Occupying the musical realm somewhere in between Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Robin Hood, The Trials of Van Occupanther, Midlake's sophomore album, takes the band a giant step ahead from their debut album, Bamnan and Silvercork. Setting aside their synthesizers and obsession with the Flaming Lips, Midlake instead adopts the piano and an obsession with the men in tights. Rather than singing songs about particle separation rooms, Midlake fills this album with images of stonecutters, animal hunting, and dense forests.

Although their music has shifted sonically away from the Flaming Lips and Radiohead, two bands that their debut was oft compared to, they stay in similar territory when it comes to playing music that follows a semi-linear narrative. The Trials of Van Occupanther tells the story of a guy named, not surprisingly, Van Occupanther and his struggles to find love and a woman to marry in the late 19th century.

The album begins with "Roscoe," a rocking song led by a thumping guitar with a pulsating piano hidden somewhere in the background. In addition to being a great opening track-easily one of the best singles that I have heard this year-it introduces the listener to the main character, establishing a peaceful yet somber mood that continues throughout the rest of the album.

Perhaps the greatest song here is the disturbing and beautiful "Young Bride." Adding to the creepiness of the music are its lyrics about a young bride with the"shoulders of a tired old woman." It gives you the feeling that there is something seriously wrong in the 1890s world of Van Occupanther. "Young Bride" opens with a single violin before a hammering drum is slowly added to the mix. The measured suspense of the verses build to a tension that one would expect to hear released in the choruses. However, the choruses never fully release the suspense, creating a suffocating world where one gets the feeling that there is little Van Occupanther can do to help himself or fix his life.

Midlake doesn't forget its roots, bringing back the synthesizers for one more round of fun on the catchy"It Covers the Hillsides." The energetic synth background perfectly complements the deliberate and unhurried piano that runs along the course of the song.

All of this change amounts to one thing for the Denton, Texas, foursome: a major success and a great leap forward. The Trials of Van Occupanther is one of most original and enjoyable albums I have heard this year, a concept album that feels completely unpretentious yet totally engaging is hard to come by. Midlake creates a world that is at once tranquil and happy, but at the same time claustrophobic and more than a little lonely. A piece of music this extraordinary does not come along very often, and one gets the feeling that Midlake will appear on more than a few critics' year-end top tens.

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