• On mySimon: Pea Coats Are Another Wardrobe Staple

Midlake: "Young Bride" Video

To play this video, you need Javascript enabled and the latest version of Flash installed. Install Flash now
Midlake:
Created: 10/20/2006
Video description: Every once in a while, a band comes along that undoubtedly evokes something special. You don't know what it is, but you are certain that they belong set apart from amongst the crowd of musical peers in which they lay. You quickly find yourself coming to the foregone conclusion that this band's music is to be revered and will remain relevant for some time to come. Midlake has not only embodied this idealism in the hearts of many already, but with the introduction of their latest album, The Trials of Van Occupanther, they are making it a reality. Midlake formed in the small, quirky Texas town of Denton. There the five diligent musicians toiled to create a sound that was pleasing, as wellas their own. Soon enough they were discovered by Bella Union Records owner and Cocteau Twins bassist, Simon Raymonde. Simon fell deeply in love with the band, and together they began to cultivate a relationship built upon sharing Midlake?s music to the world. The band continuously worked day and night to create what would become their debut album, an album of incredible vision, talent, dedication and eccentricity: Bamnan and Slivercork. Released in June of 2004, Bamnan and Slivercork became a instant favorite for many critics and fans worldwide. After a series of touring stints both domestic and abroad, Midlake rapidly found themselves being embraced by a much larger fan base than ever before. Included in the group was actor and skateboarding legend Jason Lee (My Name is Earl, Mallrats, Almost Famous, etc.). Jason joined forces with Midlake as a huge supporter, promoter, and collaborator, directing and filming a video for their single, Balloon Maker. In June of last year, Midlake appeared with Jason on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson where they were received with an overflow of wonderful reviews. Midlake then retreated home to begin work on their next musical venture. With a desire to reach further within and accomplish something even more unique and of their own, Midlake's determined efforts produced The Trials of Van Occupanther. Tim Smith, Singer/Songwriter for Midlake says, Compared to Bamnan and Slivercork, this album uses less keyboards in favor of acoustic guitar, piano, more vocals and electric guitar. The sound is something more related to 70s folk rock but not in a gimmicky way, hopefully. I have a great affinity for those bands from the 70's, the music just seems to move me more. So when writing this album of course those sounds came out in the music. With the album available worldwide, and critics touting them as a 2006 ?Band to Watch", Midlake is set to further the momentum rapidly growing by delivering an album that is sure to merit such high expectations. Midlake are paul alexander (bass, keys), eric nichelson (keys, guitar), eric pulido (guitar, keys, bgv), tim smith (vocals, keys, guitar), mckenzie smith (drums)

Related Videos

Midlake: "Roscoe"

Midlake's critically acclaimed "Trials of Van Occupanther" is easily in the running for one of 2006's top indie releases. "Roscoe" was the song that started it all.

Download Music picks: Episode 3

Andrew Bird, Midlake, Ellen Allien, and Lifesavas feature in the Download crew's music picks of the week.

Midlake: "Head Home"

Check out the video for "Head Home" by Midlake.

The Sights: "Circus"

In the summer of 1998 ? brought together by a slew of disparate-yet-alluring musical reference points ? high school friends Eddie Baranek (vocals/guitar), Mike Trombley (drums), and Mark Leahey (bass/vocals) formed The Sights. The trio began playing around their hometown of Detroit shortly thereafter, around which time Trombley, founding drummer, headed to California for what would come to be a three-year respite from the band and also the impetus for a revolving door of drummers, bassist and keyboard players. Undaunted , The Sights took to the studio and began recording their debut album, Are You Green?, at Jim Diamond?s Ghetto Recorders in Detroit . Originally released in June of 1999, Are You Green? was picked up by L.A.-based Fall of Rome Records and re-released the following year. Never big on rest, The Sights went to work on their sophomore album, Got What We Want (released in 2002). With this, the band?s freakishly precocious ability to blend frenetic garage rock, Motown and 60?s pop into something equal parts classic and catchy got them noticed. Got What We Want was released in the U.K. a year later, garnering them some very nice words from both the British press ("Got What We Want is a revelation - a treasure trove of sparky and wildly immediate songwriting." --NME) and the not-so British press ("At last - a new Detroit-garage band that comes in colors." --Rolling Stone). The Sights hit the road for a year of touring both countries, including a 10-week stint sleeping inside the group?s 1991 Ford Econoline van and stealing bagels for sustenance. In the spring of 2004, The Sights - now including relative newbie Bobby Emmett as organist/bassist and Keith Fox as drummer- caught the ear of ex-Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha, who signed them to his own Scratchie Records ( an imprint of New Line Records). And with that, the band headed back to Ghetto Recorders to record their self-titled third LP, The Sights, due out in April 2005. No small feat, the album combines the unobtrusive honesty of The Band with slivers of influence from The Sights? own personal record collections: Ike & Tina, Solomon Burke, Everly Brothers , Bob Seger, Tim Hardin and all manner of raucous songwriting. The end result is an album that?s classic, not derivative?filled with swagger and deference?and ridiculously catchy. Really.

Nina Simone, UFO!, Sun Kil Moon

This week on Crossfade TV, the Download Music crew checks out a cool set of unreleased recordings and interviews from Nina Simone, new songs from electronic artist UFO!, and the new album from Mark Kozelek's band Sun Kil Moon.

The Delirium Tremens: "Sit N See Saw"

An original music video created for the band The Delirium Tremens using The Sims 2 engine

Klaxons: "Magick"

Fresh from the U.K cult success of their debut single 'Gravity's Rainbow' earlier this year, Klaxons (that's Jamie, Simon and James to their local Vicar) are now venturing Stateside with their offerings of post punk sensibilities with their deep love of Rave music described by Jaime as the most short lived genre of all time. It never even existed and classic Pop culture that sticks like knives out of their every chord change. Resulting in an instant mind bending, shoe stomping hit hailed as The most worthy indie dancefloor filler of the year NME Touching down in 2006 from a place undetermined to wrestle the hearts and minds of the nations music lovers from last year's seemingly all-pervading po-faced, post-punk moroseness. The band describes their sound as Josef K-meets-Baby D, with a twinkle in their eye, surely the first to mention those names in the same sentence. American audiences will immediately see the nod towards influential 90's bands such as Happy Mondays and Altern8. Definitions aside, what you hear is post punk psychedelic pop that meets pill popping dance music and it sure works. A trio with heads jam packed with ideas, ideas that layer influences and an imagination with genuine talent. Dazed & Confused Xan Valleys E.P lurches out demonically from a world of distortion and drummatic? madness, stuffing the peaks and breakdowns into moments of a sheer pop meltdown. If ever a band were all about the moment, all about Myspace as a progression of rave cultures underground communication, and all about creating a live experience every bit as exhilarating as their singles, this is the Klaxons signature sound. The opening track Gravity's Rainbow doesn't mess around as it welcomes and steers the listener into an eerie world of pumping psychedelia combined with melodic and romantic vocals blissfully taking you on a pleasantly trippy ride through their wondrous world and another dimension that is Xan Valleys. One listen to Atlantis To Interzone and the several miles of dots between those influences are quickly joined, where screaming sirens and samples straight out of a field in '89 give way to the punked out half-falsetto, half melodic breakneck vocals and drums. Klaxon, a French verb meaning to too certainly alludes to the raving mania of their audiences who frantically get down to the sounds with horns and whistles intact. But also the word's origin is actually a form of tribal drumming, Simon says used to communicate over long distances, pre amplification and telephones. Therefore, these London lads really are practicing the art of channelling a much loved yet equally forgotten musical era now reinvented and given back to us in the form of Klaxons.

Rancid: "Bloodclot"

One of the cornerstone punk bands of the '90s, Rancid's unabashedly classicist sound drew heavily from the Clash's early records, echoing their left-leaning politics and fascination with ska, while adding a dash of essential hardcore crunch. Critics praise their political commitment, surging energy, and undeniable way with a hook and the band's strengths have made them one of the most revered punk bands ever. Their third album, 1995's ...And Out Come the Wolves, made them a platinum-selling sensation and an inescapable presence on MTV and modern rock radio. While they never translated that success into an enormous blockbuster record, that wasn't necessarily their ambition, choosing to stay with the independent punk label Epitaph and the creative freedom it allowed them. That decision helped them retain a large, devoted core audience as revivalist punk-pop began to slip off the mainstream's musical radar. Rancid was formed in 1991 by San Francisco Bay Area punk scenesters Tim Armstrong (guitar/vocals) and Matt Freeman (bass). Lifelong friends and longtime punk fans, the two had grown up together in the small, working-class town of Albany, near Berkeley; they'd also played together in the legendary ska-punk band Operation Ivy.

Rancid: "Hyena"

One of the cornerstone punk bands of the '90s, Rancid's unabashedly classicist sound drew heavily from the Clash's early records, echoing their left-leaning politics and fascination with ska, while adding a dash of essential hardcore crunch. Critics praise their political commitment, surging energy, and undeniable way with a hook and the band's strengths have made them one of the most revered punk bands ever. Their third album, 1995's ...And Out Come the Wolves, made them a platinum-selling sensation and an inescapable presence on MTV and modern rock radio. While they never translated that success into an enormous blockbuster record, that wasn't necessarily their ambition, choosing to stay with the independent punk label Epitaph and the creative freedom it allowed them. That decision helped them retain a large, devoted core audience as revivalist punk-pop began to slip off the mainstream's musical radar. Rancid was formed in 1991 by San Francisco Bay Area punk scenesters Tim Armstrong (guitar/vocals) and Matt Freeman (bass). Lifelong friends and longtime punk fans, the two had grown up together in the small, working-class town of Albany, near Berkeley; they'd also played together in the legendary ska-punk band Operation Ivy.

Rancid: "Let Me Go"

One of the cornerstone punk bands of the '90s, Rancid's unabashedly classicist sound drew heavily from the Clash's early records, echoing their left-leaning politics and fascination with ska, while adding a dash of essential hardcore crunch. Critics praise their political commitment, surging energy, and undeniable way with a hook and the band's strengths have made them one of the most revered punk bands ever. Their third album, 1995's ...And Out Come the Wolves, made them a platinum-selling sensation and an inescapable presence on MTV and modern rock radio. While they never translated that success into an enormous blockbuster record, that wasn't necessarily their ambition, choosing to stay with the independent punk label Epitaph and the creative freedom it allowed them. That decision helped them retain a large, devoted core audience as revivalist punk-pop began to slip off the mainstream's musical radar. Rancid was formed in 1991 by San Francisco Bay Area punk scenesters Tim Armstrong (guitar/vocals) and Matt Freeman (bass). Lifelong friends and longtime punk fans, the two had grown up together in the small, working-class town of Albany, near Berkeley; they'd also played together in the legendary ska-punk band Operation Ivy.