By Pete Donahue

Joining the ranks of quality geographically-named bands like Beiruit and Of Montreal comes Aussie quintet The Middle East. Having formed in 2005, the band recorded an eight-song album simply titled The Recordings of The Middle East, but ended up calling it quits sometime in 2008. Thank goodness for reconciliation, as the band re-formed and earlier this year, their album was re-issued by Australian label Spunk as a five-song EP. Their sound lies somewhere between delicate, brooding folk and atmospheric baroque pop. For example, the song “Blood” starts out as a sped-up, delicate finger-picked acoustic lament and later explodes into a big-band sing-a-long complete with giant backing vocals, a brass band and glockenspiels.

The Middle East properly channels quiet folks moments mastered by the likes of Sam Beam and M. Ward and mixes them with exploding finales synonymous with Arcade Fire, also combining atmospheric layers not unknown to groups like Grizzly Bear, Mew and The Antlers. The band’s sonic offerings stretch far beyond one sound and their well-rounded EP is arguably one of the finest albums I’ve heard in 2009.

Myspace: the middle east
MP3: The Middle East – “Blood”
MP3: The Middle East – “The Darkest Side”