Denton, Texas quintet Midlake makes music so exquisite that it usually elicits the opposite reaction of wanting to cut a bitch (i.e. more like falling to the floor and crying from the beauty of it all). Just like their sophomore album
The Trials of Van Occupanther, their forthcoming
The Courage of Others out next week (in the US, at least) is a real treasure; full of golden hues and melodies, melancholy tones and a wash of gentle nostalgia.
Midlake’s 42-minute, 12-track third album is what we’ve come to expect from the band, which is not meant as a blow at all. They’re related to the folk thing that’s brought bands like Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes to the front; a revival of all things good, proper, genteel and Fleetwood Mac-y about this world.
Trailer for
The Courage of Others: