Released in March but only now spinning inside the Bluesbunny review machine, Midsummer have arrived with a shimmering, cool breeze of an album to take one's mind off of the rainlashed summer we have endured.
A Californian quintet, they do not conform to any notion of sunny harmonies. No surf or sun dappled canyons here. Instead, we get a selection of songs that are intense and demand close attention. With vocals kept to a minimum, it is the music that carries the burden here. Rippling guitars, ethereal keyboards, spacey effects add up to a listening experience not too far removed from Pink Floyd when they still did soundtracks. At other times Danny Elfman, Kristof Komeda and even the spooky soundscapes of Popul Vuh come to mind.
Elegantly played, the album is a touch overlong and the Beefheartian attack on "Impalpable" spoils the mood somewhat but overall a very nice piece of mood music, if you're in the right mood.