Midwest "What Fun Life Was"

Midwest are (were?) a group of Italians in their early twenties with a predilection for Nick Drake, Will Oldham, and American country-art-rock. They released a good album of folk- and country-influenced pop on Homesleep Records in 2002. Town and Country was going to be released in America by a record label called DCBaltimore2012 before that company fell apart. The record’s a very nice, mellow, pastoral affair, and it’s a shame it was never released domestically. It holds up well when compared to similar folks like Lambchop, the Summer Hymns, and the Bruces. ”What Fun Life Was” is the stand-out; Matteo Gambacorta‘s voice, its deeply accented English cloaking the already cryptic chorus in an extra layer of mystery, sounds at once depressed and fulfilled, resigned and satisfied, innocent and world-weary. It’s a beautiful song that evokes a similar response to that acoustic Green Day song, but without all the schmaltz and manipulation. You can order a copy of Town and Country at Homesleep’s website.   ¶ posted by darkness at 10:32 AM