The Middle East
I Want That You Are Always Happy - MISSING PIECE
FILTER Grade: 75%
By Laura Studarus on July 22, 2011
This Australian band is named for a region in conflict and makes music that often resonates with the lush beauty of Swedish pop. But on this, their second full-length, the Queensland musicians borrow heavily from Americana folk. The result is a melancholy brew. (Funny, given the joy-affirming album title.) Their attempt to capture the campfire quality of Cash and Company is pleasant, but it’s the details (found sounds in “Sydney to Newcastle,” the whispering saxophone of “Mount Morgan”) that linger.