Free and legal MP3 from Midlake (gorgeous, well-crafted British folk revival sound)

"Acts of Man" - Midlake
     Last heard in a Fleetwood Mac-ish soft rock mode (2007's The Trials of Van Occupanther), the boys from Denton, Texas have reemerged with a renewed hankering for a more traditional-sounding British rock. But rather than the semi-psychedelic early Pink Floyd and Procol Harum-esque pageantry on display through much of Bamnan and Slivercork, their 2004 debut, the quintet takes it back a notch further to a '60s British folk scene sound--think Steeleye Span, think Fairport Convention, think gentle, chivalrous melodies and general melancholy woebegone-edness.
     But me, I'm eating it up because the stuff is marvelously crafted, ravishingly performed, and drop-dead gorgeous. What a vibe the band has here! Tim Smith's medievally baritone is just the start of it. From the golden-toned acoustic guitar to the almost regal rumble of the drums to the deep and delicate flute lines and the potent minor-key melody that holds it all together, "Acts of Man" presents an aural landscape that all but makes me cry, for reasons beyond explanation. This is music working--as classical music is so often supposed to--at the level of pure emotion.
     Apparently not everyone gets it. In addition to a number of supportive reviews, the new album, The Courage of Others, has gotten some notable pans, including a tone-deaf dismissal in Pitchfork. Normally I get a bit worked up over that kind of thing but this time it just occurs to me to feel badly for anyone whose head and ears can't let them hear the beauty and worth of this album. Released last week on Bella Union, it's only going to get better over time. MP3 via Insound.