Midlake: For The Sake Of Bethel Woods (Vinyl)

Back from hiatus: Midlake with album number 5
Midlake fans have waited nine years for a new album from the Texas alternative rockers. in 2022, the wait is over: “For The Sake Of Bethel Woods” is the name of the band’s fifth long player, the successor to “Antiphon” from 2013.

The album announcement came in November 2021 with the first single release, “Meanwhile.” According to singer Eric Pulido, the song addresses the time and events that led to the band’s 2014 hiatus and what moved Midlake to reunite in 2022. “The former was an unhealthy and untenable situation that called for a break, and the latter was a chance visit from Jesse’s late father in a dream that encouraged him to reunite with the band,” Pulido said.

Jesse’s father, Dave Chandler, can therefore also be seen on the album cover. Jesse comments, “At the age of 16, my dad and his friend hitchhiked from Ridgewood, NJ, to the Woodstock festival in 1969. This image of him with his hand in front of his face appears in the 1970 Woodstock documentary as the camera pans across the crowd during John Sebastian’s performance. My father moved to Woodstock, NY – where I grew up – in 1981. For me, the image of this child, my father, forever frozen in time, embodies what it means to be in the throes of impressionable and fleeting youth, and what the magic of music, peace, love, and community entails, whether you know it at the time or not. (I think he knew).”

With this inspiration, Midlake recorded eleven new songs for “For The Sake Of Bethel Woods”. For the first time ever, they hired an outside producer for this, Grammy Award winner John Congleton (St. Vincent, Explosions in the Sky, Sharon Van Etten). With him they went to Elmwood Recording Studio in Dallas.

Midlake was formed by a couple of jazz students from the University of North Texas. Initially going by the name The Cornbread All-Stars, they played mostly funk and jazz improvisations until they eventually turned to alternative rock. Their debut “Bamnan And Slivercork” was released in 2004, followed by “The Trials Of Van Occupanther” in 2006, “The Courage Of Others” in 2010 and “Antiphon” in 2013. One year later they said goodbye to the break. Welcome back.

Tracklist:
1: Commune
2: Bethel woods
3: Glistening
4: Exile
5: Feast of carrion
6: Noble
7: Gone
8: Meanwhile…
9: Dawning
10: The end
11: Of desire