What this album is, is a collection of well written, perfectly executed songs. Inspired by British folk-rock, but thankfully with none of the twee shrillness that often accompanied that particular sub-genre, The Courage of Others is in itself a fine album. What it isn’t however, is The Trials of Van Occupanther and ultimately, and unfortunately, that is what may define Midlake’s third album.

Nobody expects a band to try to remake the same album over and over, but what The Courage of Others lacks is the variety of its forerunner. There’s none of the exhilarating rush of Roscoe or Head Home; none of the sparkle of Bandits; none of the pounding surge of Young Bride and the only time it comes close to the stripped bare beauty of Branches is on Fortune, placed slap-bang in the middle of the album to punctuate what is otherwise very much a samey sounding album.

Had this album been released before Van Occupanther, it would have probably been hailed as a great leap forward but coming as a follow up, and especially as so hotly anticipated as it is given the hiatus between the two albums, it seems like a step backwards. Which is a shame as individually, each song is perfectly fine but as a collection serves only to remind you how great The Trials of Van Occupanther was.