An absolute titan of pastoral folk rock lushness and a set of songs we have listened to more times than we could even fathom. Welcome to the world of ‘ridiculed lonely scientist’ Van Occupanther.
Although I do distinctly remembering falling for the bubbling charms of Bamnan and Slivercork (the debut LP from Texan five piece Midlake), nothing had us at all prepped for those first bars of Roscoe, the era defining lead track to the band’s utterly seminal The Trials of Van Occupanther. Originally released in late July 2006, it is an album of misty nostalgia, thick analogue rock and roll riffs, layers of ghostly harmonies and generations of swooning folk and lore. They're just perfect, beautiful and evocative songs that tell a tale and keep you hooked to every inch of the stereo from it’s driving first beats to it’s soothing final hums. An album with very few equals.
Firstly, we have Remembering The Trials of Van Occupanther, an interview with Bella Union founder Simon Raymonde about the album’s enduring charms. We have also (for the first time outside of it’s physical print run) published an interview with Tim Smith about the album and his memories of making it.
“For me, it’s like reading an old diary. That was us, our struggles, figuring things out, still very new to things... but we were committed and believed in what we were making.” - Tim Smith.
If it’s your first listen, you’re about to hear something very special. If you haven’t played it in a while, get ready to re-feel all the feels.
