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Midlake

A Pink Floyd Cover From The Hotrats, Sounds From Sweden, Surfer Blood And More
Charly Coombes

All Songs Considered

A Pink Floyd Cover From The Hotrats, Sounds From Sweden, Surfer Blood And More

On this All Songs Considered, we've got Sweden's jj and Fredrik. Plus The Besnard Lakes, Surfer Blood, Midlake, singer-songwriter Josiah Wolf and The Hotrats covering a classic from Pink Floyd.

A Pink Floyd Cover From The Hotrats, Sounds From Sweden, Surfer Blood And More

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Midlake On World Cafe

Midlake. Sammy Reed/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Sammy Reed/Courtesy of the artist

World Cafe

Midlake On World Cafe

XPN

The Texas folk-rock group joins World Cafe's Michaela Majoun for a session that features songs from its new album, Antiphon. Guitarist Eric Pulido discusses how Midlake's sound changed after former lead singer and songwriter Tim Smith left the group.

Midlake On World Cafe

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First Listen: Midlake, 'Antiphon'

Midlake's new album, Antiphon, comes out Nov. 5. Sammy Reed/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Sammy Reed/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Midlake, 'Antiphon'

The band from Denton, Texas, was deep into the recording of its fourth album when its lead singer left the group. It forced the remaining members to scrap the new songs and start over with a brand-new sound. The result is Midlake's best record in years.

Antiphon

Audio for first listens is no longer available after the album is released.
What Do You Do When Your Lead Singer Quits?

Midlake's new album, Antiphon, is out Nov. 5. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

Music Interviews

What Do You Do When Your Lead Singer Quits?

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Eric Pulido from the Denton, Texas, band Midlake. The group, formed in 1999 by jazz students from the University of North Texas, has rebooted — after the departure of lead singer Tim Smith — for a new album called Antiphon.

Midlake Makes The Most Of Its Leader's Departure

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Song Premiere: Midlake, 'Provider'

Midlake, the band from Denton, TX is about to release their 4 album. Sammy Reed/Sacks and Co hide caption

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Sammy Reed/Sacks and Co

All Songs Considered

Song Premiere: Midlake, 'Provider'

Midlake's former frontman Tim Smith left the group late last year, forcing the Denton, Texas band to scrap a batch of new recordings and start over. But the progressive rock group is back now with a new single from its upcoming full-length Antiphon.

Provider

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First Listen: Midlake's 'The Courage Of Others'

Review

First Listen

First Listen: Midlake's 'The Courage Of Others'

This is one deep, dark, beautiful record. Midlake has been working on The Courage of Others for a few years now, even scrapping it all entirely at one point. The band stopped touring in 2007, in part, to make this album — and now, for the first time in almost three years, it's finally ready. A gentle masterwork, it's available here in its entirety for the week leading up to its release on Feb. 2.

Hear Midlake's 'Courage Of Others'

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World Cafe

Midlake: Picture-Perfect Americana

XPN

By combining intelligent lyrics and haunting melodies, Midlake continues to develop its vision of beautiful neo-Americana music. The band's new sophomore album, The Trials of Van Occupanther, finds Midlake polishing its acoustic, increasingly piano-driven '70s folk-rock sound.

Midlake in Studio on World Cafe - 09/20/2006

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World Cafe

Midlake: Accessible but Inventive

XPN

The Texas band Midlake has been compared to everyone from The Flaming Lips to The Beatles, which actually makes sense: Consistently accessible but unpredictably inventive, its music appeals to a broad spectrum of listeners.

Midlake: Accessible but Inventive

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Finding The 'Courage' Of Midlake

Midlake spent three years creating and recording The Courage of Others. Bil Zelman hide caption

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Bil Zelman

Music Interviews

Finding The 'Courage' Of Midlake

The musicians of Midlake wear their influences on their sleeves, to the point where the band has been dismissed as "talented mimics." But Midlake spent three years crafting The Courage of Others and has the scars to show for it.

Finding The 'Courage' Of Midlake

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Midlake: In Tune With Nature

"Acts of Man" surrounds Midlake's ruminations on man and nature with the rich sounds of a folk-pop orchestra. Jon Beck hide caption

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Jon Beck

Review

Song Of The Day

Midlake: In Tune With Nature

"If all that grows starts to fade, starts to falter / Oh, let me inside, let me inside not to wake," Midlake's Tim Smith sings in "Acts of Man," which surrounds his meditation on man and nature with dense harmonies and the rich sounds of a folk-pop orchestra.

'Acts of Man' by Midlake

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Midlake: Intimate And Grandiose

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Bil Zelman

World Cafe

Midlake: Intimate And Grandiose

XPN

The dark sounds of The Courage of Others didn't come to Midlake easily: The band spent a year writing and scrapping new material before it even began to work on the songs that would make up the new album. The result sounds isolated and withdrawn without devolving into desolation: A glimmer of optimism takes shape in the layered harmonies and intricately arranged guitars. Hear a World Cafe session.

Midlake: Intimate And Grandiose

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