For its sophomore outing on the Bella Union record label (founded by Simon Raymonde, formerly of the Cocteau Twins), the Texas-based ensemble Midlake presents a set of lo-fi, 1970s-pop-inspired indie-rock, as best exemplified by “Roscoe,” a track that mixes Fleetwood Mac tunefulness with a charming, off-beat sonic aesthetic. With Grandaddy reportedly breaking up around the time of this 2006 album, Midlake seems like the ideal act to continue to bear its torch.

Tracklisting
1. Roscoe
2. Bandits
3. Head Home
4. Van Occupanther
5. Young Bride
6. Branches
7. In This Camp
8. We Gathered Here In Spring
9. It Covers The Hillsides
10. Chasing After Deer
11. You Never Arrived

Professional Reviews
Entertainment Weekly (p.68) – “It takes a confident band to resurrect the soft-rock sound of Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles, but that’s exactly what this Denton, Tex., quintet does on its sophomore album.” — Grade: B+

Q (p.117) – 3 stars out of 5 — “[F]rontman Tim Smith has discovered ’70s Americana, and has now ladled his love of the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac all over this second album.”

Q (p.124) – Ranked #21 in Q Magazine’s “100 Greatest Albums of 2006″ — “Mystical, hallucinatory and deeply melodic…”

Alternative Press (p.214) – “Pastoral flutes and acoustic guitars coexist peacefully with jagged electro riffs, creating rustic tunes that somehow avoid feeling like empty exercises in nostalgia.”

Magnet (p.98) – “[I]t all makes cripplingly lovely sense, right down to the windy, Neil Young-like guitar solos.”

CMJ (p.4) – “[The] quintet channels moody, transatlantic ’60s psych-pop, mid-’70s SoCal country rock and a bit of ’80s-era 4AD wistfulness.”

Mojo (Publisher) (p.106) – 4 stars out of 5 — “All exquisitely sung and played….We’re dealing with an invigorating, many-faceted work of diverse instrumentation and durability.”