Midway In Wake
We Will Remain Sedate
Lowatt Records [2012]
Fire Note Says: Midway In Wake take you on a well crafted Bedroom Pop journey.
Album Review: We Will Remain Sedate is the debut album from El Paso’s Midway in Wake. Greg Reynaud is the creative force of the band, writing, recording, and playing all instruments on the debut lp, out of necessity rather than a desire to record on his own. Reynaud now resides in South Korea, and finding like minded musicians to work with would seem to be a bit of a challenge!
One of the main strengths of the record is that it doesn’t sound like a one man band. Reynaud is able to handle himself quite well on multiple instruments, and it is indeed complex stuff. He is weaving multiple melody lines on guitar and keyboards into a giant tapestry of sound. His bass and drumming also add lovely accents to the mix. “They Couldn’t Fill a Book” is a nice example of this. As his guitar is strumming away, he adds an acoustic lead guitar line, and then brings a keyboard in to add even more fills. “Requiem For The Masses” is the most impressive song on the record from both a sonic standpoint, and a lyrical one as well. Reynaud is clearly hoping for the reawaking of a society that has grown complacent, and this song, on one hand is signaling the death of that society, yet on the other hand is hoping that a change can indeed take place.
I should also add that the album is sequenced really well too. It has peaks and valleys, faster and slower songs all mixed together in such a way that makes the album very easy to listen to. Couple that with the fact that he has a pleasant voice and writes nice hooks, and you have an album that rewards repeated listening. Here’s hoping Reynaud can put a touring version of Midway in Wake together and play some live shows soon!
Key Tracks: “Requiem For The Masses”, “Urban Vermin”, “They Couldn’t Fill a Book”
Artists With Similar Fire: Elliott Smith / Portastatic / M. Ward
Midway In Wake Website
Midway In Wake Facebook
Lowatt Records
-Reviewed by Kevin Poindexter
Born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, I am extremely proud of the area I grew up in and the influence it has had on the world at large, from the Wright Brothers to Robert Pollard, the area has been a center of innovation both technologically and artistically. During my college years at the University of Dayton, I found myself becoming more and more immersed in the local music scene, a period of time in the early to mid 90's that coincided with the rise of bands like Guided by Voices, Brainiac, and The Breeders, who added to the rich musical legacy of the area. Dayton is also the hometown of many giants of funk in the 70's and is also the birthplace of Jazz greats Billy Strayhorn, John Scofield and Bud Shank. I wrote extensively for The Fire Note, a great online magazine focused on indie rock, in the 2010's while simultaneously being a partner in Rockathon Records, before retiring from both in 2018. In 2024, my thoughts turned back to helping at Rockathon and more importantly to pick back up on my writing, and more specifically to write about my love of jazz. I'm always listening, always searching for something new, something great. It's been a lifelong journey, and I still feel like there is so much out there to hear.
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
