Midlake - Head Home (Bella Union)
4/5
By: Gareth Roberts
'Head Home' is the third track to be released from 'The Trials of Van Occupanther' and another brilliant effort from a band that has seemingly arrived from nowhere and through word of mouth alone become one of the most critically acclaimed acts of the year.
'Head Home' takes in the usual points of reference, Flaming Lips and Grandaddy in particular are prevalent, however the overriding image I derive is that of Dire Straits playing Belle and Sebastian songs, although that might be just me. Midlake are quite clearly a very self assured proposition, and this comes across in their songwriting - they aren't trying to be anything they're not, and this creates a sound that is by no means strikingly original, yet is at the same time as fresh as anything else around at the moment.
A version of the melancholic 'Roscoe' appears as the b-side, sounding not too dissimilar to some of Radiohead's gentler moments. There are trends and cycles in music, but at the same time there are an elite number of bands that exist outside of these boundaries. Midlake are one of them.
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