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Did You Ever Want To
Run Around With Bandits?
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Midlake: The Trials of Van Occupanther
Bella Union, 2006
Rating: 4.5
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Posted:
October 16,
2006
By
Laurence Station
Midlake’s sophomore release, The Trials of Van Occupanther, is a
spectral, temporally dissociative work. There’s the ’70s soft rock
compositional sheen -- think America or a more understated, less obvious
Lindsey Buckingham during his creative peak with Fleetwood Mac --
commingling with such atypical rock lyrics as, “They roamed around and
foraged / They made their house from cedars / They made their house from
stones” (from the impressive, tone-setting opener “Roscoe”). Themes dealing
with home and hearth, isolation and circumspection imbue Van Occupanther
with uncommon substance. Ultimately, it’s a song cycle about people finding
the best footing in an uncertain world, whether that means settling down or
venturing further along the road of experience, all to an easy-gliding,
unapologetically retro backdrop.
Unlike Bamnan and Slivercork, Midlake’s 2004 debut, The Trials of
Van Occupanther relies less on electronic embellishments, emphasizing
traditional piano and acoustic guitars, while mixing in strings, flutes and
French horns. In terms of tonal balance, consistency of flow and maturity of
lyrics, it's a quantum leap over the group’s initial effort. Lead
singer/songwriter Tim Smith has surpassed the Grandaddy-derivative
quirkiness that colored the band’s debut and latched onto a singular
worldview that holds firm across the span of the album. While Midlake may
not have found its mature voice, Van Occupanther is undeniable proof
that the group has discovered a wonderfully distinctive mode of
communication.
“Bandits” wrestles with the notion of giving up a safe domestic existence
for the life of a rogue; “Head Home” affirms which choice was made. The
unassuming “Van Occupanther” favors a full retreat from earthly burdens:
“Let me not be too consumed with this world / Sometimes I want to go home /
And stay out of sight for a long time.”
Van Occupanther’s strongest moment, both musically and lyrically,
arrives on “Young Bride,” with its urgent beat, emotionally resonant violin
and concern over harsh winters and things lurking in dark, forbidding
forests. There’s a yearning to protect the titular character, and yet the
feeling of an emotional distance that may never be bridged. Follow-up
“Branches” reinforces the concept of matrimonial hardship (“We won’t get
married / ’Cause she won’t have me”), in which even reaching the altar
proves a challenge. These songs cement an image of young couples on the
periphery of civilization, pioneers exploring a rustic environment filled
with promise, both heavenly and hellish in nature, where the future is
anything but guaranteed.
“In This Camp” fumbles toward domesticity, seeking a more perfect union, and
all the pressures that come with it, as a familiar pattern of swelling
choruses and a rhythmically passionate backbeat accentuate Smith’s
reservedly earnest vocals. With such a dogged commitment to a particular
vibe, Midlake has essentially pinned all of its hopes on a single, extremely
familiar style. Those not grooving to the early ’70s folk-rock aesthetic
will be hard-pressed to embrace the work.
Regardless of taste, it’s difficult to not give props to a band that crafts
original, evocative lines like “No one lives to be three hundred years /
Like the way it used to be / I think they were giants” (from “We Gathered In
Spring”). This is rich, rewarding stuff, literate but not pretentious, warm
but never maudlin. While The Trials of Van Occupanther may never be
more than a cult favorite, those seeking to till peculiarly American musical
soil will undoubtedly reap a rewarding and plentiful harvest.
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