After three and a half years on the road, Midlake has finally released their third album, The Courage of Others. Unfortunately, the time out of the recording studio did not serve them well. On their first and second albums, Midlake crafted a folk-pop sound that was full of emotion. Utilizing their jazz background, the group created interesting tunes with a depressing aftertaste (usually generated by singer Tim Smith’s haunting voice and the band’s melancholy lyrics). This time around, Midlake has produced a lackluster album, without the passion and consistency of their earlier work.

The band used their time on the road to musically reinvent themselves, with the hopes of producing a fresh LP that would reinvigorate their fan base. Instead, Midlake’s shift in sound has left their fans confused and disinterested with the majority of the album. A clear downfall in their latest tracks is the intensification of their somber tone, which had been much more subtle on their previous albums. For example, on the track “Acts of Man,” the band’s lyrics explicitly speak of the decomposition of the world around them, pleading for refuge from the decay. Additionally, Tim Smith sounds disengaged on many of the tracks, further detracting from the band’s sound. Finally, this glum outlook is only exaggerated with their newly added flute section, which is reminiscent of America’s contribution to The Last Unicorn Soundtrack (think renaissance fair meets rock band).

Other songs have potential, but eventually fall flat. The group regains some ground with their interesting electric guitar riffs, which draw away from the album’s mundane qualities. Midlake’s well crafted harmonies are still hauntingly beautiful amid their other musical failures. The band also finds success on the album’s title track, the only song that was written previous to the recording process. “The Courage of Others” sounds similar to their older hits, “Roscoe” and “Young Bride,” probably because it was penned during the same time period.

It is clear that the new Midlake sound has strayed from the band’s original pop style, instead favoring a more literal interpretation of folk music. The band regains face with a smattering of songs that somewhat echo their early successes, but in the end it is not enough to create a notable album. Midlake is set to play at Castaways in mid-May — let’s just hope that they stick to performing the music we have come to love them for!