The new Midlake album, “The Courage Of Others” leaked this past Christmas, and the excitement is palpable. Fans of the band posting online seem polarized by all accounts. Those that hate it, hate it a lot. Those that are digging it, are ecstatic.
One fan exclaimed ”I never understood what all the fuss was about Fleet Foxes while Midlake existed” Another still exclaimed the polar opposite, that the whole album sounds like one long song, as if that was supposed to be a bad thing.
The album is a challenging listen. This is a band that knows exactly who they are and what they want to put across. I, like the others was initially looking for a standout track. Something with the casual brilliance of “Roscoe” or the catchiness of Young Bride” , both off their previous LP. It never comes, so stop looking.
Instead, we get something that reaches higher. With “The Courage Of Others” , Midlake is going for timelessness. Upon repeated listenings, it’s astonishing just how many times they approach precisely that.
There is a musicianship here that unfolds itself very slowly in front of you and once the flower opens, well lets just say if you’re not there you might miss it. Whether or not you choose to hit rewind is up to you.
A song like “The Horn” for instance has so much going on within the first 42 seconds. We first get a lead guitar fade in that borders on casual, joined in by a ride cymbal to a full on drum kit. The guitar riff changes and then it’s joined by another guitar and they go off on an entirely different bag for a few bars. 32 seconds later, a THIRD tasty riff kicks in and the tune just soars into the sky like a glider. If you’re not on the glider when it takes off , you’ll just be confused.
Midlake’s restrained heaviness goes a long way. It’s what ultimately kept me coming back to it. Like a caged animal it bares it’s fangs at you but does not attack. It instead invites you to draw nearer. Once you get close enough to it., you realize that this band has goals much loftier than a catchy hook or a poppy chorus.