Bella Union
Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther (Gold Vinyl)
Regular price $29.00 Save $-29.00Product Description
-
Midlake
are
a
relatively
small
indie
band,
so
the
level
of
ambition
they
display
on
‘The
Trials
of
Van
Occupanther’
is
to
be
commended.
From
the
opening
track,
‘Roscoe’,
with
its
laconic
lyrics
and
slowly
building
chorus,
they
manage
to
recreate
perfectly
the
sound
of
1980s
Fleetwood
Mac,
a
band
not
known
for
thinking
small.
And
though
the
rest
of
the
album
doesn’t
quite
reach
the
heady
heights
of
this
opener,
it’s
not
for
a
lack
of
trying
(particularly
on
‘Head
Home’).
The
remainder
of
‘The
Trials
of
Van
Occupanther’
is
considerably
more
downbeat,
with
distant
flutes
complementing
the
vocal
harmonies
of
songs
like
‘Bandits’
and
‘Branches’.
Where
Midlake
particularly
excel,
though,
is
when,
like
Grandaddy
before
them,
they
draw
their
inspiration
from
the
classic
rock
that
they
seem
to
love
so
much,
adapting
and
modernising
it.
So
in
addition
to
the
anthemic
‘Roscoe’,
they
evoke
the
Gram
Parsons-era
Byrds
or
even
The
Band
on
‘Van
Occupanther’
and
the
road-ready
‘It
Covers
the
Hillsides’.
‘The
Trials
of
Van
Occupanther’
is
an
album
that's
steeped
in
musical
history
yet
possessing
an
identity
all
its
own.
Released
on
180g
gold
vinyl
to
celebrate
a
new
Midlake
album
for
2022
and
also
the
15th
anniversary
of
‘The
Trials
of
Van
Occupanther’
last
year.
Digital
download
code
included.
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