Search - Midstates :: Shadowing Ghosts

Junkmedia Review- Hinting at greater potential

junkmedia | Los Angeles, CA | 02/19/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As 2003 approached, I knew that I was not going to make my deadline for this review and that once the proverbial ball dropped it would be difficult for me to get a CD from 2002 (such as this one) reviewed. However, from the first time I listened to this Shadowing Ghosts, I knew that here was a band with something special. This is the first record by the Chicago, Illinois, six-piece band, Midstates, and a pretty fine one at that. Midstates are a laser-tight indie rock band given to twists of pop-psychedelia and jazz-less prog. Although their name sounds like so many Elephant 6/Kindercore geography-related band names (Four Corners, The Great Lakes, Of Montreal, The Essex Green), Midstates display no affection for '60s retro-pop fetishism or intentional sloppiness; rather, they employ the emo aesthetic of ultimate-band-togetherness along with the requisite sensitive, new-age male of the indie world to create their own sound. Their mild tendencies towards prog, a term I use with sincerest affection in this case, comes from the generous talents of their electro/analogue keyboardist and drummer, who, together, cascade ephedrine inspired light-shows together in their most sublime moments. Think less E-L-P and more E-N-O, if you get my drift. Perhaps because they are so new, so large in number, and so diverse in talent, Midstates are like a loaded gun roaring with potential. This is best evidenced on the album's strongest song, "Not Sure," which tackles British dream-pop with an American earnestness that would surely sound hokey were it coming from one of the dour, pretentious bands on the other side of the Atlantic. The hushed, jazz-inspired drums, touches of drone, blissful guitars and keys recall the first Stone Roses album: the song is really that good and no other comparison seems fit. Another highlight is the the Velvet Underground-inspired "Better Tomorrow," which hints of Yo La Tengo's 1992 May I Sing with Me. Keep in mind that this Yo La Tengo comparison is carefully made, as the so-so May I Sing with Me merely hinted at the searing brilliance that was to come with 1994's Painful. Likewise, Midstates hint at more. At times, Midstates are given to the leisurely instrumental workouts, extended jams, and visits from local orchestral musicians that you would expect from a Windy City sextet. Heintz's sensitivity can verge on cloying and his songs occasionally drift into Teenage Fanclub's famous but lovable arch-boredom. With a fifteen-song debut, though, what do you expect? Jonathan Donaldson
Junkmedia Review"