MIDLAKE
For The Sake Of Bethel Woods (Bella Union)
Reconvening after a 10-year hiatus, Texan quintet Midlake return, rejuvenated on a perfectly paced fifth album. After Commune, a woody scene-setter, Bethel Woods packs plenty of drama into its four-plus minutes: a muscular drumbeat, piano, urgent guitars and a soaring chorus from singer Eric Pulido. Glistening unties a knobbly funk groove, stretching it to the limits with a cinematic outro, and Exile blends a Motown beat with space rock and pastoral flute from Jesse Chandler, whose late father features on the cover and inspired this comeback.
The dreamy psych-folk of Feast Of Carrion and its uplifting gear change looks longingly back at Midlake’s Van Occupanther album, but the likes of the tender Noble, ELOish Meanwhile and Gone – with its jazzy strut of a bassline mark, atmospheric keyboards and transformative middle eight – pace this album out as another classic of theirs or any other canon.
words CHRIS SEAL
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