The Trials of Van Occupanther
Label: Bella Union
Length: LP
Media: CD
Format: Album
WorkNameSort: Trials of Van Occupanther, The
Jason Lee (My Name Is Earl, Almost Famous) is their most noteworthy fan, having shot their video and ushered them onto The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson, and they’ve opened shows for the Flaming Lips. In just a few short years, Denton, Texas’ Midlake have enjoyed the sort of quick connections and lucky breaks that many other bands struggle for over longer durations. If they were sitting around Brooklyn or were British, the knives would be out ready to carve as the always-dreaded second album spits forth. And there are a few nearly ‘progâ?� moments (‘Branchesâ?�) where the band swallows the bongwater and hangs around the piano too long, but mostly things shuffle past with an easeful grace that recalls the warm AM radio timbre of early-’70s Bread, with layered harmony beds and delicate orchestration. There’s a sense of whimsy that never succumbs to the more deliberate aspects of the ‘freak folkâ?� movement. Just well-crafted tunes for a lazy day.
This article appears in Jul 26 – Aug 1, 2006.