Ok. I know I’m late on this one. There are probably eight million reviews of this album on the interwebs at this point. But I’ve been meaning to talk about Midlake’s latest release, The Courage of Others ever since their appearance on NPR’s All Songs Considered back in January. They were previewing the album, which was streaming on the NPR website.

I skimmed through The Courage of Others that day and enjoyed it. Much more dense and focused than their previous outing, The Trials of Van Occupanther, it was obvious the four years between records was spent tweaking and mastering their sound.

I had all but forgotten about Midlake, until I saw Pitchfork’s review pop up in Google Reader. Now, I don’t expect much more from Pitchfork than hipsterish pretense. But they gave this record a 3.6! A fucking 3.6! I was appalled. I remembered being thoroughly impressed with the album and set off to prove them wrong.

Yet two and a half weeks and five full-listens later, I kinda see their point. And, trust, it kills me to admit that.

Upon diving into The Courage of Others, you’re transported back about 45 years. It’s got an old school, rustic vibe to it. You could close your eyes and see a thousand hippies dancing naked with flowers around their necks, just grooving to Midlake. From the very first track, their admittedly heavy Jethro Tull influence is evident—flutes and all. Vocalist, Tim Smith comes in speaking of the impermanent, cyclical nature of life and the world. You’re drawn into, as they call it, The Core of Nature.

But then, it just stays there. One song becomes the next, everything runs together and nothing changes. The Courage of Others is less a musical journey through nature and the human condition and more a static image of some trees. If you listen to any one track from the album, you won’t find anything wrong with it. In fact, you’ll probably really like it. And you should, Midlake is one talented fucking band. But as a whole, these songs come off stagnant, stale and, at times, straight boring.

This is in stark contrast to their 2006 album, The Trials of Van Occupanter. That album was exuberant, energetic and varied. It also gave us the instant classic, Roscoe. Here on The Courage of Others, it feels like they over thought things. As if they were concentrating on creating a more structured, technically proficient sound rather than a creative, engaging album.

That being said, Midlake does do a lot of things I like here. They create gorgeous soundscapes, on par with personal favorites like Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Explosions In The Sky. They are supremely gifted musicians and show it on every track. They remain consistent throughout the album, never straying far from their established feel. The entire album is impeccably produced and beautifully mixed. I say it a lot, but it’s definitely a headphone record.

Yet it still doesn’t succeed in separating itself from things we’ve heard before. Vocally, it’s as expressionless as The National, but without the intriguing quality of a Matt Beringer. Lyrically, it’s as esoteric as Bill Callahan, yet less likable. Musically, they’re almost Shinsian in places, but again less likable. It’s like someone told James Mercer he had cancer, then demanded he record an album about the wonders of nature.

Bottom line: The Courage of Others has a lot of problems. It’s not a horrible album, but it falls far short of mark set by The Trials of Van Occupanther. And from a group of musicians as talented as Midlake, I expect more. Will I buy their next record? Yeah. Will I pay to see them live? Probably. Will I run out and tell everyone they have to hear this album? Not so much.

Final Grade: C+

Winter Dies:

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Core of Nature:

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The Horn:

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