Midlake - “Young Bride”

Searching for new folk rock and acoustic music to listen to on breezy autumn days is one of my favorite things to do around this time of year, and I think Midlake’s “Young Bride”  has got to be my absolute favorite discovery of the season. Just a few aching notes of that violin and man, I was done for. If you’re a fan of Fleet Foxes, Arcade Fire, or Copeland, do yourself a favor and listen to the band’s 2006 album The Trials of Van Occupanther. Tim Lake has a voice like a fireside, temperate and inviting, and the album as a whole emanates such earnest warmth, I can’t help but feel sublime.

Other highlights include “Head Home” and “We Gathered in Spring”, a song whose synths mesh surprisingly well and add that extra something that has it tied with “Young Bride” for my album favorite. Their last album, The Courage of Others, was released in the winter of 2010, but according to their Facebook fan page, they’ve got an album title, cover, and are “recording morning, noon, and night!” Maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll get to hear a little sample by New Year’s. 

- Callie