<p>Seventies revivalism is nothing new, but last time out <strong>Midlake</strong> struck the motherlode with <cite>The Trials of Van Occupanther</cite> by reviving the moody dark side of soft rock while banishing all cheesy aspects (unless you’re one of those misguided souls who thinks flutes in rock are inherently cheesy). Four years later we finally get a follow-up with <strong>Tim Smith</strong> &amp; Co. reprising that sound. In the interim, big lush production sounds have become less rare in indie-rockland, but Midlake’s lovely pastoralisms remain utterly distinctive. Heck, even if the songs weren’t so solid, the combination of Smith’s mellow vocals and the band’s production style would be enough to make this enjoyable, but his knack for gently insinuating hooks and unpretentiously profound and poetic lyrics can&#8217;t be overlooked. While <cite>The Courage of Others</cite> doesn’t seem to be a concept album a la <cite>Occupanther</cite>, recurring themes of man in and vs. nature and melancholy retrospection provide coherence, and they mesh well with the band’s organic sound. (Steve)</p> 2010-02-03T16:31:00-05:00 midlake-the-courage-of-others 12902172 Music 2010-02-03T16:31:00-05:00 2010-02-03T17:42:16-05:00 Bella Union 70s, indie, rock Seventies revivalism is nothing new, but last time out *Midlake* struck the motherlode with ??The Trials of Van Occupanther?? by reviving the moody dark side of soft rock while banishing all cheesy aspects (unless you’re one of those misguided souls who thinks flutes in rock are inherently cheesy). Four years later we finally get a follow-up with *Tim Smith* & Co. reprising that sound. In the interim, big lush production sounds have become less rare in indie-rockland, but Midlake’s lovely pastoralisms remain utterly distinctive. Heck, even if the songs weren’t so solid, the combination of Smith’s mellow vocals and the band’s production style would be enough to make this enjoyable, but his knack for gently insinuating hooks and unpretentiously profound and poetic lyrics can't be overlooked. While ??The Courage of Others?? doesn’t seem to be a concept album a la ??Occupanther??, recurring themes of man in and vs. nature and melancholy retrospection provide coherence, and they mesh well with the band’s organic sound. (Steve) 13.99 2010-02-03T16:31:01-05:00 manual 227 32628092 deny 1 CD 1 12.99 12902172 true true 2010-02-03T16:31:01-05:00 2010-02-03T16:31:08-05:00 26695732 1 12902172 2010-02-03T16:31:08-05:00 http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0000/4544/products/midlake.jpg?1268275975 Title