Midlake – The Trials of Van Occupanther (Bella Union)

I didn’t like the name. I was suspicious about all the references to 70’s Americana. But 30 seconds into the “The Trials” I was swept away. This is one of those rare albums that require no work whatsoever to fall for hard and fast for. The breezy summer day sound is both bright and thoughtful, and does, I suppose, seem somewhat reminiscent of a genuinely American sound from some ambiguous time and place. Not so much rock like The Band, but more like a milder Neil Young at his best and vocally somewhere between Buckley, Mark Kozelek, and Joe Pernice: cool and silky without any of the distinctive quirks that sometimes get tired after a while. But to suggest that the record is merely straight forward guitar, bass and drums idea is to overlook the robust instrumentation (flute, strings, brass) along the way. Somehow this record went overlooked last year, so thank goodness it is so timeless.