Midlake, the rock-fusion outfit that emerged from Texas in the late nineties, has proven and endured a lot over the years. From band members leaving to drastic sonic shifts that range from atmospheric psychedelia to twinkling experimental indie rock, the band has long proven that their range knows no bounds. Still, there is an underlying, uplifting motif throughout the band’s five-album discography. Throughout their musical risks and lineup changes, Midlake maintained a spirit of hope, persistence, and a deep trust in their creative vision. While that message may not be the first that comes to mind when listening to Midlake, it becomes more palpable the deeper you dive, as if uplifting the listener’s spirits has been at the heart of their colorful discography from the beginning.
After a three-year wait, the Texas-bred band returns with A Bridge To Far, their highly anticipated sixth studio album. The ten-song effort is an ethereal journey through jazzy undertones that camouflage themselves as soaring psych-rock, creating a loose yet honed atmosphere that never breaks its stride. The awe-inspiring consistency of A Bridge To Far washes over the listener with good-natured arrangements that twinkle with whimsy, like a dollop of rain on a colorful hydrangea, magnifying the intricate beauty of Midlake’s innate chemistry and fearlessness.
This album, though, is not meant to be an escape for the listener. This is not a transformative listen meant to separate you from reality. Instead, Midlake spends their sixth LP unearthing silver linings in a bleak world, reassuring their listener of the positives in life rather than attempting to distract them from reality. A Bridge To Far finds Midlake bringing their hopefulness to the forefront of their otherworldly sonics, and the results are mesmerizing.
A Bridge To Far plays as one long, intimate conversation between the listener and Midlake, the band being a reassuring friend guiding you through a tumultuous time. From the opening notes of the magnetically magical album opener, “Days Gone By,” a tone is set. The band paints a stunning image of worries passing by, as if we’re looking out of a car window as it barrels down a freeway. This message of hopefulness would prove to be the fuel for A Bridge To Far, as the band focuses on touching the listener’s spirit more than crafting a statement piece to their artistry. However, their prowess becomes harder to ignore with each new addition to their discography, and this LP is no different.
There is magic in the harmonies featured on the title track, a solace found in the sparse yet impactful balladry of “Within/Without,” and an intricate beauty in the Madison Cunningham-assisted, imagery-powered “Guardians.” While the album’s cohesiveness can become overwhelming after a handful of listens, it never distracts from the poetic consistency of the message behind A Bridge To Far. Even as each song bleeds into the next with a natural ease, Midlake’s positivity shines through the atmospheric guitar work and spacious instrumentation, giving A Bridge To Far a sense of singularity without being gaudy.
Midlake’s sixth LP is an unassuming yet vibrantly fun listen, brimming with expressive anecdotes that aim to enhance your surroundings rather than distract from them. A Bridge To Far successfully expands the band’s sonic palette to include nostalgic pop harmonies, set against warm, inviting ambiance, to deliver a dose of powerful positive thinking in an age when most music focuses on the world’s downtrodden urgency.
