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For the Sake of Bethel Woods Image
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 6 Ratings

  • Summary: The fifth full-length studio release for Texas folk rock band Midlake was produced by John Congleton.
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. May 23, 2022
    80
    While the lyrical themes involve a complexity of things on For the Sake of Bethel Woods, their first album since 2013’s Antiphon, such as alienation and isolation, listen closely and the songs become instantly accessible and compelling.
  2. Mar 18, 2022
    80
    It might have been largely inspired by events that took place in the past but this is a forward-looking album by a band that has rediscovered their place in the world.
  3. Mar 18, 2022
    80
    Re-emerging after a nine-year gap, their fifth album, For the Sake of Bethel Woods, retains some of the progressive experimentation of its predecessor without losing sight of its sturdy core of songs. In producer John Congleton, Midlake has found a worthy foil and he helps imbue highlights like the gorgeous "Feast of Carrion" and "Meanwhile…" with a sense of elegance and mystique.
  4. Uncut
    Mar 14, 2022
    70
    It secures Midlake's future with small yet significant shifts that haven't erased their identity. Not deeper waters, necessarily - but running clearer and on a newly energised course. [Apr 2022, p.22]
  5. Mar 14, 2022
    70
    A good album, but one better suited to a former time.
  6. Mar 22, 2022
    67
    Midlake’s latest LP is a nice addition to their already impressive arsenal, but it would benefit from a more detailed kind of excavation.
  7. 60
    It takes a few spins for the tunes to register as some seem more like provocative set pieces than songs. But once they do, the thoughtful lyrics and sometimes diffuse sonics kick in.

See all 10 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. MnM
    Mar 30, 2022
    7
    Still waiting for the band to release a set of songs that rivals "The Trials...." and, for the most part, I will continue to wait. There are aStill waiting for the band to release a set of songs that rivals "The Trials...." and, for the most part, I will continue to wait. There are a couple of good tunes on Bethel Woods, but there are songs that simply don't register. Hopefully, the band won't wait as long to issue their next release. Expand