ALBUM REVIEW:- MIDLAKE / The courage of others

With this, the third album from Texas Quintet Midlake, I was full of hope for the listening. On it's cover it bore a sticker with "Mojo - Album of the month" imprinted upon it. And then I put it on. All of the different musicians who play on this album are brimming with competence and ability, and I find it hard to fault the production as it is a tidy sound overall ; a very spacious and easily distinguishable mix. The problem I had with it, I realised after Track four 'Core of Nature' that for the first four songs it had seemed like I was listening to the same one. It was all very wistful and medieval and ultimately quite insipid and unimaginative. Track five : 'Fortune' was a welcome, if short-lived change. It showed the potential of a band that can but don't. For a start- a major chord sequence was visited: a brief holiday of hope. A momentary breath of fresh air only to return to the gloom as soon a the respite had come. Track 9, 'The Horn' bore some interest, and was in some ways reminiscent in it's music of early Richard Thompson such as 'Valleria'.
Overall this Album is a well produced, depression inducing fog. Their sweet sounding monk-like harmonies are "nice", but are not well served by the 14 or so centuries of Gregorian chants or indeed the Clannad of the early 1990's while in their 'Robin of Loxley' phase.
Tim Smith - the lead singer is cursed with a very notable voice as, in the absence of any decent material, all one notices about the songs are that his voice was yet again present in another mediocre song. This in the long -term can have a detrimental effect on the life-span of a band like this.

                                                                                                                                              Score : 4/10