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.
Hello Friends,In January '07 I was turned on to a band called Midlake, from Denton, TX. My life has not been the same since January '07. This is easily a Top 3 for the '06 - '07 school year.If you've ever read Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and enjoyed it, then you will surely enjoy Midlake's latest release "The Trials of Van Occupanther." The album was produced beautifully, complete with war...
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i've been spending more and more time with midlake's trials of van occupanther. at first, i was digging it, but having trouble coming to terms with the excessive fleetwood mac influence, especially apparent in the widely buzzed-about single, 'roscoe'. now that i've gotten more acclimated with the record, there are so many nuances i'm hearing that are very original and very indicitave of true ...
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We’re also adding Midlake: The Trials of Van Occupanther to the mix for this week. We started out listening to this at the beginning of the week before we decided to go with New Moon, and we can’t stop listening. Yes, it’s that good. Enjoy!
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i've been spending more and more time with midlake's trials of van occupanther. at first, i was digging it, but having trouble coming to terms with the excessive fleetwood mac influence, especially apparent in the widely buzzed-about single, 'roscoe'. now that i've gotten more acclimated with the record, there are so many nuances i'm hearing that are very original and very indicitave of true ...
More >
the past month, i have been in a complete new music drought. luckily, my friend jeff, returning from the mighty san francisco california, came back with some music. one album he let me listen to was this wild 60s psych female guitarist by the name of selda. but the record that has made the most impact on me is "the trials of van occupanther" by midlake. the name kind of threw me off a bit, but ...
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Hello Friends,In January '07 I was turned on to a band called Midlake, from Denton, TX. My life has not been the same since January '07. This is easily a Top 3 for the '06 - '07 school year.If you've ever read Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and enjoyed it, then you will surely enjoy Midlake's latest release "The Trials of Van Occupanther." The album was produced beautifully, complete with war...
More >
No matter who you are, I am quite confidant you will enjoy Midlake's album, 'The Trials of Van Occupanter.' I've always been turned off by the band because of their name (yes, that's a lame reason not to listen to a band), but I kept seeing reviews that were phenomenal so I got the album yesterday. Halfway through the first song I was in love with the album. Halfway through the album, it was al...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Roscoe |
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| 2 Bandits |
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| 3 Head Home |
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| 4 Van Occupanther |
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| 5 Young Bride |
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| 6 Branches |
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| 7 In This Camp |
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| 8 We Gathered in Spring |
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| 9 It Covers the Hillsides |
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| 10 Chasing After Deer |
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| 11 You Never Arrived |
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Click to purchase…
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 "The Trials of Van Occupanther")
