Midlake

Midlake這支德克薩斯5人團體，樂隊成員于2000年一同參加了北德克薩斯音樂學院的課程，樂隊的風格屬于獨立搖滾又帶一點Lo-fi，最初得知這支樂隊是從論壇推薦上，試聽了一些歌曲，發掘樂隊非常有音樂家的天賦，談起Midlake的風格，屬于獨立搖滾又帶一點Lo-fi，輕軟并帶有憂郁色彩，同時卻又滿含希望。
Midlake的音樂初聽多少有點受著Radiohead的影響。而英國的Q雜志也是這樣的評論"Not since Mercury Rev's Deserter’s Songs has an American band sounded so completely of itself, so off kilter, and quite so bewitching.”主唱Tim Smith富含詩意的嗓音韻味十足，他們的好幾首作品都可稱為藝術品，而不是簡簡單單的歌曲。
要做推薦的是單曲Young Bride，以小提琴為主的旋律，傷感，憂郁，主唱的吟唱適時地加入，此時再次回響起小提琴的悲鳴，讓你的眼淚不自覺得涌出。這張專輯從開始到直到最后都讓你體會了情感最悲傷的一面，但同時給予你希望，情感的東西，盡在不言中。
by William Ruhlmann
The lo-fi rock quintet Midlake was formed in Denton, TX, in 2000 by a group of musicians who had attended the North Texas School of Music together: Paul Alexander (bass, keyboards), Eric Nichelson (keyboards, guitar), Eric Pulido (guitar, keyboards, background vocals), Tim Smith (vocals, keyboards, guitar), and Mckenzie Smith (drums). They issued their own EP, Milkmaid Grand Army, in 2001, and sold 1,000 copies at their Texas gigs. They attracted the attention of Simon Raymonde, who signed them to his Bella Union label in the U.K., leading to European concerts and the recording of their first full-length album, Bamnan and Slivercork, which was released in July 2004. For their next album, the band changes gears and moved away from the psychedelic leanings of their debut toward a more '70s-influenced sound. 2006's The Trials of Van Occupanther featured the same lineup and a sound reminiscent of harmony-rich soft rock bands like America and Laurel Canyon troubadours like Neil Young and Gene Clark.