Midlake "Young Bride"

"Young Bride" (mp3) (along with big blog favorite "Roscoe") is the song that elevates Midlake's second album, the proggishly titled The Trials of Van Occupanther, from the realms of post-Fleetwood Mac Mom Rock (see here for details of the neologism) toward an alluring level of songcraft just a little above most current trends within indie rock. It's so many things at once---the just-wonderful vocals, courtesy of Tim Smith, manage to simultaneously reference the bold ornateness of Rufus Wainwright and the fragile earnestness of Thom Yorke while the overtly inquisitive lyrics aim to glean some measure of information from a singularly mature yet apparently taciturn woman: "My young bride, why are your fingers like that of the hedge in winter?" Instrumentally, the lockstep rhythm section (with drums that sound like they're filled with sand) disallows the song from doing what it seemingly wants to do, which is break free of its tether and ride its ethereal strings to a place where the sky isn't oppresively gray. It manages to be mystifying while referencing so much of the customary---preternatural art created in a woodland setting.

The Trials of Von Occupanther will be released on Bella Union Records.