay away from cyclical choruses, at least lyrically, but use those parts of the song to convey the most emotions. “Branches” is a good example of this in how it sets the tone and summarizes the story with the chorus and uses the verse to tell you how it got their in the first place.
“The Trials of Vanoccupanther” is masterful soft, easy music that Wings would probably be influenced by if time were reversed. This album is the type your girlfriend is happy you introduced her too. It is definitely music for the fall and maybe early spring. You wouldn’t go to an art museum expecting to be thrilled but you would listen to Midlake to hear something gently beautiful.
Any suggestions?
Who is Midlake? That is a question I asked myself sometime back
after listening to their song “Roscoe.” I still don’t have an answer, but I do have their whole album now so I will elaborate on that.Almost the entire album is understated, soft, and swooning. There is no climax. There is no ‘pump up the jam’ moment. The most up-tempo you are going to get is the song “Young Bride.” That is not to say that the whole album is not upbeat. While some songs deal with a tragic topic, there is a positive outlook intertwined in the lyrics. Well, at least there is a matter-of-fact attitude when things turn for the worse.
To put Midlake’s musical contribution in context for you I’ll do the ubiquitous comparisons. There are some songs that resemble Radiohead when they are doing songs like “Motion Picture Soundtrack.” The singer actually pulls off an American Thom Yorke post-falsetto removal.
By the way what happened to Radiohead’s new album? I saw them perform a few new songs almost a year ago.
The piano, backing vocals and drums are more like Fleetwood Mac at times, but there is no delving into the ultra melancholic here. I would venture to say that Steely Dan is oft-channeled but if only to avoid driving into alt-country territory.
The songs seem to be written by some long gone relative that enjoyed the challenges of living on the frontier. That might seem weird, but the opener “Roscoe” does more than just epitomize this idea, it sets the tone for the entire album. Songs about bandits, farmers, leaky roofs, and carrying buckets take you to a different time. Plain and simple the lyrics are do a great job of creating a world that is separate from the one listening to it.
Many of the songs stay away from cyclical choruses, at least lyrically, but use those parts of the song to convey the most emotions. “Branches” is a good example of this in how it sets the tone and summarizes the story with the chorus and uses the verse to tell you how it got their in the first place.
“The Trials of Vanoccupanther” is masterful soft, easy music that Wings would probably be influenced by if time were reversed. This album is the type your girlfriend is happy you introduced her too. It is definitely music for the fall and maybe early spring. You wouldn’t go to an art museum expecting to be thrilled but you would listen to Midlake to hear something gently beautiful.Any suggestions?
Publica un comentari a l'entrada