Editor's Choice...
And this time, "The Trials of Van Occupanther", "Midlake's" second album released on July 25, 2006.
"Midlake" is an American band formed in 1999 in Denton Texas.
The band combines different and varied musical styles, ranging from folk-rock, indie, psychedelic, and even progressive.
In 2001, "Midlake" released the first EP called "Milkmaid Grand Army" which was printed in only 1,000 copies, but managed to arouse the interest of the independent record company "Bella Union", which was founded by two members of "Cocteau Twins".
The band was signed to the boutique label and in 2004 released their debut album "Bamnan and Slivercork", which combined folk-rock, electronics, and psychedelia and was influenced by bands such as "Grandaddy" and "The Flaming Lips". The album received rave reviews and the band soon began working on a sequel.
The band's second album "The Trials of Van Occupanther", released in 2006 and marks a significant development of the band in terms of musical style.
This is a melodic and magical album that will throw you hard into the "classic rock" of the seventies.
The atmosphere of the seventies strikes us inside from the opening song "Roscoe" which introduces us to the amazing vocal harmonies, which undoubtedly correspond with Buckingham and Nicks' "Fleetwood Mac" era, along with the sound of that band in the Bob Welch era of the early seventies.
This classic rock feel continues through the pianos of "Bandits" and the Eric Clapton's guitar solo there. It blends in with folk in songs like "Branches" which includes playing on a french horn and "Young Bride" which includes the violin. It hovers over the entire album with the electric-acoustic combination and a-la "CSNY" vocal harmonies, but gets progressive touches with the delicate flute sounds in songs like "Van Occupanther" and "In This Camp" that evolve with a dynamic and changing composition.
So if you fancy a bit of retro folk and classic rock, wrapped in an intelligent and contemporary presentation, the album "The Trials of Van Occupanther" is the album for you.
For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music