Midlake – For the Sake of Bethel Woods
Bella Union – 18 March 2022
Midlake does not seem to be a serendipitous band. Yet, there is undoubtedly a sense of serendipity to their reemergence as a band, also reflected in the image of Dave Chandler, father of Midlake’s bassist Jesse, that appears on the cover of For the Sake of Bethel Woods. There are also equal amounts of mystery. Dave had been at Woodstock (which was located in Bethel Woods) back in 1969, appearing briefly in the movie and on the album’s cover. Chandler lost his dad in 2018, yet in a dream two years later, Dave appeared to his son, urging Midlake to reunite.
The journey to reuniting was not a particularly easy one. Their last album, “Antiphon”, wasn’t simple to make. Following the departure of Tim Smith in 2012 (interviewed here), the band threw out two years of recordings and started anew. Six months later, they had an album. Eric Pulido, now serving as lead singer in addition to his former guitar duties, described the album as “free-flowing in feel, concise in structure … very much Midlake, but uncannily rebooted and relaxed.” And then nothing. It had all been too much for them.
Yet, the long wait for another album is finally over. Encapsulated in the sound of the first single, “Meanwhile” is a band that seems to be having fun again. Where past albums took forever to get right, “For the Sake of Bethel Woods” sounds like a band that has taken control of the moment and is no longer overthinking anything. Softly, gently they take charge, guitars sounding like keyboards, and keyboards sounding like, well, keyboards as the song recounts Dave’s appearance to Jesse and the resounding sense of getting back to work.
The album’s opening track “Commune” clocks in at just 54 seconds, setting up the album with the opening line, “I’ve been away now far too long/ Lost and alone with no commune.” A vaguely Spanish sounding guitar strums while keyboards hint at the changing nature of the band. Getting even clearer on “Bethel Woods,” the drums rumble with a vengeance, virtually ignoring the quieter keyboard passage underneath. As a demarcation point between the past and the present, one can hear the band being serious, yet underneath there is a notion “Hey look ma, we’re having fun here.”
“Glistening” skitters across the speakers, illustrating shades that never seemed to exist in the previous era of the band. Yet, they haven’t lost their sense of experimenting with sounds to find new shadings. The shackles have been taken off. Recharged and reinvigorated, they are ready to take on the world. The combination of flutes and layered vocals on “Exile” send the song into uncharted territory. There is a sense of liberation in the music. No one is holding them back any longer.
While Midlake have not deserted the sounds of yore, they have reinterpreted the repertoire on For the Sake of Bethel Woods, sounding more willing to experiment with the various pieces that make up their music. Not simply returning the fray, Midlake truly seems to take the lead and go wherever that spirit leads.
Pre-Order For the Sake of Bethel Woods: https://ffm.to/midlake-ftsobw1