15 Second Record Review - The Courage of Others by Midlake

This is a relatively short album, given the folkrock revival genre, but disappointingly falls flat after track 8 (or so). Unfortunately, this mars an otherwise fantastic opening sequence of songs. "Acts of Man" comes close to meeting the band's prior, ultra rare, commercial-artistic pinnacle "Roscoe" and manages to build strength from there despite being self-confined to the narrow headspace of a plush, dreamlike Herbie Mann-meets-Fleetwood Mac Frankenband. As I was listening to this album for the first time in a beer-induced trance while riding the CTA home from downtown, I texted Condiment King how enamored I was with this sure-to-be album of the year. The closer I got to home, however, the more out of love I fell with this record. Finally, as I was making the short walk from the train to my door, the album ended. The frigid wind tore at my face, and my heart sunk. So much initial promise led to boredom. I've listened to the record 3 more times since then, and my heart has done the same dance of beat-skipping euphoria slowly devolving to complacency and eventual indifference. A strong album, this, that produces so much aesthetic diversity in one person. Alas, none intentional, and ultimately flat. B-