Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther

It's hard for nice music to be interesting. It's a delicate balance between complimenting the material in an interesting way, and overcrowding it. It's also easier to talk about someone like Keith Moon, who was always the driving force of his band, than to talk about McKenzie Smith of Midlake, who does a fantastic job of not really being noticeable (if that makes sense).

It's hard to explain what I mean. On The Trials Of Van Occupanther, the drums sound so organic and natural. Hell, they just sound nice. There is no showboating, just warm, textural playing. It's the little things I like about his playing. The way his kick drum locks in with the bass on Roscoe. The way he comes in halfway through Bandits. The rhythm on Young Bride (probably my favorite display of tasteful drumming in the last few years). Even the seemingly simple It Covers The Hillsides has some really cool half time stuff.

I've has friends tell me that they saw Midlake at festivals and were bored to tears. I am sure they are right, because seeing Midlake at a festival would be horrible. This is a band that needs to play theatres, Carnegie Hall, or anywhere with incredible acoustics. There is just too much little stuff that deserves to be heard. You can't capture that outside with tens of thousands of people, you need closed quarters, a comfortable seat and a quart of Jack Daniels.

Audio/Visual Evidence : Roscoe, Head Home