Albion, Piper Oz the Hound

Albion: Harp, 2023

Upon its release in 2006, Midlake’s album The Trials of Van Occupanther drew comparisons to Fleetwood Mac and Harvest-era Neil Young. But listening to it now, I’m reminded more of Fairport Convention and the British folk-rock of the 60’s and 70’s. Former frontman Tim Smith told The Guardian in a recent interview that he’s had a love of the English countryside since Midlake first toured the UK. His music betrays that love on Harp’s debut as much as it ever did, now hidden beautifully behind a facade of 80’s-inspired production.

Ten years after his departure from the Midlake, Smith’s voice remains unmistakeable, both as a singer and as a writer. His songs would be welcome to fans as full band arrangements or rough acoustic demos, but the polished, reverb-drenched sound and chorus-laden guitars are an unexpected and delightful turn that enhance the record in a wonderful way.

Piper Oz the Hound: Art Lown, 1976

Mournful ballads and rocking psychedelic soul are abound on this record, interspersed between a slew of bright country shuffles. Recorded in a small Columbia, South Carolina studio far from the coastal bastions of the American entertainment industry, Lown’s exceptional songwriting shines through the relatively crude production, and his vocal delivery is cheerful in a way that belies the album’s overarching themes of heartbreak and loss.