Biography
Midlake are an American band from Denton, Texas, whose lineup on their second album featured Tim Smith (vocals, piano, keyboards, guitars, flute), Eric Pulido, Eric Nichelson, Paul Alexander, and McKenzie Smith.[1]
Smith has described the group as spending six or seven years trying to gain recognition, with jazz and funk roots that the band worked to shed in favor of simpler songwriting.[2] Their 2004 debut Bamnan and Silvercork and the 2006 follow-up The Trials of Van Occupanther drew on 1970s soft rock, with Fleetwood Mac a frequent touchstone, though the band has said they were aiming for a classic-sounding record rather than retro pastiche.[3]
References
- The Trials of Van Occupanther (Wikipedia) — Release date, recording location, personnel, and critical reception scores for the album.
- Tim Smith of Midlake (The A.V. Club) — Smith on the accidental origin of the riff, the escapism theme, lyric process, and the album's 1970s influences.
- Trials of the Century: The Midlake Interview (Treble) — Eric Pulido on influences, the album's making, and the band's intentions.