The Trials of Van Occupanther

The Trials of Van Occupanther
Studio album by Midlake
Released	July 25, 2006
Recorded	2005–06
Genre	Soft rock [1] country rock [1]
Length	44:51
Label	Bella Union
Producer	Tim Smith Midlake
Midlake chronology
Balloon Maker (2005) The Trials of Van Occupanther (2006) The Courage of Others (2010)

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	78/100 [2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
The A.V. Club	A− [4]
Entertainment Weekly	B+ [5]
The Guardian	[6]
Mojo	[7]
MSN Music (Consumer Guide)	C [8]
NME	8/10 [9]
Pitchfork	6.8/10 [10]
Q	[11]
Uncut	[12]

The Trials of Van Occupanther is the second studio album by American rock band Midlake. It was released on July 25, 2006, on Bella Union.

It was reissued on its 10th anniversary in 2016 with new cover art, photographs, and two unreleased songs. ^[13]

The first track on the album, "Roscoe", was released as a single and is one of the band's signature songs. It was listed as number 90 in Rolling Stone ^[14] magazine's 100 Greatest Songs of the 2000s.

Track listings

All tracks are written by Tim Smith.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Roscoe"	4:49
2.	"Bandits"	4:04
3.	"Head Home"	5:45
4.	"Van Occupanther"	3:15
5.	"Young Bride"	4:56
6.	"Branches"	5:02
7.	"In This Camp"	5:46
8.	"We Gathered in Spring"	3:33
9.	"It Covers the Hillsides"	3:14
10.	"Chasing After Deer"	2:42
11.	"You Never Arrived"	1:45

EU edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Mornings Will be Kind"
13.	"Marion"
14.	"It Covers The Hillsides" (alt version)
15.	"Paper Gown"

Australasian edition bonus CD

No.	Title	Year	Length
1.	"Mornings Will Be Kind"	2005	2:46
2.	"Paper Gown"	2001	4:30
3.	"It Covers The Hillsides" (alt version)	2006	3:08
4.	"Excited But Not Enough"	2001	4:19
5.	"Golden Hour"	2001	3:41

10th anniversary bonus tracks ^[15]

No.	Title	Length
12.	"The Fairest Way"	2:59
13.	"Festival"	5:17

Personnel

• Tim Smith – vocals, piano, keyboard, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, flute
• Eric Pulido – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
• Eric Nichelson – keyboards, piano, acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, electric guitar
• Paul Alexander – bass, double bass, electric guitar, keyboards, piano, bassoon
• McKenzie Smith – drums, percussion

Additional musicians

• Linda Salisbury – French horn on "Branches" and "Van Occupanther"
• Josh Ello – violin on "Young Bride"

Production notes

• Songs and lyrics by Tim Smith
• Produced by Tim Smith and Midlake
• Engineered and mixed by Paul Alexander and Midlake
• Mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music
• Photos by Tim Smith
• Design and layout by Tim Carter and Midlake
• Recorded and mixed in Denton, TX

References

1. Bradley, Larry (November 4, 2014). "The 2000s: Midlake - "Roscoe"". The Alternative Jukebox. Cassell. p. 255. ISBN   978-1-84403-789-6.
2. "Reviews for The Trials Of Van Occupanther by Midlake". Metacritic . Retrieved June 27, 2016.
3. Sendra, Tim. "The Trials of Van Occupanther – Midlake". AllMusic . Retrieved June 27, 2016.
4. Murray, Noel (June 26, 2006). "Midlake: The Trials Of Van Occupanther". The A.V. Club . Retrieved June 27, 2016.
5. Endelman, Michael (July 28, 2006). "The Trials of Van Occupanther". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
6. Simpson, Dave (June 9, 2006). "Midlake, The Trials of Van Occupanther". The Guardian . Retrieved June 27, 2016.
7. "Midlake: The Trials of Van Occupanther". Mojo (152): 106. July 2006.
8. Christgau, Robert (June 2007). "Consumer Guide". MSN Music . Retrieved June 27, 2016.
9. "Midlake: The Trials of Van Occupanther". NME . 2006. A bona fide classic, a record that unites Mercury Rev-styled psyche eccentricity with smooth rock'n'soul … its very existence makes the world seem a better place.
10. Hogan, Marc (June 26, 2006). "Midlake: The Trials of Van Occupanther". Pitchfork . Retrieved June 27, 2016.
11. "Midlake: The Trials of Van Occupanther". Q (239): 117. June 2006.
12. "Midlake: The Trials of Van Occupanther". Uncut (110): 101. July 2006.
13. Sodomsky, Sam (August 31, 2016). "Midlake Announce The Trials of Van Occupanther Reissue". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
14. "100 Best Songs of the 2000s". Rolling Stone . 17 June 2011.
15. "Midlake - The Trials Of Van Occupanther". Discogs. 28 October 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2017.

External links

• "Young Bride" artist commentary