Midlake

“Some people should be eating, if you don’t mind!” yells actor Jason Lee across the bar at Hailey’s in Denton, Texas. “Somebody eat some food! Ready … start eating!!” You can almost see the directive gather momentum in the minds of a group of patrons sitting across from Lee as they look up from their dimly lit tables and booths. “Aha,” says the imaginary balloon caption materializing over their collective heads. “The man would like us to eat now.”

Lee is shooting a video for Denton natives Midlake, a band he was introduced to by Cocteau Twin Simon Raymonde, co-owner of Midlake’s label, Bella Union. Raymonde is a friend of Lee’s and regularly sends new music to the Chasing Amy/Almost Famous star. But something about Midlake’s full-length debut, Bamnan and Slivercork (Ok, back up and say it again. There.) caused Lee to get enthused to the point of taking a personal interest in the band. “It’s an album that does what Mozart or Schubert or Chopin does for me,” says the longtime classical music buff. “It’s incredibly unique, full of truth and real spirit. It’s genuine music, it’s not a part of a scene—it’s made for inspiring other people.” Having already directed a video last year for Beck, Lee caught up with Midlake at its SXSW showcase this spring in Austin, and within minutes was offering his services.

“We were at La Zona Rosa with Simon,” reports guitarist Eric Pulido, “and Jason comes over and he’s the most enthusiastic fan we’ve ever had, he’s just over the top.” There they forged the alliance that brings us to Hailey’s and the video shoot for the band’s infectious single, “Balloon Maker.” It’s a 16mm celluloid effort that’s shaping up like a low-budget cross between Dr. Who and Brazil, as envisioned by Wayne Coyne. As the patrons slowly commence their obligatory noshing, the unflappable Lee laughs, shakes his head and calls, “action!”

On the first spin of Bamnan, Midlake’s record collection becomes readily apparent: Ok Computer; The Soft Bulletin; Grandaddy; the helpless melodrama of Rufus Wainwright; the innocent, artsy charm of Björk. But Midlake brings a peculiar blend of naïvety and musical sophistication that hoists Bamnan above its influences. Beginning as an informal outlet for a group of music students in the world-renowned University of North Texas jazz studies program, Midlake evolved from a self-conscious acid-jazz jamband—stretching their impressive chops across 20-minute noodlefests—to a tightly disciplined art-pop outfit, creating lush, meticulously layered masterpieces in their living room. Two years ago Raymonde heard some of Midlake’s early recordings and was so impressed he traveled to the U.S. to catch them—again at SXSW—and eventually signed them to Bella Union.

Now, with two recordings and a European tour under Midlake’s belt, lead singer/principal songwriter Tim Smith takes stock of how far the band has come from those early days when Midlake struggled to find its identity: “We would jam, maybe take some gigs doing free-form jazz where you vamp for a long time. I think we always knew rock was where we wanted to be, but maybe it wouldn’t sit well with our peers.” Eventually the direct emotive force of rock won out, clearing the way for Midlake to make sounds that would tickle the ears of an actor, a music-biz veteran and a growing throng of critics on both sides of the Atlantic. “There were too many chords, [too much] jazzy stuff,” says Smith, “and I think we finally said, screw it man, buy yourself a distortion pedal and let’s do this.”