Midlake : Acts Of Man
Thursday, February 04, 2010
The Ripfork Lets It Rip... Again
Man, what is up with Pitchfork these days? I am seriously at odds with several of their recent reviews (Eels End Times anyone? A 3.9? Come on.)
And then yesterday comes this- their scathing review of Midlake's new album The Courage of Others with a 3.6. Geez. Is there a 2.5 in some poor band's future? It's one thing to be critical, it's another to be harsh. We all do it from time to time but it hardly ever feels good. (I'm not feeling good right now.)
Pitchfork has the power to make or break a band's career but they are teetering dangerously close to pissing off a whole mess of music lovers who got them to that rarified pinnacle they now call home. Careful. Backlash ain't pretty.
Both the Eels album and this one are dark, emotional journeys and that can sometimes mean you either feel it or you don't...but that doesn't make it bad. In the case of Midlake, I would describe these new songs as dense, lush, weighty and very moving; far from this:
"... there's no bite to any of it, no intensity, precious little conveyance of emotion. I wish there were a single great song, one shining moment to point to as a beacon of hope for what's to come for these guys, but Courage just feels so monochromatic, so flatlined, even the tiniest signs of life have no power to resuscitate."
Paul Thompson, February 3, 2010
I'm not gonna belabor this one. Just have a listen. This is one of the most haunting and beautiful songs I have heard in a very long time...about the perils of what man is doing to planet earth.
I'm just saying...
by Midlake from The Courage Of Others
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Midlake vs. (B)itchforkThursday, February 4th 2010 9:57PM
Acts of Man is a pretty impressive song!! It is quite a departure from Midlake of even a few years back- I agree, though- 3.6 is just downright mean.
PeteThursday, February 4th 2010 3:50PM
I completely agree with you. Thank you so much for your remarks. How can one not see the beauty in this wonderful album. I am so moved everytime I listen to "Acts of Man", and is't not the only song in this album. That Pitchfork guy must have had a bad day or two (where he lost the key to his heart), that's the only explanation.
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