Send "The Midway State " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Sputnikmusic |
 In a world where you no longer have to even know the location of a record store in order to hear new music, it almost doesn't matter how good you are; upcoming artists have - in their wildest dreams - something approaching thirty seconds to make their mark. That's a pretty scary thought, and one which causes all manner of fuck-ups to adorn first tracks. Yeah, everyone feels like they have to do something ridiculous in order to stand out; if you're not the world's next Radiohead, why bother, right? Which is why it's refreshing once in every while to hear a band like The Midway State, who are pretty special without even trying to be. Melodies and rhythms all over the damn place! I sometimes think we forgot about those things somewhere down the line; let's face it, if standing out in such a crowded field is difficult, finding those stand-outs has to take its toll to an extent. But the Canadian outfit's second record Paris or India is nothing if not a refuge. It doesn't hide its poppy aesthetic or posture. Its driving synths and reverb-drowning guitars are knowingly anthemic. It's not afraid to go where you've anticipated it might, and it's always beautiful when you get there. It's usually epic, too. Part of the reason The Midway State are able to fall back into these staples is the simple fact that they've nailed a sonic texture so smooth and gorgeous that it's impossible for them not to sound fresh, which is no mean feat. While everyone has their tolerance limits for production values, Paris or India finds the pristine middle ground between energetic and ethereal that much pop music tries cheaply to exploit, but few artists would capitalise on locating such a groove in the way that The Midway State do, melding toe-tapping beats to the most uplifting of choruses at every juncture....full text |
| Mvremix |
| Good ol’ Toronto bands. While I’m a Montrealer, who loathes the Toronto Maple Leafs, and will forever say that Toronto has terrible concert crowds (at least at Aerosmith) – I will admit that many good things have come out of Ontario such as Sum 41, and Avril Lavigne’s first album (because “Complicated” is still stuck in my head after all these years, and I commend her for that). So let’s see if Toronto’s The Midway State’s second album, “Paris or India” will improve my opinion about Toronto and the province it resides in. The opener, entitled “Alive,” opens the album with a big synthy backtrack. The title describes it perfectly, as it really just oozes liveliness, and makes you feel all good inside, and that everything before your eyes should be happening in super slow motion, and you should be moving at full speed, and pardon the run-on sentence, but this is a really enjoyable track. The next few tracks rely heavily on key-based instruments, with a little guitar flair thrown in here or there. In fact, it’s hard to spot the guitar in some tracks. For example, the scales in “All Anew” that synthist/vocalist Nathan Ferraro hits are wild, and I can really only notice Mike Wise’s guitar work in the chorus. That, or I’m musically inept. Do the overload of keys make the album any less enjoyable? I don’t think so – even if I’m a sucker for keyboards, I know when too much is too much. The problem is that there’s not always enough differentiation between tracks. “Fire!” and “Atlantic” feel like the exact same song. It’s not like they’re expected to switch to a different genre between tracks, but there’s nothing to distinguish one track from the other. There are also a few tracks that fall flat, but they can be overlooked or deleted from your iTunes library if need be....full text |
| Hour |
| Almost three years ago to the day, The Midway State released their Gavin Brown-produced debut LP Holes. Full of pop imperfections and I-love-you-but-you-don’t pubescent clumsiness, Holes still came off as an alluring amuse-bouche of Keane-like chest-thumping melodies and boasted two or three really memorable tracks. While pursuing their foray into indie-rock, Paris or India shows once again that The Midway State have always been, and will still remain, singer-main songwriter Nathan Ferraro’s one-man show. That being said, the album isn’t devoid of attention-grabbing stuff: All Anew‘s hyperactive rhythmic track, St. Paul & The Wolf‘s beautiful, soaring chorus, Hartley Salters Kite‘s slow-burning quiet groove. Though power-ballad Heart of Glass might verge a bit too much into the One Republic-isms, Paris or India may become their first bona fide hit record....full text |
The Midway State lyrics
|
| |||||||
