Various Artists – Midlake: Late Night Tales
The 'Late Night Tales' concept is original in its ethos. It invites artists to delve deep into their music collections to create the ultimate "late night" selection. The series now features over 24 diverse Artists such as The Flaming Lips, Nightmares On Wax, Snow Patrol, Cinematic Orchestra, Four Tet, Jamiroquai and Arctic Monkeys. Each offering an exclusive cover version and with spoken word by the likes of Will Self, David Shrigley, Bootsy Collins and Brian Blessed
The latest in the series is a selection put together by alluring Texans, Midlake. As expected, the laid back and chilled out moods abound on this album and there are a few surprises. They cover Black Sabbath's 'Am I Going Insane' and give it the 'Midlake' melancholic, acoustic, late night twist which works very well and more than compliments the original; the typical crystal clear acoustic guitars and harmonies are majestic.
The songs come from a very wide spectrum of styles and artists. To see Bjork and Scott Walker tracks appearing on the same compilation may seem odd at first but each individual track fits seamlessly into the warm undercurrent of light rock and folk. There are often haunting moments and these are highlighted by the Sandy Denny song 'Carnival' and Fairport Convention's 'Genesis Hall' adding a haunting feel and a touch of mysticism.
The famous rub shoulders with the obscure. Bread, Love and Dreams (a Scottish three piece) find a place alongside the likes of 'Whispering Pines' by The Band, 'These Days' by Nico and Scott Walker's 'Copenhagen'.
By drawing on such a vast array of styles and artists, and scouring what seems like most of the Northern Hemisphere, Midlake has managed to amass an interesting and pleasing compilation. The 'Late Night Tales' concept seems to work and the compulsory entry by the compiler(s) (in this case Midlake) is a nice touch. This series of releases has been going on for some ten years now and I can see why they have proved popular. In Midlake's case, it's opened up a whole host of new music for me to research, dig out, buy and enjoy.