(Speak ‘N Spell/Inertia)

Get in touch with nature

Midlake did themselves a solid in advance when they released second album The Trials Of Van Occupanther in 2006, with opening track Roscoe causing a fuss in indie rock circles and ensuring that by the time they released another record, we’d still remember who they were. It seems that most contemporary folk music passing through the indie sieve comes from American bands tending towards traditional Americana, all dust and tumbleweeds and lap steel. Though they hail from Texas, Midlake stand aside from all this with a distinctively British, pastoral sound that’s both welcome and refreshing. With song titles like Core Of Nature, Small Mountain and In The Ground it’s clear The Courage Of Others is occupied with all things earthly and natural, and this thread carries through not only the lyrics but the instrumentation and production. Nothing says mystical forest like the soothing tones of the humble recorder and bassoon. Opener Acts Of Man makes clear that Midlake have lost none of their attention to detail; the production is warm, rich, aglow with the band’s effective harmonies. Tim Smith’s compelling voice is in fine form again, particularly in the brief Fortune and Winter Dies. Fleet Foxes fans will feel right at home here. The rewarding elements of this album are less often individual tracks than in the gentle moss-covered crawl of the record as a whole. The Courage Of Others lacks the immediacy of Van Occupanther, and it doesn’t really have another Roscoe (Core Of Nature comes closest), but it’s a quality release with its own quiet strength.

***˝

MICHAEL PINCOTT

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