If Henry David Thoreau made sweet, sweet love to Lindsey Buckingham, their child would make music like Midlake. Yes, it’s that good.
Their second album, The Trials of Van Occupanther, is preoccupied with rustic settings and returning to a simpler life. “Bandits” explores the freedom of being relieved of material possessions by bandits. The song makes being robbed blind sound like the most romantic fantasy imaginable: we don’t need nothing; we can live off of the land, the kindness of strangers, and (most importantly) love. If we hadn’t had our own experiences being robbed, we might agree.
Despite our Brooklyn cynicism, it’s easy to be lulled by the lush melodies and cascading harmonies into believing in the daydreams offered up on The Trials of Van Occupanther.
From The Trials of Van Occupanther:
“Bandits”
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“Branches”
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PS. Design junkies, their website is pretty awesome.
