Review:

on 2011-06-17 CharlesMartel Said:

When I bought this CD and my sister first saw "The Courage of Others" shortly after while sitting in the coffee shop, she exclaimed, "ooh a bunch scary-looking guys in hoods". At first I thought she was just being her usual dismissive self. But after a few listens to this album I have come to the conclusion that her comment is, without doubt, the most outstanding thing about this album. Assuming I can get past the first listen of an album, which is certainly not the case all the time, normally every album grows on me somewhat the more I listen to it. That is not the case with "The Courage of Others". The more I listen to it, the more I find to criticise. Indeed, as I write this, my rating of it is going down. If I keep listening to it, it will undoubtedly sink off the scale.

Opinions about this seem mixed generally. It certainly provokes reactions at opposite ends of the spectrum. The only album I have heard by Midlake before this was the acclaimed "The Trials of Van Occupanther" which, I have to say, I was not that taken on. I was therefore recommended this one to check out as an alternative. After three and a bit years, the band had set out to put some distance between that earlier album and this one, presumably in an attempt to avoid being musically typecast. But what they have done is gone backwards. They appear to be taking their inspiration from British folk bands of the later sixties and early seventies.

Now I like a bit of Fairport Convention as much as the next person, but there is a huge difference between them and Midlake. And the principal one is the most telling - Fairport Convention sang and played with a kind of joie de vivre which is sadly lacking here. Part of the problem, on first listen, appears to rest with vocalist Tim Smith's voice. Throughout the entire album the pace, tone and timbre of that voice does not seem to alter. It is not quite monotone, but is so expressionless as to make one wonder whether he is concerned about the music at all. He has a kind of richness to his voice which could carry some weight and yet he utterly fails to exploit it. At first you think he is disconnected, bored with the project, as if he is only there to fulfill some sort of contractual obligation. But no, it gets worse.

The truth of the matter is that the real problem lies with the music. The songs on here seem plodding and leaden. There is little in the way of tempo change and seemingly little in the way of texture, though there is one opening to one track (God I cannot even distinguish between the songs now) which smacks of a power chord or two. The arrangements lack any imagination or flair; the production is flat and seems intent on rubbing out any spark of life in the music. The more you listen to the album, the more it sounds like some amorphous blob, without shape or form, texture or identity. And all the time, over it, drones that increasingly soporific voice. I have listened to this four times now and I am really struggling to give it more plays.

The simple truth is that there are no decent melodies in here. If you are going to mimic British folk then you have to start with a decent melody. But if you lack that, and insist on playing your music more adagio than allegro and overlaying it with a voice which is so lacking in expression, then it hardly surprises that it should so spectacularly fail to deliver. It is not bad in the sense that it is offensive, it is bad in the sense that it could have, should have, needed to be so much better than it is. This is just plain and simple adequate. It is adequately performed, adequately written, adequately arranged and adequately sung. I have always found that the best music is music which provokes an emotional reaction in me. This provokes nothing and for that it is condemned.
Rating: 4/10

Review:

on 2010-01-16 thurstamoore Said:

Follow-up albums are possibly the hardest thing to do for an artist, with a constant struggle to please both their audience and themselves as creative and maturing artists. The Courage of Others is Midlakes follow-up to 2006s critically acclaimed The Trials of Van Occupanther, and there is a lot of pressure on the band to release an equally masterful album. However, some fans may be disappointed as they have not evolved on the same path as The Trials were leading them. Although it is not the same direction as hoped, the band have all matured as musicians and grown in a different way.
On the first listen, The Courage of Others sounds like one luscious 41 minutes of beautiful harmonies, with a bit of difficulty of identifying each individual song. However, as you listen more closely, you really begin to feel the emotions in Tim Smiths vocals. I have to warn you that this album is potentially a get-really-emotional-and-cry-for-no-reason album. The album is warm and filled with late 60s to early 70s folk and traditional influences, ranging from Jethro Tull, Nick Drake to Fleetwood Mac.
The slow and mellow tempo carries throughout the album, and it is rather the emotions that bring the songs intensity up. Children of the Grounds is easily my favorite, and one of the more upbeat songs off of the album. It begins with a looping guitar intro, into a screechy guitar solo, and back to the main riff. The chorus will pull at your heartstrings restlessly. The guitar in Bring Down resembles a lute straight from the renaissance, and this sound accompanied with the voice of a mysteriously beautiful sounding woman makes this song sound like a love song from long, long ago. The heaviest song on this album is The Horn, with its powerful, deep guitar intro. The drums have kicked it up a notch, with plenty of crash and awesome tam rolls.
Unlike previous Midlake albums, The Courage of Others is taken over by pure focus on the vocals, naked/stripped down guitars and an accompaniment of flute, rather than strings, keyboards and upbeat drum beats. The bass has toned down slightly, however the groovy lines still remain present. The flute is put in the spotlight, and a strong Jethro Tull influence is present on the album. Rather than creating climax through dynamic changes and focus on certain instruments, there is an undeniable emotion that is present throughout the album that overpowers any need for dynamic climax. Although The Courage of Others is not depressing, there are still hints of uncertainty and worry for whats coming next, whereas The Trials of Van Occupanther had a sense of hope and optimism for the future.

Rating: 9/10