Midlake - Antiphon

What to do when you lose the voice that’s elevated you above the beardy folk masses? Since 2006’s The Trials Of Van Occupanther placed them as prime Fleetwood Mac revivalists, Midlake have quietly inspired a host of US musicians to get pastoral (as well as supporting the singular talent of John Grant) and wooed legions of fans with songs of emotional heft and pop subtlety. 2010’s The Courage Of Others revealed itself over time but left many cold, so Antiphon should have been about a return to form. Instead, the big news is that frontman Tim Smith has left.
The band’s guiding light, his vocals were a trademark. Now, a man down, the band from Denton, Texas, have delivered their most daring record to date. On the evidence of Antiphon – a communal call-and-response style of singing that alludes to a new togetherness – the departure has brought freedom, as the group send their folk skywards. Electronic textures infiltrate the sound, there are flirtations with space-rock and psychedelia, and the woozy, bluesy, Gallic guitar stabs keep things urgent. On second track ‘Provider’ they harmonise about following them down “a foxhole in the ground” and there’s a feeling that they’ve gone through the looking glass. So, a brave venture that sounds lush throughout, peppered with several tracks that would sit well on radio, particularly ‘The Old And The Young’.
How then, does it all end being a touch forgettable? Maybe it’s the fact there’s a Smith-shaped hole where their keening heart used to be. The vocals are a little vanilla. Maybe it’s the fact that, when they get experimental, they seem like a lesser Grizzly Bear. They never quite reach the high-water mark except on the moving, must-immediately-play-again ‘Aurora Gone’. Conjure up a clutch of those next time and they’ll be a fully renewed force. Right now, they’ve proved there’s life after Tim Smith and it’s brimming with possibility.

Key Track: 'Aurora Gone'