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Our Twitter feed would suggest it’s likely you saw Pitchfork’s review of Midlake’s The Courage of Others before daybreak. And we’d agree there’s reason for disappointment, as the Chicago-based site (to which we ascribed much importance in the post preceding this one) assigned the long-awaited album a scathing 3.6.

Number one reason the rating’s a shame? The review accompanying it isn’t even really about Courage, as one Jeremy Buller (OK Sweetheart, The Hope Trust, Sarah Jaffe) pointed out after midnight.

In the wordcloud above, it looks like Midlake’s 2006 record Van Occupanther (6.8) got equal billing in the 650-word assessment. But really, the older album was mentioned nine times, while the title of the one released yesterday was only stated six times.

And, when combined, the commentary on Courage’s more accessible predecessor makes for a meaty review. Case in point: with only minimal slicing even between paragraphs, I was able to construct an Occupanther retrospective of sorts from Paul Thompson’s post:

In the middle of 2006, Midlake released The Trials of Van Occupanther, a record of Ren Faire-infused folk-pop shot through with a healthy dose of post-blues, pre-bitterness Fleetwood Mac. Van Occupanther was full of small delights and the occasional major triumph. Its charms were subtle; occasionally a shimmering melodic flourish or a shade in singer Tim Smith’s earthy throat would float into the mix and really knock you out. Though it dragged a touch toward the end and sometimes felt a bit self-satisfied in its smoothness, it was a pleaser and– because it moved them light years beyond the gooey Grandaddy-lite of their debut without much apparent effort– seemed to promise good stuff on the bound.

There were shades of the kind of British folk they’re talking about all over Van Occupanther; fewer flutes, maybe, but the same sort of compositional fussiness and hushed, dulcet tones matched with rich harmonies. And they were, virtually without exception, woven together into far better songs. Van Occupanther, low-key though it was, kept the arrangements frothy and dynamic, the tunes multifaceted and sweeping, the playing precise but limber.

Without calling too much attention to it, Van Occupanter swayed and squirmed, and as a result of this constant shift, songs rarely ended up whether they started.

Van Occupanther’s best songs seemed to match up a couple of disparate ideas and found ways to slowly lead one toward the other– the prim verse melody of “We Gathered in Spring” didn’t seem an easy fit with that song’s gooey choral descent, but they patiently bring the two together, and the resulting payoff lent the lovely but lethargic tune some drama.

Lyrically, Van Occupanther’s man-out-of-time treatments of honor and family were admirably antiquated.

You could spend some time unearthing the uglies Thompson writes he found in Midlake’s latest, a “stuffy, bloodless museum piece” by his count. But if you want to read a complete opinion on The Courage of Others, released yesterday on Bella Union, consult Paste, which took a different turn at the stylistic fork Occupanther provides, staying on course with the subject at hand after addressing it:

“Occupanther was a solid record—and “Roscoe” a great song—but the shambling shoegaze pop was familiar. At its best it resembled Grizzly Bear. At it’s worst, alt-Fray. Either way, Midlake didn’t own it. With The Courage of Others, the band’s continual sonic tinkering has led its members down a lonely road they can call their own—a sound of unwavering menace and maddening restraint it’s hard to imagine the rest of the flock following.”

I’ve already described the edifying experience of listening the album from start to finish; it’s not for the faint of spirit. You can still stream The Courage of Others here, thanks to NPR. The record’s available on iTunes, of course. Folks at Good Records say they still have copies left — they anticipated the strong response that came yesterday - and a few copies of the limited edition 12″ “Acts of Man” can be found at the shop. Download five free acoustic Midlake songs from World Cafe’s “Denton Session” takes here.

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