Word: guitar
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...their newest album, “The Courage of Others,” Texas band Midlake strays from the energetic alternative rock of previous releases towards a folk-inspired, pastoral sound. Lead vocalist and songwriter Tim Smith attempts to conjure a wintry atmosphere with delicate acoustic guitar and lyrics about cycles of death and rebirth. Unfortunately, while he does manage to capture a sense of stillness and bleakness, there is no suggestion of spring to come, and the gloomy minor key sustained throughout leaves the listener wanting to hibernate rather than go for a romp in the snow...
...album’s greatest strength is its innovative instrumentation—the original quintet met studying jazz at the University of North Texas, and their training is apparent in the skillfully layered keyboard, classical guitar, and flute arrangements. In addition, Smith’s clear and gentle voice is a pleasure to listen to, although on most tracks he unwisely sacrifices his voice to the limited range of the melodies...
This incongruity continues until the fourth track, “Fortune,” on which the band’s intentions are beautifully realized. The absence of heavy handed and uninteresting electric guitar riffs—which in previous tracks drown out otherwise intricate instrumentation—allows the acoustic guitar to shine through. Smith’s clear and tender vocals are here successfully highlighted. Liberated by the more varied melody, Smith weaves a narrative that is less mournful and more hopeful than those of the other tracks. For just over two minutes the clouds part, and Midlake...
They've all been good. I don't try and say, You're better than him. What I get enjoyment out of is passing the torch on. I've got a new guitar player, Gus G.--he's from the country of Greece. He's a very good player. Zakk Wylde was amazing. Jake E. Lee was amazing, Joe Holmes was amazing, Randy Rhoads was amazing, Tony Iommi was amazing. I don't say anybody's better than anybody. To get the job, you've gotta be pretty good, you know...
...island of Utila, known for its diving and nightlife, is frequented by dive junkies and backpackers from all over the world. At the dive hostel, we roomed with a cranberry farmer from Oregon, belted out Taylor Swift with a soldier who had just returned from Afghanistan, and strummed a guitar with a paratrooper in the Israeli army. It reminded me of my meals in Annenberg during the first few weeks of school, meeting my classmates and listening to the unique and amazing stories of what they have done and how they ended up at Harvard...