Records - The Midden

FOLK

Considering the recent leaps forward in folk music made by the likes of Karine Polwart and Seth Lakeman, it simply isn’t enough these days to be a proficient traditional band with a few decent tunes. Scottish fivesome The Midden suffer by such comparisons, which is a shame, because there are some decent moments here - they’re just too few and far between. The melancholic stuff works best, the title track and the poignant closer ‘Never Know’ being imbued with plenty of emotion, but too often elsewhere the songs are blends of perfunctory instrumentation and cliché-ridden lyrics, making for a rather uninspiring experience.