{"product_id":"the_trials_of_van_occupanther","title":"The Trials Of Van Occupanther","description":"\u003cp\u003eMidlake’s The Trials of Van Occupanther is a lush, 1970s‑leaning folk‑rock album that trades the quirky, synth‑driven indie of their debut for warm, analog instrumentation and pastoral storytelling. Built around gently overdriven guitars, piano, woodwinds, and steady, unhurried rhythms, it feels like a lost classic rock record, often compared to the softer moments of Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, and other mid‑’70s singer‑songwriters. The songs sketch a vaguely historical, rural world of cabins, harvests, and small communities, using that setting as a backdrop for meditations on restlessness, isolation, and the desire to escape modern life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOpening track “Roscoe” sets the tone with its rolling drums, chiming guitars, and evocative lyrics about stonecutters and a disappearing way of life, while songs like “Head Home,” “Branches,” “Young Bride,” “Van Occupanther,” and “We Gathered in Spring” deepen the album’s mix of melancholy and comfort. Throughout, Tim Smith’s soft, slightly haunted vocals carry melodies that are both immediately memorable and subtly intricate, and the band continually embellishes them with strings, synths, and harmonies that reward close listening. Often described as a “little‑known classic,” The Trials of Van Occupanther has endured as a cult favorite because of its cohesive, transportive mood: pop music for imagined log cabins and out‑of‑time villages that still feels emotionally direct and deeply human.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Record Store","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl \/ Album - Opaque Marigold 180g Vinyl","offer_id":53192447983930,"sku":"37343","price":40.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/2041\/0682\/files\/Screenshot_2026-03-20_at_12.14.07_PM_c7b54dcd-05ea-40e4-a65c-216e21987ebf.jpeg?v=1779320011","url":"https:\/\/recordstore.ca\/products\/the_trials_of_van_occupanther","provider":"Record Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}