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ACL: Midlake
Midlake is probably one of the last rock bands you’d prefer to see in a field on a hot summer day, with sound bleeding over from two other stages. Subtlety in general does not go over well at festivals, and the Denton band’s latest album, “The Trial of Van Occupanther,” is wintery, atmospheric and complex.
Toward the end of the set, singer-guitarist-keyboardist Tim Smith even said plaintively: “There’s a lot of noise at this music fest.” Some in the crowd cheered, and he responded, more plaintively still, “We got a flute here.” Smith’s flute actually could be heard reasonably well on “The Pills Won’t Help You Now,” which Midlake wrote in collaboration with electronica’s Chemical Brothers. Nuances in the arrangement were shortchanged, but the lush vocal harmonies were still marvelous.
Smith has one of the prettiest tenor voices around, and guitarist Eric Pulido, who sings backing vocals, would probably be the lead in another band. “Van Occupanther” also has a low-key instrumental brilliance and craftsmanship that can recall the best of ‘70s California rock, without sounding too retro. A cheer went up when the band launched into the title track from “Van Occupanther,” whose melody soars and dives with unforced drama.
Another one of the strongest songs, “Young Bride,” got a crowd-pleasing introduction: a marriage proposal from one fan to his girlfriend. It was obvious from her body language that she was almost too thrilled to react, but the lack of a verbal response worried Pulido a little.
“Can we get a ‘Yes’?” he asked, and then, as the woman threw her arms around her new fiance, Pulido confirmed: “We got a yes!”
A promising new track from a forthcoming album, “Children of the Ground,” was more kinetic than some of the older songs. And on the closing “Head Home,” Smith sent fans off with both a beautiful melody and a stimulating guitar solo with a little blues in it and a bit of sonic fuzz on it.
(Photo by Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
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