Having more than a passing appreciation for spaghetti western films, particularly the Man With No Name trilogy A Fistful Of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, and the truly epic The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly), I am compelled to check out any band or group that carries any of that iconography or is themed similarly, if only to satisfy some morbid curiosity; with Angel Eyes though, I was taken back by their brand of post rock goodness on previous records where not only was I not disappointed by their music, I felt it quite good. With <i>Midwestern</i>, Angel Eyes moves a bit further into the territories that the band explored on previous efforts without succumbing to any of the traps that similar sounding outfits might fall into with their music; instead, Angel Eyes plows straight through the record with a verve and excitement that sometimes is lacking in their musical compatriots.
A wonderfully crafted LP in four parts that sounds like just that, a long piece that is split into four movements, Midwestern paints a vivid sonic picture that feels like it takes the listener on a journey through a mostly deserted town with only angry people left behind to tend to the broken down buildings and deal with the stark and lonesome landscape. Maybe the people in Angel Eyes are the remaining townspeople and maybe they are simply travelers relating the tale of where they have been, regardless this album could either be imagining a forgotten town on the edge of nowhere circa 1877 or a modern US town from the Midwest now where young people flee to “civilization” to escape from the “going nowhere fast” mood of their shit hole town.
Listen to this record and hear a tale of a forgotten time, place, or people that you will swear you can feel the angst and depression that they have left behind; maybe you will relate to this album and maybe not but whatever happens, you will know that Angel Eyes certainly has an excellent grasp of translating these feelings and locales into music that cajoles you into listening and continuing to listen so that they can finish their peace. I am completely serious; Midwestern is an excellent album that I would consider “not to be missed”, and the album certainly shows that Angel Eyes can drop their gloves with the best of them with these tunes that range from slow instrumental pieces that truly visualizes a space or place to heavy, crushing passages with gut wrenching vocals.
